[pjsaure]

Hi,
As @BigMackCam requested on another thread, here is my homemade flash diffuser for macro. It is designed to be used with the DA 35mm Macro Limited.

It is very small (slightly smaller than the flash head, a Yongnuo 460 II) but offers great diffusion and some front lighting thanks to the almost vertical portion. The diffusion is so great because the subject is typically very close, so the light source is huge from the subject's point of view.

Unfortunately, I don't have the plan to build it anymore. It was not so easy to do, but with a little thinking, I'm sure you can draw one for yourself.

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[pepperberry farm]

could you post a couple of shots from different POV's, please?

also, what material is it made from?

[BigMackCam]

Thanks for posting this. And yes - it would be good to see different POVs and/or fitted to the flash.

Out of curiosity, what makes it specific to use with this particular lens?

[LensBeginner]

Thanks for posting this. And yes - it would be good to see different POVs and/or fitted to the flash.

Out of curiosity, what makes it specific to use with this particular lens?

+1

As for the second point, I guess the shape of the fan.

[pjsaure]

It is simply made of white paper lined with aluminium foil for the outside "shell" and from tracing paper for the diffusing part.
There are a few additional layers of tracing paper on the inside to enhance the diffusion uniformity and reduce the overall luminosity. I should add a few more as even with the flash on the lowest setting, it is often a bit too bright.

It is specific to this lens because of the shape and size of the diffuser, in particular then "fan" area. If placed properly, the curved surface of the diffuser and the narrow end of the fan are concentric to the lens axis. Any point of the diffusing area is then equidistant to the center of the image, providing nice and even diffusion.

I'll add a few more pictures of it.

[PancakeFlipper]

I’m interested in seeing photos produced with this attached. I find the macro ring flash is finicky and I’d like some other options.

[swanlefitte]

It looks similar to this printable pattern. Studio Lighting - DIY Homemade Flash Mini-Bouncer - DIY Photography

[LensBeginner]

You made me remember I had made a similar device in 2013... here are some pictures:
DIY Macro Ringflash adapter - PentaxForums.com

[E-man]

When I worked for the newspaper back in the late '80s and early '90s, we used to cut bounce cards out of the tops of doughnut boxes and attach them to our flashes with rubber bands.

[pjsaure]

I finally took a few more pictures of it, here it what it looks like in use.

The only picture taken with it I have online is, I think, this one, one of my first successful photos with this rig : Bee gathering thistle pollen | One of my first experiments w? | Flickr

I have a few others on my hard drive, I could see if I manage to find another one.

As I said, it is not the most practical rig, due to the extremely short working distance. But it does the trick, provides nice, even, but still directional light. It is also fairly compact due to the horizontal flash arrangement.
The hinged flash bracket is a piece of junk though... You have to tighten it with such force that it is really difficult to loosen it without pliers... Even then it does not really stay in place. I did not find any other solution for this, unfortunately. Maybe I should just glue it in place, as I always use it at the same angle. But I'll have to see the angle I use with my DFA 100 macro WR.

[LensBeginner]

That bee shot is just gorgeous! What was the magnification ratio?

[pjsaure]

Glad you liked it

I think it was about 1.2:1. I am not exactly sure about this, it is slightly cropped, I will have to check out by how much. If I remember correctly, I just cropped it to a 4:3 ratio, maybe adjusted the framing a litlle bit, but nothing too drastic.