Canon EOS M Series Cameras

Wissel said:
This may not be the case as it's already been reported on another forum that the Yongnuo YN EX600 RT or YN14EX macro ring flash don't work with the M3.

This is why I want to make sure before ordering a couple of flashes.
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Hopefully someone out there has that setup already and can confirm. Hence the caveat "unless someone can say/knows otherwise"
May take a week or two for the answer mind, not a huge amount of M3s around yet. :oops: :$
 
edster said:
Super setup Tim. You've inspired me to do something similar now! I think my 24ex will be too big for the M3, so a lighter-weight rig might be in order.
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Yeah the issue I always had with the 24ex was the ground clearance beneath the lens as a result of the bracket (for really high magnification stuff, you can't get low enough with it) but I assume you may be able to craft a dual bracket similar to the above to support the twin flash heads, or use a small single flash unit. You don't need anything very powerful (the subject is right infront of the lens) but I find the 90ex a bit slow at recycling, so will replace it with the 270ex at some point... The whole reason I bought into the M was to try to reduce the size and weight of my kit, so I can travel easier with it, and now I much prefer it to a heavier DSLR based setup (although the MP-E is still big and heavy, it's a very convenient way of moving between magnification levels which suits my style of trying to shoot whatever I come across).
 
Gazamonk said:
Great post, simple and effective. Im very excited by the lighting in your macro shots from the diminutive and very portable 90ex. Very acceptable
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Thanks, yes the 90ex is great, just a bit slow for me at recycling, but it punches well above it's weight. I need to do some testing with the new pop up and see how that might compare, but need to design a way to diffuse it first!
 
Gazamonk said:
Hopefully someone out there has that setup already and can confirm. Hence the caveat "unless someone can say/knows otherwise"
May take a week or two for the answer mind, not a huge amount of M3s around yet. :oops: :$
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Yeah. I might just order a YN-560 TX and a couple of 560 IV's and give them a try. They are manual so should work on anything?

I'll make sure I order through a reputable dealer though incase they don't work and need to be returned (the adverts state they work on anything).
 
I like the idea of Tim's bracket, but was wondering if there would be sufficient room between the ring and the lens glass to use either small self tapping screws, or even rivets! I might give that a try, as I could do with extending my flash when using my 100mm FD macro (with tube) and my Sigma 105.
 
killwilly said:
I like the idea of Tim's bracket, but was wondering if there would be sufficient room between the ring and the lens glass to use either small self tapping screws, or even rivets! I might give that a try, as I could do with extending my flash when using my 100mm FD macro (with tube) and my Sigma 105.
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I think there is, and it is something I have considered (it will likely be more reliable than the epoxy, and may even offer the possibility of rotating the flash slightly). The step down ring I got is actually a pretty solid chunk of metal and I wasn't sure I had the right drill bits and components to do it "properly." The epoxy was an easier option (for me) that seems to be doing the job. The thing to bear in mind is that with this particular lens (the MP-E) there is actually only a small area of glass at the front, so it allowed me to use a large step-down ring without impairing the field of view. I'm not sure, but you might not have the same luxury with your macro lenses if the glass almost reaches to the filter ring. Also, the reason I needed a front mounting bracket was so that the light rig moves as I increase magnification (the lens barrel extends in front and behind so it moves quite a lot and I was getting fed up with having to adjust my lighting setup every time I changed magnification), see this slightly earlier configuration below:

Gear Update by Tim.Garlick, on Flickr

I'm not sure how far your fixed focal length lenses extend, but you may not need to worry about it being front mounted. It might be easier to fix a bracket to the tripod mount (either on camera or on the lens/adapter).

Anyway, just some thoughts to consider...
 
Dave1 said:
Thanks, I'll have a read, I've tried similar and never found a permanent solution, the glue always seems to give up at just the wrong time.
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Try 3M VHB tape,almost impossible to break the adhesion.
 
TimmyG said:
Thanks, yes the 90ex is great, just a bit slow for me at recycling, but it punches well above it's weight. I need to do some testing with the new pop up and see how that might compare, but need to design a way to diffuse it first!
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Tim - What diffuser did you use on the 90ex? Home brew or off the shelf?
 
Im going to sound like a complete newbie here but.....
Okay, haven't really done a lot in the way of macro but re. the above centipede pic. If that is alive I assume it's moving a bit and to do a 30 image stack (never used this technique and don't know much about it ) wouldn't every frame have to be perfectly aligned ? If so it begs the questions,

How did you manage it handheld and....
How do you train a centipede to hold still for that length of time ? :rolleyes:

P.S. That MP-E doesn't half extend by the way. Isn't that a real pain for close work ?
 
