Neewer Macro LED Ring Flash RF550D

swanseamale47

swanseamale47

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wayne clarke
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My other half has got right into macro since getting a sigma 50mm macro. She's spotted these led ring lights Neewer and the Meike similar version.
Does anybody actually have one of these? Are they any good for boosting light for close up? Any advice welcome.
 
Well, at extremely close distances they're bound to boost the light to some degree, especially if the shutter speed can be fairly slow.

But it's extremely deceptive to describe them as "flash" when they're not, she would obviously be better off with a real flash one.

All Neewer products are "similar" to something else - that's because they don't make anything themselves, they re-brand.
 
They do sort of have a flash setting... well the led's just light up during the exposure ;) although how you'd get a proper exposure is another matter as it's not talking to the camera.
My other halfs not that keen on flash, I've even given her one of our spares but she just can't seem to get on with it. It's the continous aspect she likes. It'll be great for video she says, well it would be if she did any video.....
Thanks for the reply Garry.
 
alfbranch said:
A basic flashgun and a little bit of DIY and this is what you get which works as well as anything

EM1 sigma 105 Mk11 by Alf Branch, on Flickr
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Funnily enough I saw a similar version made from card and velcro the other day. It was lined with silver metal tape (which I have knocking about) I might well knock up a version similar to this. What are you using to diffuse the light at the front? I'm thnking a cheap ebay softbox front cut to size should work??
 
A Pringles tube also works well .. quite a few ideas on youtube
 
swanseamale47 said:
Funnily enough I saw a similar version made from card and velcro the other day. It was lined with silver metal tape (which I have knocking about) I might well knock up a version similar to this. What are you using to diffuse the light at the front? I'm thnking a cheap ebay softbox front cut to size should work??
Click to expand...

There are lots of eaxamples here https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/show-us-your-macro-rig.132158/

The one posted is a pringle tube (silver lined) and a plastic takeaway container with some polystyrene sheet and duck tape

Macro-rig-2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
That an old Macro lens Alf - The latest one does not extend and I find that a huge bonus

I use a ring flash on some occasions - made by Godox or my Nissin Di700 with a white card reflector

Les :)
 
Lez325 said:
That an old Macro lens Alf - The latest one does not extend and I find that a huge bonus

I use a ring flash on some occasions - made by Godox or my Nissin Di700 with a white card reflector

Les :)
Click to expand...

That is a 4/3 fit lens which is easier to get to work on m4/3 than many others
 
Alf whats the ring with button on the front of your macro lens? It's not in the first pic. I'm guessing some sort of extra close up. With the tubes and the lens you must be getting way about 1/1. How far up can you go with that set-up?
 
swanseamale47 said:
Alf whats the ring with button on the front of your macro lens? It's not in the first pic. I'm guessing some sort of extra close up. With the tubes and the lens you must be getting way about 1/1. How far up can you go with that set-up?
Click to expand...

Thats a Raynox macro attachment to give more magnification, the "button" is a release catch to take it off the lens.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Alf whats the ring with button on the front of your macro lens? It's not in the first pic. I'm guessing some sort of extra close up. With the tubes and the lens you must be getting way about 1/1. How far up can you go with that set-up?
Click to expand...

The set up shown is my Olympus E-M1 with a 4/3 Sigma 105 f2.8 DG macro lens a set of three (cheap plastic) tubes that failed with this weight and Raynox DCR 250 there is a 44/3 to m4/3 converter
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/dcr/dcr250/indexdcr250eg.htm

The lens provide 1:1 but with the tubes and Raynox I would get 2.9:1 magnification

Looking like this uncropped shot

105-mag-test-tubes&R by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is a side view

Macro-rig by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is as shot with the lens only

Sigma-105-mag-test by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is a shot with that set up with a measurement across the frame of 8mm using a single 25mm extension tube instead of the three cheep ones

Collembola in 8mm frame by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
swanseamale47 said:
My other half has got right into macro since getting a sigma 50mm macro. She's spotted these led ring lights Neewer and the Meike similar version.
Does anybody actually have one of these? Are they any good for boosting light for close up? Any advice welcome.
Click to expand...
The 48 LED thing?
At 12" it's worth about 3.5 stops, but if you use the diffusion that drops to about 2 stops. For closeup and the ringlight look I would say it's worth a go given the price.
 
alfbranch said:
The set up shown is my Olympus E-M1 with a 4/3 Sigma 105 f2.8 DG macro lens a set of three (cheap plastic) tubes that failed with this weight and Raynox DCR 250 there is a 44/3 to m4/3 converter
http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/dcr/dcr250/indexdcr250eg.htm

The lens provide 1:1 but with the tubes and Raynox I would get 2.9:1 magnification

Looking like this uncropped shot

105-mag-test-tubes&R by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is a side view

Macro-rig by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is as shot with the lens only

Sigma-105-mag-test by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Here is a shot with that set up with a measurement across the frame of 8mm using a single 25mm extension tube instead of the three cheep ones

Collembola in 8mm frame by Alf Branch, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Nice shot Alf. 2.9:1 blimey you must be best mates with the bugs. ;) When you see some of these things close up they look really alien.
 
sk66 said:
The 48 LED thing?
At 12" it's worth about 3.5 stops, but if you use the diffusion that drops to about 2 stops. For closeup and the ringlight look I would say it's worth a go given the price.
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Thats what I was thinking, it's cheap as chips on flebay. I might just order one and have a punt for £20.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Thats what I was thinking, it's cheap as chips on flebay. I might just order one and have a punt for £20.
Click to expand...
I think I have one in the cupboard that I never bothered with so still as new.
you can have it for the cost of postage if you want.
 
Ganton Gunner said:
I think I have one in the cupboard that I never bothered with so still as new.
you can have it for the cost of postage if you want.
Click to expand...
if he doesn't want it I'll take it please
 
A shot with Peters ringlight (used over the top not on camera) the "conker" spider. The light from the ringlight is quite bright and really helps a lot. The colour is a very good daylight match.

IMG_9859xxx.jpg


Some fungi, the ringlight is pretty much the only lighting here it was more or less dark. Light off to one side.

IMG_9871xxx.jpg
 
swanseamale47 said:
My other half has got right into macro since getting a sigma 50mm macro. She's spotted these led ring lights Neewer and the Meike similar version.
Does anybody actually have one of these? Are they any good for boosting light for close up? Any advice welcome.
Click to expand...

I got the cheaper version but not really for the flash (which didn't work well with my camera) but for the constant light setting. It is heavy on batteries so I added a dummy battery system to run of the mains as my close up work is all at home. Neweer do another version for around £65 which is supposed to be TTL compatible. All my close up work is on small, fairly flat items shot with 10x close up lens to fill the frame. Works for me.
 
Dangerous said:
I got the cheaper version but not really for the flash (which didn't work well with my camera) but for the constant light setting. It is heavy on batteries so I added a dummy battery system to run of the mains as my close up work is all at home. Neweer do another version for around £65 which is supposed to be TTL compatible. All my close up work is on small, fairly flat items shot with 10x close up lens to fill the frame. Works for me.
Click to expand...
I've heard mixed reports of the proper flash version, it seems theres an issue with one side dying from what I'm hearing.
To be fair the Neewer led one works fine for the sort of stuff I play with, mostly fungi or flowers, and if I can find them dragonflies/butterflies (had a good year last year) I haven't noticed any battery issues yet, that said it's only for a few mins at a time with me.
 
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