My 90mm Tamron f/2.8 Macro has become erratic

[DanK]

I have the 2.8 L macro, but from all I have read, there isn't significant optical difference between the two 100 mm macros


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[Tord]

I have found that small LED arrays like these Neewer works much better than flashes. Ring LEDs also work better, as they don't cast any shadows that easily scare the butterflies away.

You can hold one of those CN-126 LEDs very close to the insect you are planning to shoot, and hold the camera with your other hand, but that would of course not work with a hefty lens like the 100-400. Unless you have a helping friend!

[Tord]

Lovely shot, but that camera rig must be tiring to carry around?!

I use a Nikon 40/2.8 micro and a FT1 adapter on one of my Nikon 1 cameras, holding it in my right hand, and a CN-126 is the other (very cheap on the eBay, but there are numerous places to find them). Maybe total weight of a kilogram?!

[DanK]

Lovely shot, but that camera rig must be tiring to carry around?!

I use a Nikon 40/2.8 micro and a FT1 adapter on one of my Nikon 1 cameras, holding it in my right hand, and a CN-126 is the other (very cheap on the eBay, but there are numerous places to find them). Maybe total weight of a kilogram?!

Do you have some examples you could post of insect shots you have taken with this combination? I looked at your Flickr site (some nice flower shots), but I couldn't find any.

[rpcrowe]

I now have an older Canon 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens that seems to work quite well. I also have a ring light which, as mentioned above doesn't cast any shadows (this can be a good or a bad effect).

I have several other ways to light my macros and I am always experimenting which is fun... I can use this mini softbox rig...



Done with my 90mm Tamron Macro and the above flash rig...



However, I also have two small flashes (Canon 270EX-II and a Chinese knock off of that flash, the Viltrox JY-610C). Somewhere in my goodie chest of forgotten photo gear, I have a flash mounting bar that I will convert to use both those flashes...

While I was playing around with this, I found that my Chinese Knockoff of the f/Stoppers Flash Disk can be used to provide some very nice macro lighting. The Chinese knockoff (a Neewer branded item) is larger than the f/Stoppers Disk and can be used to provide a very-very large overhead light source for up close shooting but, with a slight adjustment can provide decent lighting for a subject a few feet away. I think that this is the way I might go. I use this rig with my camera in manual and with the flash in ETTL. I use my Canon 600EX-RT Flash for this purpose. The flash is powerful enough that I can shoot at a relatively high shutter speed and small f/stop which IMO, is ideal for macro - to stop camera shake (I don't have IS in the lens) and to give the greatest DOF. I might just experiment in adding a reflector from under the camera or a small fill flash.

I am going to play with it this morning (if I don't have a commitment to pick up a dog from one of our volunteers) and post a picture of the unit and samples of the imagery it produces...