Originally posted by K2 to K50 Thanks very much Des, for your time, and, as usual, for your clear and useful suggestions. .. .That Hoverfly shot is spectacular.
Thanks Peter. Happy to help.
Originally posted by K2 to K50 I have been wondering about different ways of using a flash off to the side for macro shots: hand-held, brackets in the bottom of the camera, etc. Or head-on, but with filter or diffusor.
I've tried each of these methods. Each can work, depending on the situation. When you are very very close to the subject, the beam from a flash in the hotshoe will be at a reasonable angle from the lens (useful to get a flash that can tilt downwards a bit). Some of the macro gurus around here even get good results from the popup flash with a Pringles can diffuser or something similar. But having the flash off-camera is a particular advantage when you are further away from the subject - e.g. for flower shots like this:
Even with a diffuser, I doubt that the result would have been as good with the flash on-camera.
Holding the camera one-handed and the flash in the other (like the two samples in my previous post) isn't ideal, but it can work. If you have an assistant you can get them to hold the flash for you, but otherwise a "magic arm" is useful. Cheap too. I have an L-bracket that screws into the camera's tripod thread (like this
Dual L-Shaped Camera Flash Bracket Holder Hot Shoe Mount For Speedlite DSLR Cam | eBay) and a flexible arm that screws into the bracket (
New 7" Friction Articulating Magic Arm For DSLR Rig LED Light LCD Monitor Hot 881800735770 | eBay). The flexible arm has a coldshoe to mount the flash. I can trigger the flash wirelessly, although it might be possible to use a cord. A lightweight diffuser for the flash helps too (e.g.
Neewer 8"×12" Photo Studio Collapsible Softbox Speedlite Flash Light Diffuser 808023172472 | eBay)
Originally posted by K2 to K50 I have the Vanguard Pro Alta 2+ 263 AP tripod which has an accessory thread for attachments, and have wondered where I could get something that would screw into that and hold a flash led light. Not found anything specifically designed for use with this feature of the tripod. Will keep googling!!
Maybe some kind of arm or bracket to screw into the socket on the tripod?
Originally posted by K2 to K50 The Godox sounds great value for the price. ... It now seems a toss-up between the Godox TT350P recommended by Des, or the Metz M400. The latter, although dearer, has the extra "video" light, which is what appealed to me about the Pentax 360. Not sure if I would ever really use it, though, as extra light for extra illumination instead of the flash for subjects in poor light??I don't really do portraiture - mainly flowers, birds, insects, occasional scenery/landscapes, and it would be the insect macros that I will probably most use the flash for, apart from the odd family indoor gathering "snap-shots".
The M400 looks like a well-made and well-featured flash. The video light might be useful sometimes, although perhaps an LED headtorch would do just as well!
If you were going to use the M400 off-camera, you would need to use either:
- the flash in servo mode, triggered by the controller in the camera (I think the K-50 has a master and controller function, as the K-30 did?). You would not have PTTL or HSS in this mode, I think. (Others will correct me if I am wrong about this)
- a cord from the hotshoe to the flash
- a pair of wireless transceivers (manual ones are cheap; PTTL ones are expensive)
For similar or less money you could get two Godox TT350P units, or one TT350P and a Godox trigger, which would be more versatile.
The other big plus for the Godox is that the head tilts as well as swivels. For "the odd family indoor gathering" (we have an odd family too :)), tilt and swivel is very useful as it allows you to bounce the flash off the walls and ceiling. A tilt-only flash like the M400 seems to be is more limiting.Edit: It seems the M400 does have a tilt-and-swivel head (even though it isn't mentioned in the feature list on the Metz site!).
At only 220g (without batteries) the M400 is almost as lightweight as the Godox TT350P (200g). The weight difference increases when you add batteries (4 x AA for the M400; 2 x AA for the Godox), but the extra batteries in the M400 would give it much faster recycle time and presumably a longer time between battery changes. I find the battery life and recycle time of the Godox adequate for my needs, although they might frustrate more demanding users. For me the light weight means I am more likely to carry the flash; I rarely use the hulking big Metz 58-AF1 now, unless I think I will need the extra power.