Macro lighting question/s

[Lost]

What do you use for macro lighting? Post a photo if you have one

I really want to know what's the best/difference between a ring flash and a double flash set up.

Got any macro light tricks up your sleeve to share?

Added a natural light photo for interest.

[xaiya]

i only tried this once many years ago, a flat bed scanner!



otherwise i only ever use natural lighting.

[Jim]

I'm far from an expert Ian but I own both a Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Light and a Canon MR-14EX Macro RingLite

They are both very different and give out naturally different light. The more expensve twin light is the most flexible, adaptable and "usable" of the two. If I could only have one that would be the one I would keep.

http://photo.net/equipment/canon/macro-flash/
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...sh-Review.aspx

[jeff]

Ring flash is best used for documents or scientific recording or cataloguing purposes. Macro lights like the SB-R200 macro speedlights allow you to do something that’s impossible to do with ring lights: sculpt the light, just as you would set up lighting for a studio portrait.

I have posted this image before, its a flower shot with two (or was it three? I forget...) SB-R200 speedlights. This type of lighting is impossible to do with a ring light.



A independent macro speedlight set-up can do everything a ringlight can do, but the reverse is not true. IMHO, ringlights lack flexibility.

[Lost]

thanks for the feed back. I was looking the canon twin light set up so I will wait until Jim puts his up for sale.

I have heard most slip on ring flashes are not really up to serious work.

At the moment the cost of the Canon twin light set up is too hard to justify for personal use

This is another idea but it does look a bit bulky

I love that rose photo xaiya

[Alan]

These were taken with a Nikon Ring Light - but mostly off camera - the flexible cable allowed me to experiment with lots of angles. I'd have to agree with all the above comments though

[Lost]

Still a lot better then my natural light images Alan. Thanks for that as I had not thought of ring flash off the camera. BTW Just how many arms and hands do you have? I'm limited with only the two of each!!

[Alan]

Just the standard issue.

Camera on Tripod - one hand to hold the flash and one hand to keep the cable out of the way and one hand to trigger the camera - hang on???

Maybe I used my teeth to hold the cable

Somehow I managed to get it to work, but it was fiddly and I've never tried it again.