[EricBrown]

I am getting into more macro photography. Anyone have any suggestions on a good ring flash that won't break the bank?

Thanks for the help and repsonse!

Eric

[TER-OR]

Break the bank. Yeah...I hear you.
I bought a ring light instead. I haven't had much chance to use it yet. I bought it to take insect/spider pictures at night and now that we've had a frost they're not so active. My first trials on the K-5 with 100mm macro are promising, though.

I figure the light will allow me to focus and meter well enough at short range, and if I need more I can use the on-board or 360 flash.

here's what I bought.
Amazon.com: Opteka RL-12 Digital Macro LED Ring Light for Canon EOS, Nikon, Sony Alpha, Olympus & Pentax Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo

[joe.penn]

I am getting into more macro photography. Anyone have any suggestions on a good ring flash that won't break the bank?

Ring flashes can be costly, you can however get them on the used market and save a little cash.

Ring lights (as Terry mentioned) can help, but only in certain situations and really can't be used for a replacement of a flash.

What will you be concentrating most on shooting macro? Also, will you be using dedicated macro lenses that are short or long, or, will you be using tubes or glass stacking (or other techniques)?



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[EricBrown]

Thanks for the input!

Joe, I have the Pentax DFA 50mm macro. The only ring flashes I have seen are the Pentax and Sigma.

[joe.penn]

Joe, I have the Pentax DFA 50mm macro. The only ring flashes I have seen are the Pentax and Sigma.

That gives you approx 8" at max mag/focus between the lens and the subject - I would consider using a hotshoe flash, maybe on a gun or something. The following picture is a YN-560 flash, Impact flash softbox and an Interfit wireless trigger set (receiver and transmitter, the receiver doubles as a flash handle as I am demonstrating in the picture ):



This setup is fairly small and lightweight, the only thing with using this setup is you would want to tripod the camera; I actually don't tripod the camera and use the camera one handed with the flash in the other hand, I have a handstrap on the camera that helps with the one-handing of the camera, I achieve focus by pre-setting the lens focus to the desired magnification (1:1, 1:1.2. 1:1.5, etc..) and moving the camera in and out to get focus confirmation.

As for the ring flashes, old ttl ones can be used as long as they have manual settings which I believe most of them do.

What kind of macro shooting are you looking to do?



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[kenafein]

The Metz ring flash for pentax is about $40 cheaper than the sigma, but I was also in sticker shock when I decided to look into one of these.

[EricBrown]

Joe, thanks for the good information! Right now I'm starting out with the typical flower stuff. But, I am starting to use everyday objects and get close to make abstracts.

[Ash]

Then there's the O-flash attachment for external beam flashes (if you already have one).
Beauty with those is that if you have a P-TTL flash, the O-flash gives you a P-TTL ring flash result. Down side is that it is a little bulky and can weigh down on the flash, and hence on the fulcrum (being the hotshoe).

O-Flash, ring flash alternative. Anyone tried? - PentaxForums.com
O Flash review | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

You Tube

You Tube

[joe.penn]

Then there's the O-flash attachment for external beam flashes

I was thinking about giving one of those a try - looks pretty interesting....




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[joe.penn]

Reviving this thread as I've gone ahead and bought this contraption for a trial at macro lighting without the need for a dedicated macro ring flash.

How have your macro shots come out with this Ash? Do you have any macro samples using this thing?




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[G and T]

I have a Metz 15MS-1 and would highly recomend it. Its light and very easy to use after you interpret the instructions. Its also quite a bit cheaper than a Sigma and seems to be better built.

[Ash]

Yes, this thread shows off some of the results with the O-flash setup. It isn't bad, but still quite harsh and does limit the flash range significantly.

[SOldBear]

Anyone have any suggestions on a good ring flash that won't break the bank?

How big is your bank?

If you don't need p-TTL, a used copy of the Sunpak Dx-8r can be had for $50 - $80. It has auto mode with 3 aperture settings, and manual mode with 5 power settings (1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16).

[raider]

We have the sigma EM-140 ring flash.....quite pleased with the flash....in my opinion, don't save on the ring flash by getting those ebay addons, etc......I know it is expensive but we managed to save up....

[baro-nite]

After reading this thread just this morning I've started experimented with making a diffuser for the pop-up flash, out of a translucent white HDPE bottle. I cut out a suitably shaped piece and attached it to the front of the lens barrel with a long velcro strip. Preliminary results are promising: the attached shot is at 1:1 magnification, in a dark room (no window; door shut). With this lens that means about 8cm/2.5" working distance. (The diffuser gives a warm cast, or possibly gets more light reflected off the walls causing the same effect, which is why I included a bit of white paper in the background.) I'll try it out in the field when I get a chance. Certainly cheap!