Trying out a new macro lighting set up

I was a big fan of my Gary Fong Whale Tail, until I managed to get stuck in a swamp and by the time I was out I found the diffuser was gone. I do a lot of flash work with my big DSLRs and I am never happy with mounting the gun on the top of the camera, or on a bracket and I recently added an SB-E1 bracket to my kit, this is great because it not only holds the flash by the base, but also at the side which is a real advantage. Anyway, I decided to try it on the G…

Most impressive setup! Results are outstanding.

Wow...nice.

Thanks for the comments, it was a fun shoot - this is possibly about the closest I was able to get with the 50mm & digital zoom...

Hi John...cool shots. As always I have a question. Are you using a simple 58-52 mm adapter ring to mount the nifty?

Cool John!! Our brief discussion on my thread about my travel kit has me looking around ebay for some macro lenses for my setup! These just continue to inspire!!! Looking forward to getting into some macro work. Your posts using the G cameras continue to make it a much less daunting prospect than it use to be to me!!

Buck

idsurfer wrote in post #12481705
Hi John...cool shots. As always I have a question. Are you using a simple 58-52 mm adapter ring to mount the nifty?

I picked up a 52mm to 55mm reversing ring on eBay, I then used a 58mm stepping down ring to get to 55mm. I found that due to the front element of the 50mm being very sunken, I can get away with only fitting a single adapter tube. It is a bit of a handful to use in the field, I did find that I rested the edge of the lens of the ground and then was able to support the camera, DoF is not great!!!

UncleBuck88 wrote in post #12483100
Cool John!! Our brief discussion on my thread about my travel kit has me looking around ebay for some macro lenses for my setup! These just continue to inspire!!! Looking forward to getting into some macro work. Your posts using the G cameras continue to make it a much less daunting prospect than it use to be to me!!
Buck

Buck, getting a simple close up lens is a great addition to any kit – this is a great resource for close up filters, see http://www.ki.tng.de/~​sgude/achromats.html
The real trick is getting the lighting sorted, while you can do this with no flash, the big problem with any close up work is wind which cal blow things in and out of focus. Adding a light source allow you to get the shutter speed up and closes the aperture down – both of which really help with this sort of thing…


Here is something you don't normally get, macro/action shot, same shoot, damselfly in flight with an audience...

John!!! Impressive & a delight as always.

Curious, how many hands do you have?

Also, is this the mating "kiss of death" for the male dragon-fly? Similar to the Praying Mantis & Black Widow. Each gives their "mate" their first & final climax. The male is immediately decapitated.

Hi Gil, what you find is that having a slightly bigger rig is actually easier to hold, it allows you to get over many of the problems with a very small camera which is not always easy to hold. My normal way of working means I use a very lightweight monopod as support, not with the camera mounted on top, but just as a rest, it allows me to balance.

Re dragons I am very pleased to say they enjoy an active sex life, living for anything from 12 – 18 months underwater, they can live for several months in the adult form above the water, during that time they may have numerous matings. You will also see them locked together like this in flight, immediately after mating the eggs are ready to hatch you may see them flying together, to keep other males away, or a solitary female repeatedly dipping her tail laying eggs in reeds and under the water. They are then ready to repeat the process…

Just for info this is what they look like whey they live under the water, 2 x damsels and 1 x dragon...

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Excellent work as always.

Very nice. Glad the dragons live a natural life. Wehad a Britainy (sp?) Spaniel. His favorite past-time when not hunting quail, was to swim in the lake chasing dragonflies from moss-top to moss-top. He had great fun and provided hours of entertainment as I sipped a few suds
Looks like the damsels are light-weights compared to the male. No wonder they do not mate until after they leave the water!

Very nice shots!!

Can't find that flash bracket anywhere.
Any ideas on an alternative?

tmcman wrote in post #12497235
Can't find that flash bracket anywhere.
Any ideas on an alternative?

Now that is a surprise! There are many options available ranging from very expensive and exotic bits of bent metal which cost a fortune to relatively simple bars with a couple of screws attached. There are plenty of people who have made their own and not many skills are needed.

Canon will sell you one for a fortune…
Simple version - Canon BKT-DC1 Speedlite Bracket
Complex option - Canon SB-E2 Speedlite Bracket (or the older version SB-E1)

Custom Brackets makes a bewildering selection:
CB Mini-RC Camera – is one of my favourites, simple and effective.

Others I have tried..
Manfrotto 233B – very nice unit, but better on a larger DSLR
Stroboframe – I had a collapsible unit which was very small (Stroboframe Folding Flip Bracket), plus a monster medium format rotating unit (Pro-RL Bracket) which I still use at the odd wedding because you can get the flash a long way from the body and the rotation device works well…

Most of mine I have picked up second-hand for very small change, these things are virtually indestructible (apart from the collapsible unit which I traded for the Custom Bracket Mini RC) and will outlast the photographer. I have seen some nice units from the 60’s/70’s which are very usable. Don’t forget to look at the eBay, there should be plenty around.

There are hundreds of brands all with their supporters, I must admit I have always fancied trying one of the articulated/bendy units, (Delta/Bower) which look great, but expensive to import to the UK.

The other big decision is to either go cable or wireless – both have there attractions, problems and costs, but that as they say is another issue

Of course you can use the simplest bracket of all, which is to hold the camera with one hand and put the flash in the other – simple really….

John Baker wrote in post #12497938

There are plenty of people who have made their own and not many skills are needed.

I couldn't resist this opporunity. Nine dollars from Home Depot! This rig works well for the DSLR also. All the little holes make it adjustable for different size cameras and flash positions. Works for me!

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Been there, done that...no fun. Brackets are where it's at. Whether $9 or $90!!