Drip

[Artshot]

I've been listening to these for days, so I thought I might have a closer look.
Has anyone tried any of the budget led rings for macro photography?



Using camera flash

[mknittle]

I like the first one best Art. The contrast between the light reflection in the drop and the dark background work for me.

[DanK]

Has anyone tried any of the budget led rings for macro photography?

There have been a number of discussion of this on this site, but I rarely find I can get the search function to work well. I find it works better to go to a regular search engine and include "cambridge in colour" in the search string. In any case, there are three main issues in macro flash. the first is diffusion. A bare flash generally works poorly, creating harsh lighting and reflections. The second is shadows. A ring light has the advantage of even illumination, but it has the disadvantage of even illumination--that is, flat lighting. For that reason, among the macro photographers I have followed, most rarely if ever use them. The third is distance. Generally, you want the flash close to the subject.

The rig I use in the field is generally something like this:



I adapted this from the rigs used by a number of people who are far better macro photographers than I am. The bracket is a Wimberley, but you can build an equivalent yourself. I often use this, which I assembled from parts:



The diffuser is made of an old soda can, lots of gaffer's tape, and layers of baking parchment paper for a diffuser. You can use paper towel or sheets of plastic diffuser material. To see how it is constructed, search for "coke can diffuser."

One disadvantage of this is that the light is sometimes not where you want it. Another is that it is heavy and poorly balanced. I use a monopod to help with that.

For indoor macros, I use continuous lighting rather than flash.

[Artshot]

Thanks for the photos and information. Building something myself is always my first choice. The store bought options with dual flash seemed like a big step to take at this point in my experimentation.

[JohnRostron]

I have used LED ringlight illumination for fungi and it has worked quite well. Fungi have the advantage that they do not move, so you can use a slow shutter speed and a small aperture. I usually sit the camera on the ground or on a bean-bag, and fire the shutter with an infra-red remote.

John

[DanK]

If you have a flash already, you can build a DIY one like mine for very little. The main cost is the miniballs, but the top one in the stack is very cheap.

[Artshot]

Great suggestions. I have one other question about my current method, high ISO.
The above shots were ISO 2000, and the one below is ISO 4000. I'm using a Nikon D750 and not sure how high I can go with macros and get good images. Nothings going to beat a good flash with a tripod, but what are the possibilities of keeping it simple?

[DanK]

I never use ISOs that high for macro. My standard with flash is manual, 1/125, with ISO between 100 and 400, depending on how much I want the ambient light to register. A monopod or other support helps with this


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[Artshot]

I am going to build one like you have, but I don't yet have a flash. How much power do I need?

[Wavelength]

I specially liked the last image of moss you posted; others are good too

[JohnRostron]

LED lights are a lot cheaper than flash and, for static subjects like your lichens, are very convenient provided the camera is held steady. As an alternative ro ring lights, I often use a couple of banks of cheap LEDs which I can position eiter side of the subject.

John

[DanK]

I am going to build one like you have, but I don't yet have a flash. How much power do I need?

It doesn't have to be a powerful flash, particularly if your subject isn't moving. For years, I have used a Canon 430 EX II, which is a mid-level flash (a guide number of 141.08'; (43 m) ISO100 at 105 mm Position). It's adequate both for macro and for indoor candids of kids. There are lots of off brands that are cheaper, none of which I have used in years. For my use, however, it is essential that the flash work in automatic (E-TTL) mode with my camera. That allows the camera to moderate the amount of flash as needed.

John makes a good point about LEDs. I have started exploring LEDs for static subjects and recently bought an inexpensive Aputure pocket LED set to provide side- or backlighting on ground-level fungi. It will be months before I can try it out. Even with LEDs, diffusion and closeness to the subject will still be important.

[Artshot]

Thanks for the reply's. Guess I'll start with what I have right beside me, which are my bike lights. Looking forward to trying out the red tail light.