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Gazamonk said:
If that is alive I assume it's moving a bit and to do a 30 image stack (never used this technique and don't know much about it ) wouldn't every frame have to be perfectly aligned ? If so it begs the questions,

How did you manage it handheld and....
How do you train a centipede to hold still for that length of time ? :rolleyes:

P.S. That MP-E doesn't half extend by the way. Isn't that a real pain for close work ?
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Good questions! Indeed there is usually movement between frames through both my hands moving and the subject moving. Fortunately there are ways around this! I use a program called Zerene to help me stack images. Have a look at this example stack of a jumping spider I shot last year:

13067741895_d15bc18caa_o.gif


It was munching on another spider, so there was a lot of movement up front, but it's probably also why I was able to get up close and do the stack. If you look around the edges (particularly the right hand and lower edge of the frame) you'll see a "border" of straight lines that comes and goes as I move through the images. This is where the program has aligned the images (based on key features around the subject) and then extrapolated out to fill in the bits that don't cover the frame. Usually you can just crop these out, but sometimes you can make use of one or two individual frames and overlay them back in.

For the subject movement, zerene has a nice feature where you can "repaint" in areas from the individual frames onto the final stack (see here for more info). Fortunately, I only needed a couple of frames with the spider in the same position to get the front pedipalps in focus, so I was able to "paint" over these areas to tidy up the stack (I obviously have to do this a fair bit, and even if the subject hasn't moved, sometimes fine detail such as hairs, aren't fully aligned and get duplicated. It's a fair bit of work but worth the effort).

This was what I was able to salvage:

2014-03-09-18.38.52 ZS retouched - 7 by Tim.Garlick, on Flickr

Back to the centipede. It had retreated to what it though was a safe place. I think it also kept still for a while to try to avoid being seen again. It did a better job of keeping still than I did, as I ended up cropping a fair bit, but only had to make a few edits to the final stack, mainly to the right front legs. Surprisingly the antenna kept pretty still, usually these are waving about all over the place and you have to do loads of editing on them or stack then separately then merge them back in with the image. Many insects will keep still after chasing them around for a while, or you'll just encounter the odd individual who will stop and pose for you. Persistence is key though! If you can get up early enough, before the sun hits them, that helps too.

As regard to the MP-E extending, I'm used to it by now so it doesn't bother me much. You obviously lose light as you increase magnification (and diffraction becomes more pronounced) so I usually open up the aperture. When fully extended I'm usually looking at something low on the ground so can rest my hands on the ground and place the lens barrel on my hand. This helps with the stability and you quickly learn to look for things to support yourself with! On it's own though it's fine; It's when you start adding extenders and extension tubes that it becomes more unwieldy.

HTHs
 
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WOW! Now that's an answer to a question. Fantastic information and brilliantly presented. Very intrigued by that software, that's a clever little program is it not.
Big thanks for a very comprehensive answer. :ty:


"Someday all posts will be made this way" lol
 
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Mine is finally here!

I resisted the temptation to play too much but had to try the wifi. Seems a bit I intuitive to have it in the playback settings.

Battery now charging.
 
@TimmyG which version of Zerene do you have? I see there are a couple of versions and wondered which you use? Looks good - I've downloaded the trail to use but wondered if you knew what the difference is in the full versions?
 
mike_6480 said:
@TimmyG which version of Zerene do you have? I see there are a couple of versions and wondered which you use? Looks good - I've downloaded the trail to use but wondered if you knew what the difference is in the full versions?
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Sorry for the delay in responding. I needed to log into Zerene to check as I think the licensing structure changed at some point after I purchased it. I think I have the personal edition, although I cant find where it tells me. Just the basic useage rights and functionality anyway, covers everything I use it for.
 
TimmyG said:
Sorry for the delay in responding. I needed to log into Zerene to check as I think the licensing structure changed at some point after I purchased it. I think I have the personal edition, although I cant find where it tells me. Just the basic useage rights and functionality anyway, covers everything I use it for.
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Same here, basic setup (around £50-£60 iirc) but worth every penny. You can upgrade incrementally if you need to but the basic package has everything I've ever needed. Tried a few others but Zerene seemed to handle the reorientation of images the best imo.
 
strumstrum said:
been getting some good use out of the M past few days, really love how easy it is to use..

walk around Leicester Cathedral (M + 22m)
16464816934_5663238430_c.jpg


off camera flash (M + 18-55)
17029461875_0f01ace576_c.jpg
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It really is a fantastic little camera package. Great shots David. Nice hat btw ;)
 
michael23 said:
It's really cold here today, and quite a breeze blowing, I did however manage my 1st attempt at a woodlouse today. Kiron at f16, lit by nissin di622 on manual and power level turned right down and built in diffuser panel used. No where near as good as the other macros on here though.

