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Archive 2015 · Suggest a Ringlight

  
 
Two23
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Suggest a Ringlight


Just bought a Sigma 105mm EX DG OS (and some other letters) for Nikon D800E. I'd like to shoot insects (butterflies,) misc. small creatures (e.g. snails) and misc. stuff like lichen, fungus, etc. I don't want to go the expensive Nikon etc. ringlight route as I'm not a hard core macro guy. I've been looking at the <$50 LED rings such as Polaroid etc. Do these things really work? What ideas do you have? I am very open to buying used--my lens, camera, tripod, and virtually EVERYTHING photographic I have was bought used.


Kent in SD



Mar 04, 2015 at 12:09 AM
Dalantech
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Suggest a Ringlight


Not only will a ring light give you "flat" lighting (even if you use ratio control to make one turn on longer than the other) but an LED light won't produce the kind of short durations that you need to freeze motion with a flash (to get sharp images).

So I can't recommend any of them.



Mar 04, 2015 at 02:05 AM
LordV
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Suggest a Ringlight


Think you'd be better off with a normal small flash gun with a largish soft box diffuser.
You should get some ideas from the setup thread here https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/780820
Brian v.



Mar 04, 2015 at 02:19 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Suggest a Ringlight


You seem to have the idea that macro means you need a ring light. They tend to be low-powered, whether LEDs or flash. With flash, low power means long duration and minimal ability to freeze motion (camera or subject).

Ideally, the flash should have dedicated TTL function, otherwise you will be into calculations to allow for magnification factors, not something you want if you shoot only occasional macro.

Whenever you can, it is generally best to shoot by natural light, e.g. for butterflies. With flash, you are likely to get a lot of dark backgrounds, due to light fall-off.

Harold



Mar 04, 2015 at 07:33 AM
Two23
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Suggest a Ringlight


Well OK, I see your point. For the record, I am very competent with flash. I've been doing weddings for the past three years, and also use cameras made in the 1800s and early 1900s. I do a LOT of big scale night photography using up to 10,000ws of power, with both Nikon D800E and a Chamonix 4x5. I was wondering just how well something that cost fifty bucks would do though. I do have a pair of Nikon SB-900. They are relatively bulky.


Kent in SD



Mar 04, 2015 at 08:52 AM





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