Ring flash or not ring flash, that is the question

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loclnor

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Lorraine
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Hi all
Please can someone help me? I have only ever used a built in flash and then not very often. However, I am now really enjoying doing some macro photography and from everything I have read it seems that to do this successfully I need a separate flash. Please can someone advise me, is a ringflash OK for this purpose or should I be looking at something completely different?
Any comments would be much appreciated. :)
 
It depends what you mean by ringflash Lorraine, there are a lot of cheap "ringflash" kits on ebay that aren't ringflash at all but are a ring of LED lights and though they work ok, they dont have a link to your camera's metering system.

I would say the best start would be to get a dedicated flash gun, an off shoe TTL cord and a little lumiquest or interfit soft box to soften the light.
At least this way your flash will be getting the metering information for exposure from the camera.
 
I noticed that mbp had a second hand r1c nikon flash kit yesterday, it is an awesome macro flash kit, You would need to check that the d3000 has commander mode built in, if not you would need an su800 or sb800 or sb900 to control it, this then makes it an expensive option.
 
Davec223 said:
I noticed that mbp had a second hand r1c nikon flash kit yesterday, it is an awesome macro flash kit, You would need to check that the d3000 has commander mode built in, if not you would need an su800 or sb800 or sb900 to control it, this then makes it an expensive option.
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It doesn't, you need a D90 or higher for that
 
.....aaah interesting... I have also been toying with the idea of upgrading to a D90 but am not sure what I would be gaining over the D3000. (Any thoughts?) So perhaps I had better decide on my next move body wise before I invest in a flash. I was under the impression that a Nikon flash would fit all Nikon cameras, this obviously is not the case.
 
A Nikon flash will fit any Nikon camera, what Dave was refering to was the ability of the onboard flash on the D90 and above to be used as a commander for other wireless Nikon flashguns, such as the SB600/800/900. This facility isn't present in the D40/60/3000/5000 models. With one of those bodies you'd need either an SB800/900 or an SU800 on the hotshoe of the camera to act as the commander.
 
Upto 1:1 you will probably get away with a diffused SB600 - the problem with a ring flash is they provide a harsh light that is difficult to control / diffuse.

This thread has some good examples
 
loclnor said:
.....aaah interesting... I have also been toying with the idea of upgrading to a D90 but am not sure what I would be gaining over the D3000. (Any thoughts?) So perhaps I had better decide on my next move body wise before I invest in a flash. I was under the impression that a Nikon flash would fit all Nikon cameras, this obviously is not the case.
Click to expand...

Sorry for confusing matters, see flashes explanation below.

Flash In The Pan said:
A Nikon flash will fit any Nikon camera, what Dave was refering to was the ability of the onboard flash on the D90 and above to be used as a commander for other wireless Nikon flashguns, such as the SB600/800/900. This facility isn't present in the D40/60/3000/5000 models. With one of those bodies you'd need either an SB800/900 or an SU800 on the hotshoe of the camera to act as the commander.
Click to expand...

As usual an excellent explanation.:thumbs:
 
You definitely need flash for serious macro. If you have a decent gun you can usually press that into service with a bracket and extension cord, plus a diffuser of some sort, but that will cost a few bob and isn't as good as a proper ringflash.

Nikon make some lovely macro kit, but this Marumi ringflash does the basics pretty well for about £120, and is compatible with Nikon's iTTL system. Something like this would transform you macro work http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...-_-Marumi-DRF14C-Ring-Flash-for-Canon_1026071

Oops that's the Canon version - Nikon one works exactly the same. Prolly a few quid cheaper on Amazon.
 
TTL is a red herring, learn to use the equipment manually. With macro the inverse square law is masivley at play, you will almost always end up tweaking out the automagic settings anyway
 
Richard King said:
TTL is a red herring, learn to use the equipment manually. With macro the inverse square law is masivley at play, you will almost always end up tweaking out the automagic settings anyway
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Yes, the ISL is very much active - which is exactly why you need auto-TTL metering.

When you're stalking a butterfly, you've got to get it right first time. It's not going to sit there and let you nuke it time after time and faff around.
 
A lot will depend on your budget... you can, with a cheapy flash (I use a Jessops 360), make a ring flash converter for a couple of pounds. It's not going to be as good as a proper ring flash/macro flash setup, but the cost difference is quite staggering.

http://www.diyphotography.net/readers-projects-the-cd-spindle-ringflash

Most of my images in the macro section were shot with it.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
....... This facility isn't present in the D40/60/3000/5000 models. With one of those bodies you'd need either an SB800/900 or an SU800 on the hotshoe of the camera to act as the commander.
Click to expand...

Can I assume then that I can use one of these on the hotshoe and a diffused SB600 and they will work OK together?
 
Having just read back through the posts again, have I just chosen the expensive option?
:bonk:
 
loclnor said:
Having just read back through the posts again, have I just chosen the expensive option?
:bonk:
Click to expand...

Yeap, you have chosen one of the more expensive options. Although more than 1 flash is always useful.
 
(Sorry for the delay, I have been away a few days.)

Typical! - I shall have to think a bit longer on this one .... or wait and see how generous Santa is feeling! lol

Thank you to everyone who has answered my query, you've made things much clearer, at least now I know the options.:)
 
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