macro lighting query

the black fox

the black fox

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Jeff
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just bought a sigma 150mm o.s macro lens ,I haven't done macro for years so really need to know about lighting ,I have from previous attempts at macro got a decent canon flash gun ,plus a couple of different types of flash diffusers i.e large fold out hood type ,hard plastic gary-fong type and also a bank of power adjustable l.e.d lights .
do you think it would be worth buying one of the Chinese ring flash l.e.d lights from e.bay or not bother with what I already have ,and if I did are they any good ,also seen the l.e.d lights with three moveable circular banks on them look like a war of the worlds set up .dont want to get to far into expense wise it till I work out how much I like it
 
I too am interested in learning about lighting @the black fox . My attempts so far have involved somebody holding a torch right close up to the subject to allow me to focus at ISO100. Most my family get annoyed with having to get involved, so a solution would be something I'd be interested to know about myself!!
 
I'd get the scissors and tape out Jeff. Plenty of ideas on the thread linked to.

I use a Canon ring flash with home made diffuser and it's pretty good but too pricey to buy to see if you like it.

I've tried using flashguns on brackets etc with decent results but I found the ringflash set up far simpler and more compact for my use.
 
I have just bought a Nissin ring flash from wex. Haven’t really used it in anger yet just the odd pic. So far it seems as if it’s going to be good piece of kit.I did go down the cheap Ebay led ring light. In my opinion it was hopeless.
 
Gil Bev said:
I too am interested in learning about lighting @the black fox . My attempts so far have involved somebody holding a torch right close up to the subject to allow me to focus at ISO100. Most my family get annoyed with having to get involved, so a solution would be something I'd be interested to know about myself!!
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a decent tripod is a must for macro even with i.s .I know that from past experiences as you need a minimum of f8 normally for d.o.f .the manfrotto 190 series or 055 series are probably best due to flexibility my large birding rig with gimbal head would be overkill for instance
 
the black fox said:
a decent tripod is a must for macro even with i.s .I know that from past experiences as you need a minimum of f8 normally for d.o.f .the manfrotto 190 series or 055 series are probably best due to flexibility my large birding rig with gimbal head would be overkill for instance
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I do not use a tripod for macro I shoot at up to 3X magnification.
I use an ordinary flash and homemade diffuser see the show us your macro rig thread linked above.
 
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the black fox said:
just bought a sigma 150mm o.s macro lens ,I haven't done macro for years so really need to know about lighting ,I have from previous attempts at macro got a decent canon flash gun ,plus a couple of different types of flash diffusers i.e large fold out hood type ,hard plastic gary-fong type and also a bank of power adjustable l.e.d lights .
do you think it would be worth buying one of the Chinese ring flash l.e.d lights from e.bay or not bother with what I already have ,and if I did are they any good ,also seen the l.e.d lights with three moveable circular banks on them look like a war of the worlds set up .dont want to get to far into expense wise it till I work out how much I like it
Click to expand...
There has to be one exception and it might as well be me, I do not use a flash or any lighting when taking macro shots, I also hand hold all of mine, even on not so bright days I'm happy with my results, I do Dragonflies and Butterflies mostly, and it's a sigma 150mm macro I use (newest version as it was replaced by insurance), this will not be how others shoot, but I travel light while walking, and as a rule I will not spend all day on macro work, as always it will depend on what you want out of your macro work, is it going to be for professional use or like mine for pleasure :-)
 
I guess it depends on what you're shooting. When doing tiny tiny spiders - I find I am zooming in on live view to maximum in order to achieve focus. Even on the tripod the insect is shaking about on the viewfinder even although it's perfectly still!! Would it true to say that the larger the subject the easier to do it handheld?
 
Gil Bev said:
I guess it depends on what you're shooting. When doing tiny tiny spiders - I find I am zooming in on live view to maximum in order to achieve focus. Even on the tripod the insect is shaking about on the viewfinder even although it's perfectly still!! Would it true to say that the larger the subject the easier to do it handheld?
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To a certain extent, yes, because it's easier to follow and focus on a larger subject. However, there is a still a limit to how long you can handhold a camera and lens and not have the image suffer from movement so the main factor effecting that will be light.
 
I'm another who doesn't use a tripod but all of my macro stuff is out in the field. If I used a tripod I'd miss most shots with all the faffing about setting it up.

100mm macro, ringflash and 5D4

If I shot indoors however the I'd use a tripod always.
 
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Gaz J said:
I'm another who doesn't use a tripod but all of my macro stuff is out in the field. If I used a tripod I'd miss most shots with all the faffing about setting it up.

100mm macro, ringflash and 5D4

If I shot indoors however the I'd use a tripod always.
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For outdoors - do you nail focus each time or do you have to take a good few shots handheld and see what you get when you get home? Do you use liveview or the viewfinder?
 
My old rig was a canon 50d with a oldish sigma 180 mm if I remember it was a mix of hand held and tripod use ,there’s always a monopod if needed and the flash gun will freeze movement .i have also used a non is canon 100 mm which I wasn’t impressed with.
I don’t think hand holding will be a problem as I normally shoot hand held with a canon 1D3 and a sigma 150-600 sport
 
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Gil Bev said:
For outdoors - do you nail focus each time or do you have to take a good few shots handheld and see what you get when you get home? Do you use liveview or the viewfinder?
Click to expand...

Depth of field is tiny at f16 focusing about 6 inches away from the subject. I use continuous spot AF and shoot in bursts of 3. I look through the viewfinder always. A quick check at 100% on the focus point is all I do.

This is the sort of stuff I shoot. Mainly damselflies and dragonflies but some insects also.

https://flic.kr/p/UmJd9A

https://flic.kr/p/UHbnvg

https://flic.kr/p/UFXorU
 
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Gaz J said:
Depth of field is tiny at f16 focusing about 6 inches away from the subject. I use continuous spot AF and shoot in bursts of 3. I look through the viewfinder always. A quick check at 100% on the focus point is all I do.

This is the sort of stuff I shoot. Mainly damselflies and dragonflies but some insects also.

https://flic.kr/p/UmJd9A

https://flic.kr/p/UHbnvg

https://flic.kr/p/UFXorU
Click to expand...
Will try that technique tomorrow on a tiny spider I've found in the bath. Handheld definately sounds more appealing but I'm not sure if my subjects are big enough for AF to work. Sorry for comondeering your thread @the black fox
 
alfbranch said:
This was taken at 3X mag handheld and many shoot at 5X or even higher handheld
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Yep, it's doable. You might remember a shot I posted a year ago or so which was taken handheld with a 20x microscope lens on an X-T1. By all accounts it really shouldn't have worked at all but it did. That said, I won't be stalking the woods with it very often. :D I'm often amazed at some of the shots people pull off handheld. Thomas Shahan does virtually all his handheld and most with the technique I described above.
 
Yongnou YN-14EX is an excellent choice for Canon cameras. Power adjustable and lightweight. They also make a YN-24EX, which is good value and about 1/4 the price of the Canon version.
 
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