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04-03-2016, 07:06 AM   #1
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Best flash for macro

I have k5 ii and pentax 100mm 2.8 + raynox dcr 250. What is the best flash for insect photography?

04-03-2016, 07:12 AM   #2
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I don't think there is a best. It's the one that works for you. Consider reading through this thread on "Our rigs" :

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/177-macro-photography/261899-our-macro-rigs.html

I use the onboard flash with a home made flash extender/diffuser.
04-03-2016, 08:39 AM   #3
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A ringflash might be the easiest to get, but it is a little deceptive. Not as easy as it seems, as it can "flatten" subjects. And there are many cheap LED ringlights out there, but some are not even flashes; they are constant light, sometimes even with a bit if a color cast, and often too weak to be very effective. So be careful if you buy a ring light rig.
I think most macro rigs consist of one or more flashes, often highly diffused. There are also some odd rigs, where you have lights almost like on tentacles, so you can tilt and angle them. Not sure how effective those are.

Basically, each rig has its own pros and cons, and you need to figure out something that will work for the type of stuff you want to do. Photographing old coins is different from photographing spiders, and different again from photographing small seeds
04-03-2016, 08:55 AM   #4
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I have the old Pentax AF080C ring flash which I bought secondhand on this forum, and for the most part it works, but because current Pentax cameras do not retain the TTL flash metering of their forebears and the flash itself is insufficiently sophisticated to vary the power much, I sometimes have to have two or three goes at getting the right exposure. There is a P-TTL variant (AF160) that ought to solve those problems, but it's quite expensive and IMHO an unnecessary expense; having instant review takes all the pressure off of having to get it right first time. At least that's true for me - the things I shoot in macro do not move. For anyone shooting frogs, bugs (especially flying insects) and the like, where there probably isn't time for a quick review and settings adjustment before the creature leaves, the 160 may be the way to go if you can afford it without too much heartache.

04-03-2016, 09:37 AM   #5
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There is no such thing as the "best" flash for macro photography - it is all about how you use the light. Though one thing to keep in mind is flash power: you will need lots of light to keep the required DOF for your subjects at 1:1 magnification, where apertures upwards of f/11 are common.


Pentax K5IIs - Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO Macro 1/180th ISO 180 f/11 + Godox AD180 at 1/8th power with grid modifier.
04-04-2016, 05:42 AM   #6
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I was out yesterday in the windy warm weather chasing Colletes and Andrena bees. I brought the AF-201 with me just for fill flash. Surprisingly very good. All my best shots from the day were with that lens, despite the 1/180 speed limit. Shooting with the new K3II, upgrade from my K5.

I need to play with the manual flash settings, particularly with the Sunpak ring flash. But for a pocket-sized flash this 201 is far better than the K5's onboard flash.

It really depends on how and what you're shooting. I've seen some great homemade flash directors and diffusers. A guy I know who is great at beetles etc. has a plastic structure around his ring flash, which works really nicely.
04-04-2016, 08:05 AM   #7
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I would say that the easiest option is a ringflash and I mean a proper ringflash not one the modern low powered LED things.
It won't be suitable for some reflective subjects but it will be easy to get consistent results right from the start.

You don't necessarily need TTL flash, it is easy to use a manual system, you normally find that as you get closer and start losing light from the lens extension it cancels out the fact that the light is closer to the subject so you are using the same aperture over quite a wide distance.
I would recommend a ringflash that has a guide number of between 8 to 16 (mtrs) and has a wide range of adjustable output levels at least down to 1/16th.

There are some ingenious bracket/ diffuser and reflector arrangements that people have made to use ordinary flash guns for macro but these often require a lot of experimentation to get decent results and usually end up as big bulky arrangements that are not very portable, difficult to set up and can easily get in the way of the subject or it's surroundings.

04-04-2016, 02:42 PM - 2 Likes   #8
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I agree with the upthread recommendations of a good manual flash, as well as with the sentiment that there's more than one way to do it. It's not very hard to gauge exposure when using a manual flash with a test shot or two before approaching critters, and pretty soon you'll start to develop a feeling for what settings work well. Personally, I somewhat prefer a soft but directional light, so I'm not keen on ring flashes, though with proper diffusion I've seen that they can also certainly produce wonderful results. Note that for those Pentax cameras that have onboard flash, they usually have pretty decent strength ones, so even using onboard flash with a custom diffuser actually works surprisingly well.

Personally, I've gone from a setup that looks like this (onboard flash):



to one that looks like this (Yongnuo YN-560 III plus horizontal flash bracket and wireless transmitter):



The main convenience of this second setup is that it's very easy to detach (and re-attach) the flash using the twist-screw on the horizontal bracket. Then the bracket/flash/diffuser assembly fits in a mesh side-pocket on my backpack and the camera plus wireless transmitter go on the Capture Pro while walking around. The whole is then reasonably quick and convenient to set back up when a critter is spotted. And since it's wireless it can also easily be used with someone else (a.k.a. my wife) holding the flash near the critter if, for example, some branches make it hard to approach with the flash fixed horizontally, as in the above picture.

However, this summer I'm looking to shave some weight on my macro setup, so I'll probably move back to a smaller, on-camera flash with a custom diffuser. The two flash candidates are the Pentax AF200T and the Nikon SB20. Initial tests have me leaning to the SB20 as a good weight/power compromise, but I haven't solved the issue of transport-while-walking-around yet, as the custom diffuser will be quite large...

Hope this helps!

Last edited by Doundounba; 04-04-2016 at 04:33 PM.
04-05-2016, 07:30 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I've used a pringles tube too!!! Actually I have two a longer one for the 105mm macro and a shorter one for reversed lenses. I spray painted each flat black and use a couple sheets of wax paper attached via rubberbands on the front for diffusion of the flash. Fits right over my Metz or af360.

I also have the portable softbox thingy just like in your photo too.

But recently I got a flashbender. I have yet to try it with macro shots but this article DIY: How to Make Your Own Flash Diffuser for Macro Photography has me thinking it might work nicely. Since their DIY diffuser looks a lot like the flashbender if placed in that position.
04-06-2016, 05:44 PM - 3 Likes   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ray-uk Quote
There are some ingenious bracket/ diffuser and reflector arrangements that people have made to use ordinary flash guns for macro but these often require a lot of experimentation to get decent results and usually end up as big bulky arrangements that are not very portable, difficult to set up and can easily get in the way of the subject or it's surroundings.
Not necessarily true mine is very portable and if you learn from others there is no real trial and error





And you can not argue with results






---------- Post added 04-06-16 at 07:51 PM ----------

This is the setup been using last few days

04-17-2016, 07:44 PM - 1 Like   #11
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I am still using the one I build ala "Rense" a few years ago. It's simple, doesn't take up much room and it doesn't get much in way in tight quarters. I have a few different lengths to accommodate different lengths of extension tubes.

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