so I finally got around to making a DIY flash set up for macro, and wow was I amazed at the results right from the start! What the ability shoot at 1/180 and all, the no longer having to worry about hand shake/motion blur or setting up a tripod makes macros so much more fun/accessible in day-to-day shooting now, and my dfa100 has been unloved for too long. i can't wait to get out in the wild with this; here're some results from around the house:

















I have since washed these.


and the actual thing:



taken on the k-5 at iso 80 with the da35 macro at f5.6

[rparmar]

Nice work on the flash gizmo. I should do the same. Some of these are of-focus... but that is the challenge isn't it? I find I get a pretty low rate of keepers at high magnification.

You might be interested in my last blog article: Using A Macro Adapter (Bower Revisited).

[jax_zee]

Here's a DIY macro slider I made from an old Pentax bellows setup I got off of Ebay, cost about $15.00 USD. As it turned out the bellows itself was peppered with holes throughout so I just shelved it for about a year when I got the idea of converting it to a macro slider. After a major retrofit and about a buck in additional parts, I came up with the finished product; a precision slider for maybe 3 hours work...used a generic slider for the base.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/jax_zee-albums-sigma-ex-dg-105-f2...entaxforum.jpg

[jaieger]

Nice work on the flash gizmo. I should do the same. Some of these are of-focus... but that is the challenge isn't it? I find I get a pretty low rate of keepers at high magnification.

You might be interested in my last blog article: Using A Macro Adapter (Bower Revisited).

Thanks for the comment.

Yeah, absolutely! For me the new challenge is timing it just right when I'm leaning in/out to get the shot; the DoF is so small that it's easier to do that then actually adjust the focus.

Definitely very interesting, that's what awesome about macro eh? So many ways to play around with it at low cost.

Here's a DIY macro slider I made from an old Pentax bellows setup I got off of Ebay, cost about $15.00 USD. As it turned out the bellows itself was peppered with holes throughout so I just shelved it for about a year when I got the idea of converting it to a macro slider. After a major retrofit and about a buck in additional parts, I came up with the finished product; a precision slider for maybe 3 hours work...used a generic slider for the base.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/members/jax_zee-albums-sigma-ex-dg-105-f2...entaxforum.jpg

Thanks for the comment. Thats awesome! I love macro for this reason, there're so many possibilities with a few bucks and some DIY. Who needs weather sealing when you have cardboard!

[jax_zee]

I like what you came up with for the macro flash, resulting in some good macro pix; I made something comparable with a box I lined with a silver material similar to aluminum foil. It's still being tweaked but with some interesting results. Who says you have to spend $550.00 + for a Pentax ring flash.

[jaieger]

Haha yeah absolutely! Adds to the whole cost effective thing with macro or pentax in general Though I should find some material to make it more sturdy, it won't really hold up well if I stuff it in my bag... :/