What am I missing?

Hi,

From my signature can you tell me what I'm missing to really get going in macro?
My main areas of focus intend to be bugs, mostly in the garden etc, but would consider some sort of temporary enclosure to take photos before releasing again but have no idea where to start on that.

I'll try and get an image up later of my bits and bobs, but on the whole its listed apart from a reversing ring.

I'm thinking I need a bracket of some sort, but not sure what else (I've some coke cans put aside for Lord V's diffuser though) - looked at these - C Shape Bracket & 4 way macro rail - any good?

Anyway any buying advice would be appreciated (especially cheap UK stuff - I've spent too much recently and while my wife is a saint, I suspect there are limits somewhere!)

Cheers,

John

I wouldn't get that bracket - the metal looks to be very thin and if its like many cheap ebay metals chances are it is thin and weaker. It might not snap, but chances are it will wobble a lot when you put a flash on the end and that will be a nightmare when taking macro shots (the wobble will not only distract but make focusing a lot harder).

I did a lot of looking around for a good bracket setup and in the end settled on copying this approach: http://forums.dpreview​.com …orum=1025&threa​d=22089389
here is their up to date UK website: http://www.ram-mount.co.uk …Na3k9vjiKUCFUM2​4wodNk6vPQ
(careful as there is another older site that appears to have been abandoned as well for the uk). I got the brackets and setup direct from that site in the end with a fast and easy transaction.

Now if you don't have a tripod collar for your lens you'll probably need to add another arm and double ball to the setup. It provides a very solid hold and the metal brackets really grip to the rubber balls - so its a solid hold even with a heavy 580EX2 on the end. Secondly on the light front you'll need an off camera flash cord so that you can have the flash offcamera and also use the 1/4 mounting screw on the ballhead to mount the flash (since alone flash units mostly don't have a screwthread base mount).

The focusing rails you link to are however a very good option and (for their price point) one of ebays cheap gems. From them the next level up is a Novoflex set (which are very clostly) or something specialist like a stackshot automated rail. Velbon also make some rails, but I've never used them.

Finally as regard to a studio for insects how to set one of these up greatly depends upon the insect in question. If you work with flying or highly mobile insects you might find that your best approach is to start out very early in the morning when they will be in a naturally cooler and docile state (I don't personally agree with the approach of putting them in a fridge to "cool" them beforehand - early mornings or leaving the insect in a container in natural shade are the most I will do). When in that condition many are quite happy to just sit wherever they are and not do a single thing.

I wrote up a post a while ago, about my peanut diffuser. Someone in the thread asked me about the bracket I was using. It is this one.. pretty cheap huh ? so better hurry

Thanks for the great write-up Overread - I'll order one of those rails - looked good but I wanted a little reassurance before pressing the button.
The RAM bracket looks very nice but will add up to over £50 so a little too much given how much I've spent recently, but I do have the flash cord so thats a small mercy.

Realjax
Thanks also for the left hand bracket link - oddly its gone now and I may built that diffuser too!
I just need to track down a little ball head and I think I'm good - do you think thiswill be any good?

On a side not I dragged the long suffering wife over to see if we had a container to make the peanut diffuser and after seeing it was a peanut container suddenly came out with - he's from the Netherlands

Right, my mistake. I should have send you the link in a pm of course. Sorry for that. These brackets are pretty common though, I see them listed quite often. Brandname is LPL, manufactured in Japan.

double dutch peanut containers...

lol, no - I meant I bought it - thanks

Doe the ball head look okay though - I'm not 100% what I'm after but I think it might do.

I may have a new item to demo though - the Horlicks diffuser!

John_N wrote in post #11229972
lol, no - I meant I bought it - thanks

Ah good

John_N wrote in post #11229972
Doe the ball head look okay though - I'm not 100% what I'm after but I think it might do.

The ballhead looks like it will hold a flash with no probs. The bracket you bought has a hot shoe mount where the head would go. I took the hot shoe mount off the bracket and replaced it with a 1/4'' screw to better fasten the ballhead.

John_N wrote in post #11229972
I may have a new item to demo though - the Horlicks diffuser!

Sounds good.

Wonderful, thats ordered now too - thanks again for all your help.