New Lens - UPDATE + Help!!

[BRASH]

Sigma 105mm EX DG Macro - £235.00, ordered from eBay, late (11pm) Tuesday night, arrived am Thursday. Excellent service. Delighted.

Re my previous Post "New Lens," DiddyDave recommended an off camera flash for macro. I was toying with the idea of a ring flash. Any advice?

I'll be shooting insects and flower closeups etc.

Now where's that spider I saw in the bath this morning?????????

 

[RobertP]

Do you have a normal flashgun? If not I'd get one first. Much more general use and all I use for macro (with a off camera cord and sto-fen diffuser)

 

[BRASH]

Do you have a normal flashgun? If not I'd get one first. Much more general use and all I use for macro (with a off camera cord and sto-fen diffuser)

Yeh, I've got an old second hand Jessops, Canon dedicated bounce swivel thing, which is fine for everyday flash stuff (not that I use it a lot). Just wondered what to get specifically for the type of macro I'm interested in.

 

[oldgit]

try...

Flashgun + loo roll tube (wide) + 1-2 sheets of tissue paper and some sticky tape.
Stick the paper on one end and the other on the flash... works as a great diffuser

or

lotsa 3" inch long drinking straws all tied together in a bundle thats big enough to cover the flash head. tape it on the front so that the light goes down the straws

both work a treat for different sorts of macro

... even better if you can work on a cord = off cam

 

[Canon Bob]

As you seem to be aiming at bugs and buds then I would suggest a ring flash. The two common ones for Canon gear are Canons own or the Sigma EM-140.

The big advantage of a ring flash is that you can apply differential power to the two tubes. This allows you to give good contrast on the upper surfaces and keep the undersides a little subdued but still light them enough to capture the detail.

The Sigma version is close to the same spec as the Canon one bt only about 70% of the price. Beware...the Sigma flash units have the same numerical designation for all manufacturers but must be bought for the specific camera.

Bob