Lots of questions here as I try to build a macro kit! I am a wildlife photographer mainly that also shoots outdoor related content. I recently started playing with my Sony 90mm 2.8 Macro lens and have been having a blast with it. So my first question... Should I stick with the Sony 90mm 1:1 or should I get a 2:1 or better magnification lens. I really enjoy the tight details of insects more than anything. Any lens recommendations?
Next is that I know lighting is KEY. What time of flash and diffuser works the best for what I am wanting to do? I see a lot of Godox V860iii around social media and such but I also see some different setups such as ring lights and dual MF12 setups. Any help here would be greatly appreciated!
As for as 2x magnification is concerned, it may be a bit overrated in my opinion (others may disagree). Reason being, with 2x, you may have to get much closer and lighting becomes an issue.
I do not use Godox V860iii, but use V860ii. It is a very capable flash unit and V860iii should be on the same lines. Try checking out AK Diffuser. I got inspired by that diffuser and made a custom version of that. If you are not into DIY, I do recommend that diffuser.
Sreedhar.
What lighting you use, if any, will depend on what you are shooting, how close. etc.
Ring lights/flashes eliminate most shadows, but depending on the subject the natural trend is to have some shadowing or there is no depth to the shots. Godox makes a ring flash that uses an AD200 for it's power source. The ring flash is another head for theAD200 wit a coiled cord extension, so you can carry the bulk of the AD200 in a shoulder holster, while having only the head attached to the camera. Godox makes other speedlite ring light flashes, so there are several to choose from, but the one using the
ad200 Pro II gets you a modeling light and TTL capability, where I think all of the others just have power selectors for manual power adjustment. The also make a dual speedlite arrangement that attaches to the lens, mounting a speedlite to each side of the lens. I would expect that this would work best at focal distances of just a few inches. So, where do you want to start? There are many variations of lighting for "up close" shooting.
I do quite a bit of "still life" and "product" type shooting, usually on a 3' square table top and an 18 mm or 24-70 lens is my choice for these. I usually use 2-400 w/s studio strobes and speedlites, but lately also using the AD200 Pro II lights that I recently purchased, mostly intended for my field kit, but I've been using them occasionally for some of these table top shoots too. I do have a Godox ring flash that is basically speedlite powered, I have only used it once and I'm just not a fan of shadow less lighting shoots, but there are times when such a shoot is necessary.
For really up close shooting in my studio, like a person's ring or similar sized item, I have a copy stand. It's kind-of like an old film enlarger, but with a camera mount in place of the enlarger head. I usually use the lens extension rings to get higher, and closer magnifications. The base of this copy stand has two of the spiral florescent lights, one on each side, on flexible supports, so they can be moved around to adjust the shadowing. I have used this a few times to enlarge small printed circuit boards roughly the size of a US Postage stamp, to print the photos at 8 X 10 or larger for inspection and training purposes.
So again, what do you want to photograph? Will it be tiny like a bumble bee, larger or smaller? Will it move and be hard to photograph, or stationary like my printed circuit board? Do you want shadowing or not? What is your budget to gain this capability? It all makes a difference in what you will need to achieve success.
I use a Laowa 25mm f2.8 2.5x-5x ultra macro for 2.5:1 to 5:1. The tapered shape makes lighting much easier than with, e.g., the Canon MPE65. It is fully manual, but so are most of my lenses. I use twin flash.
