Knotted...

[jiro]

Testing a DIY flash diffuser made out of plastic milk container and a DIY 1-inch lens extension tube made out of thick cardboard. I got so excited to test my rig and the first thing I saw was my back pack. This is the nylon tie that secures the zipper area of the bag. Thank you very much for viewing.



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Nikon D70, 50mm lens coupled to a 1" extension tube, ISO 200, f/22 at 1/500 second, Flash fired using an old SB-24 flash with a home made diffuser attached.

[KTHXBAI]

Nice shot Jiro! I would be interested to see a picture of the DIY rig! Cheers!

[jiro]

Nice shot Jiro! I would be interested to see a picture of the DIY rig! Cheers!

Here's the DIY rig that I made, Michael.

DIY flash diffuser made out of plastic milk container:


Here's the cardboard extension tube for the 50mm lens:




I use my reversing ring to couple the tube to the camera body. Hopefully, by next week, I can receive a used PK-13 manual extension tube that I won on ebay. That would be a better way to extend the lens to the body.

[Seriche]

Jiro,

You've caught some delicious textures there, and the composition works perfectly.

That extension tube you're getting will make your life a lot easier.

I still haven't rigged up an off-camera diffused flash set-up yet, but the results you got in that photo will put the job much higher up on my 'to do' list than it was before

Cheers,

Seri

[MiniChris]

Is that a quart or a half gallon jug?

[ktuli]

Very nice Willie!

I love the ingenuity in your DIY setups.

I've also seem folks use a travel soap bar container (the ones that are two halfs that slide together) for flash difusers.

Keep 'em coming!

- Bill

[jiro]

Jiro,

You've caught some delicious textures there, and the composition works perfectly.

That extension tube you're getting will make your life a lot easier.

I still haven't rigged up an off-camera diffused flash set-up yet, but the results you got in that photo will put the job much higher up on my 'to do' list than it was before

Cheers,

Seri

Thanks, Seri. I am simply testing , or should I say experimenting here. The problem with this setup is that the front of the lens is only about an inch away from the subject so lighting or illuminating an object to shoot properly is the issue here. A decent 60mm macro lens is definitely better and the best I think is a 105mm lens since you have about 6" - 8" minimum focusing distance to work on. The flash diffuser is simpler and can work on the 2 better lenses easier.

[jiro]

Is that a quart or a half gallon jug?

This is the smaller milk container, Chris. I think this is half a gallon. I set my SB-24 flash (a gift from a friend) to 1/16 power and adjust the distance based on the feedback I got from the LCD screen if I have a lot of blown highlights. At ISO 200, 1/500 shutter speed (the highest shutter speed sync I can have on my Nikon D70) and at f/16 - f/22 aperture my flash distance (from the front of the diffuser rig) is about 3 - 4 inches.

[jiro]

Very nice Willie!

I love the ingenuity in your DIY setups.

I've also seem folks use a travel soap bar container (the ones that are two halfs that slide together) for flash difusers.

Keep 'em coming!

- Bill

Thanks, Bill. This is only a temporary setup. I am waiting for some stuff in the mail to arrive. Once they get here, I'll explore more of this macro photography while the weather is too hot. If the guy in ebay where I bought the PK-13 extension ring is accurate, he said that I might receive it by this Saturday.

[Sahil]

Thats a fantastic result, Jiro!

[jiro]

Thats a fantastic result, Jiro!

Thanks a lot, Sahil.

[KTHXBAI]

Ahh duct tape is their anything this magical stuff can't do?

"silence is golden... But duct tape is silver" - unknown.

[jiro]

Ahh duct tape is their anything this magical stuff can't do?

"silence is golden... But duct tape is silver" - unknown.

Exactly, Michael. You gotta use what you have with you.

[RockNGoalStar]

When I first looked at the pic (without having read what you wrote) I thought it was an image of a heavy duty sailing rig. When I discovered it was a small nylon backpack cord I was quite amazed by what you'd done. Especially given the sort of Heath Robinson rig you've cobbled together!

I love that kind of resourcefulness and innovation and it's worked marvelously!

I see work from people on other sites who seemingly have a bottomless pit of cash that they throw at Nikon and it doesn't even come close. Much of your success can also be attributed to your masterful PP techniques, which I know you know I admire!

Great work man

[jiro]

Thank you very much for the kind words, Tommy. Cheers.