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Off camera flash

  • 16-06-2007 7:35pm
    #1
    DaireQuinlan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭


    Okay, so I finally got around to tooling myself up with an off camera flash. SB-26 for you nikonites out there, and a TTL cable (which cost almost as much as the flash itself ! grumble grumble). Took about half a roll of slide with it which unfortunately is still getting developed, so I wandered out today with a back to front 50mm taped onto the front of my s602 (old fuji P&S). After a bit of mucking around with the manual flash (cos the 602 doesn't support ttl flash) I started firing away. I have to say, for any of you macro heads out there, off camera flash makes alllll your problems just go away ! Quality of the below isn't the best, 602 only stops down to f11 and I was experimenting more than taking photographs, but it really makes it quick and easy. My F4, instead of long exposures and messing around with stop down metering, I can just leave on 250th of a second and rely on the TTL to sort out the exposure. Or at least I -hope- so , I've yet to see the slides ...

    Here are the digicam shots from today anyhow (click for flickr photo page):

    557203264_39b2a8b3ce.jpg


    557355885_8eac9aa6dc.jpg


Comments

  • #2
    5uspect
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 10,520 Mod ✭✭✭✭5uspect


    They're pretty disgusting! :p

    They seem a little bright but other than that I like them.
    The DoF is pretty much spot on as the ants are nicely focused and the gray mites just melt into the background.


  • #3
    DaireQuinlan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭DaireQuinlan


    5uspect wrote:
    They're pretty disgusting! :p

    They seem a little bright but other than that I like them.
    The DoF is pretty much spot on as the ants are nicely focused and the gray mites just melt into the background.

    Yeah, its tough getting the flash balance right. Manual flash, and I was holding it about 6 inches away from the branch. An inch either way and they end up either too dark or too bright. The great thing about using the flash for this is that you can stop right down, so you maximize your depth of field and rely on the flash for the exposure. These would have been a couple of seconds exposure time at least otherwise.


  • #4
    haz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 313 ✭✭haz


    DaireQuinlan wrote:
    Yeah, its tough getting the flash balance right.

    I found a six inch rod with a tripod screw in a slot and a ball-joint on the end - no idea what it was meant for. I put the flash on the ball joint (so it can be angled any way you like) and screw the bar into the bottom of the camera, so the off-camera flash is fixed in an arbitrary position. It eliminates red-eye and makes a great macro light. Since getting a D50 I have no TTL function (I haven't bought a grossly overpriced Nikon flash), but it still gives OK results with the histogram review on. A white paper bag on the flash makes a good diffuser.

    I am thinking of trying a white LED torch - I see Nikon now do a white LED four-source macro ring light - so all the metering would be TTL again.

    Neat images of the harvesting of the honeydew. Is there a ladybird larva off-centre in the first image?


  • #5
    DaireQuinlan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,713 ✭✭✭DaireQuinlan


    A dead ladybird larva, so looks like the ants were holding up their side of the bargain at least :-)

    Yeah I'll have to construct some sort of flash bracket for hand held stuff. At least with digital its not such a big deal, you can fire off a few test shots to check what the exposure is like. No dice with film :-)


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