Beginner Advice requested for table top photography on a budget

Barryboy

Barryboy

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Rob
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Whilst not a total newb to photography per se, I have no experience with close up/macro/tabletop work and would like to try what looks to be a fascinating subject, probably starting with bubble photography and oil in water shots. I plan to use my D800 with an elderly Nikkor 55mm f3.5 micro lens, and extension tubes. I also have a Sony A6000 with a Sigma 30mm f2.8 and might get a reversing ring to try that out, too. I accept that composition/exposure is largely a matter of trial and error and can cope with that but I would welcome some guidance with the lighting. I have a Nikon SB600 flash (rarely used, in truth) but that is on-camera; I would really need to get it off camera I feel. I also have a couple of elderly but good condition Vivitar 283 and Soligor 486 flashes which can't be used on camera due to voltage issues.

I am wondering whether it is worth investing in a modest flash trigger system to fire my flashes, or simply forget flash altogether and get a couple of mains powered LED lights. Many thanks in advance for any guidance - all help genuinely appreciated!

Rob
 
Interesting, but a challenging subject.
You can do a lot with a single light, used with a reflector - which for macro or thereabouts might be a piece of white paper, a piece of broken mirror, or something else - but it must always be off camera, so yes, you'll need a trigger if you use flash.

LED lights are an option and have the advantage that WYSIWYG and (especially) with very small subjects, it can be easier to see the difference that very small changes to position can make. Studio flash would give you the same advantage, because the modelling lamp would show you exactly what the light is doing too, but with very small subjects the normal disadvantages of of using flashguns are less important, so this is probably your best option - but with no modelling lamps you'll need to take a lot of test shots.

Some LED lights have a wide range of power adjustment, others don't, flash does - and you'll need a lot of adjustment, especially when using more than one light. One of the challenges will be that you'll need to use a pretty small aperture to get any kind of DOF, flash will have enough power, LED lights may force you to use a high ISO setting, which won't help with the image quality.

Of course, you have the option of focus stacking, which would allow larger apertures to be used, and you'll probably need to use focus stacking anyway with some subjects.

Just a few things to think about . . .
 
I am slowly progressing down the same line.
I have 3 led 100 watt 6500k lamps and one auralux colour changing bulb.
I have just invested the princely sum of £20 in a set of neewer radio flash triggers.These are manual only but work fine .
I knocked up a simple studio from 3 blank canvases s far the whole lot has cost about £40 with assorted bits and bobs for reflectors.
If you can get hold of some plastic card/ menu holders they are ideal for holding cards for reflectors.
Have fun and play
 
troutfisher said:
I am slowly progressing down the same line.
I have 3 led 100 watt 6500k lamps and one auralux colour changing bulb.
I have just invested the princely sum of £20 in a set of neewer radio flash triggers.These are manual only but work fine .
I knocked up a simple studio from 3 blank canvases s far the whole lot has cost about £40 with assorted bits and bobs for reflectors.
If you can get hold of some plastic card/ menu holders they are ideal for holding cards for reflectors.
Have fun and play
Click to expand...
Yes, menu holders can be useful, but are often too big for small subjects. Just a piece of card or paper, folded so that it stands up, is often better. And so is this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silverli...756366&hash=item3661fc719a:g:HPoAAOSwf1Repv7O
 
Thanks, all. I am in line with Troutfisher vis-a-vis the budget. :) I think I'll go for the LED option, at first anyway.

Rob
 
Barryboy said:
Whilst not a total newb to photography per se, I have no experience with close up/macro/tabletop work and would like to try what looks to be a fascinating subject, probably starting with bubble photography and oil in water shots. I plan to use my D800 with an elderly Nikkor 55mm f3.5 micro lens, and extension tubes. I also have a Sony A6000 with a Sigma 30mm f2.8 and might get a reversing ring to try that out, too. I accept that composition/exposure is largely a matter of trial and error and can cope with that but I would welcome some guidance with the lighting. I have a Nikon SB600 flash (rarely used, in truth) but that is on-camera; I would really need to get it off camera I feel. I also have a couple of elderly but good condition Vivitar 283 and Soligor 486 flashes which can't be used on camera due to voltage issues.

I am wondering whether it is worth investing in a modest flash trigger system to fire my flashes, or simply forget flash altogether and get a couple of mains powered LED lights. Many thanks in advance for any guidance - all help genuinely appreciated!

Rob
Click to expand...

Hi Rob

This is a subject I dabbled in using just 2 x Godox flashes and a radio trigger a Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro lens - seemed to work ok :)

67 by Les Moxon, on Flickr

and oil on water- same set up

3ORLvv2.jpg


Its great fun- good luck

Les :)
 
An even cheaper set up is to use good old daylight, set up near a window and then use bacofoil / kitchen foil to bounce the light onto the subject, it gives an even natural light on the subject..
 
I would go for strobes over continuous light for this. You'll almost certainly get sharper images with strobes. Cheap manual Amazon speedlites, cheapo triggers and some stands and mounts will get you a long way for not a lot. Go to a local art shop and grab some black and white foam core board and mounting card for bounce/flags and that silver or gold foiled board cake people use is great if you want crisper bounce. A roll of tracing paper is all the diffusion you'll ever need and you wont feel bad cutting bits up to be the correct size and shape.
 
JGP said:
I would go for strobes over continuous light for this. You'll almost certainly get sharper images with strobes. Cheap manual Amazon speedlites, cheapo triggers and some stands and mounts will get you a long way for not a lot. Go to a local art shop and grab some black and white foam core board and mounting card for bounce/flags and that silver or gold foiled board cake people use is great if you want crisper bounce. A roll of tracing paper is all the diffusion you'll ever need and you wont feel bad cutting bits up to be the correct size and shape.
Click to expand...
Thanks, JGP. Some good ideas there. I have ordered a flash trigger and receivers. Have 3 flashes already which will give me some grief in balancing them, no doubt [emoji1] Dunno if there will be any local art shops left after the lockdown ends, though.. [emoji849] so
will scour through eBay and see what I can find.
Rob
 
Hobby craft should still be doing delivery I think. Best way to start is 1 light, have a play and find something you like then add to it. Trying all the lights at once just gets frustrating.
 
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