woodlouse by scilly puffin, on Flickr
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That's great. To say it was bare flash you've controlled the highlights really well (obviously some additional diffusion would help further). The detail that lens is resolving looks great, especially at f16. I'd be tempted to open up a little, say around F13 as at this magnification I guess the sweet spot will be from F10-F13. Did you need to crop this at all?. I'm still waiting for a good deal to come up on ebay for one :)

Unfortunately woodlice have a tendency to hide away in the darkest places. A good tip for woodlice is to turn over large rocks or logs. You'll see a fair few scurry away, but you might get lucky and some will stick around a short while for a quick portrait session (y)

Be good for you to come and join us in the macro section. I'm aware I my have taken this thread slightly off topic recently so apologies to all for that!
 
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TimmyG said:
Be good for you to come and join us in the macro section. I'm aware I my have taken this thread slightly off topic recently so apologies to all for that!
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I hardly think you need to apologise for posting stunning photos taken with the on-topic camera! It's certainly helped to inspire me to try my hand, although I'm way off your standard so far.
 
TimmyG said:
That's great. To say it was bare flash you've controlled the highlights really well (obviously some additional diffusion would help further). The detail that lens is resolving looks great, especially at f16. I'd be tempted to open up a little, say around F13 as at this magnification I guess the sweet spot will be from F10-F13. Did you need to crop this at all?. I'm still waiting for a good deal to come up on ebay for one :)

Unfortunately woodlice have a tendency to hide away in the darkest places. A good tip for woodlice is to turn over large rocks or logs. You'll see a fair few scurry away, but you might get lucky and some will stick around a short while for a quick portrait session (y)

Be good for you to come and join us in the macro section. I'm aware I my have taken this thread slightly off topic recently so apologies to all for that!
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Thanks Tim, I did try the 90ex first but it totally obliterated everything in sight. The image was only cropped for composition as the woodlouse was at the top of the image. I think I used it at f11 on the flower pics were posted.
 
postcardcv said:
Is it there yet...? I hate waiting for deliveries, they always seem to arrive at the latest possible moment.
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Sadly not yet :(

Stuck at work as well, so it will be after lunch at the very least until I get my hands on it.
 
NEWS FLASH: The Eagle has landed!! Good news! All I need to do now is come up with a cunning plan to get out of work! The bad news is that the missus took delivery of the rather large box that arrived at home, so I need a good cover 'story', and quick lol!
 
edster said:
NEWS FLASH: The Eagle has landed!! Good news! All I need to do now is come up with a cunning plan to get out of work! The bad news is that the missus took delivery of the rather large box that arrived at home, so I need a good cover 'story', and quick lol!
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Baffle her with man maths, tell her you sold other stuff off at a profit, then factor in the savings you made buying from Japan, net result the camera was practically free, works for me (well some of the time ):rolleyes:
 
jimgallaher said:
Baffle her with man maths, tell her you sold other stuff off at a profit, then factor in the savings you made buying from Japan, net result the camera was practically free, works for me (well some of the time ):rolleyes:
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Haha, I was thinking exactly the same thing!!
 
jimgallaher said:
Baffle her with man maths, tell her you sold other stuff off at a profit, then factor in the savings you made buying from Japan, net result the camera was practically free, works for me (well some of the time ):rolleyes:
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My Missus read that :confused:

She said "oh, like you then" Busted :cool:

On a side note I've just ordered a Yongnuo YN-560 TX trigger and a couple of YN-560 IV flashes. Quite looking forward to a bit of night photography with these.
 
Ok, so it's arrived! ... and I'm very pleased indeed :)

It's a bit chunkier and heavier than the original M, but for the added features I think it's a good compromise. The LCD screen looks smaller due to the large 'frame' around it, but in fact it looks the same dimensions as before. The menu is a bit odd, preferred the old one. Might take a while to get used to. The articulation of the LCD is great and will be very useful. It feels sturdier than I expected.

The EVF is a lot better than I expected and the new dials make using it a lot easier.

AF speed seems good and the MF.n button is useful. Shame you can't add the level to it, but it's only a button press away. The video record button is also programmable, so I've put the focus peaking function on that (which is also great).

Tried the WiFi but couldn't get it to work. Need to read the manual or install the correct app on my iPhone. Any suggestions?

Battery now charging, so looking forward to another play later on! :)
 
For wifi you have to be in "play" mode or something like that, then hit the wifi button (best to RTFM for that bit). There are two official canon apps to download. EOS Remote and camera connect.. .both free anyway. Also try the nfc function if you have a compatible device. it will be useful to understand how it works when no wifi is available.
 
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