CW's macro rig

CW's macro rig. Canon 7D, Tamron SP90 (and extension tubes), 270EX II, FMMB and concave diffuser. You can find some info on FMMB here and here.

More macro rigs here.

All images by Cheewai.

270EX II (wireless) on FMMB (Front Mounted Macro Bracket, which allows the speedlight unit to always stay in front even as you zoom and the lens extends out.

You can find some info on FMMB here and here. There are other options as well besides FMMB as mentioned here.

The same setup from a different angle.


Side view, with a big concave diffuser attached.

This is a great example of how one can adapt the concave diffuser idea originally designed for the smaller working distance of the MP-E65 for a longer lens like the SP90, or 100mm or 105mm.  I personally prefer lightweight yet flexible setup like this rather than big speedlight off hot shoe, on equally heavy macro flash bracket, or big speedlight on hot shoe with snoot diffuser. 

It is not very clear from the image above what the diffuser is like. It is an adaptation of the smaller concave diffuser I am using, only bigger!




Sample images: Canon 7D, Tamron SP90, 270EX II, full flash, concave diffuser.


Nice, soft light thanks for the concave diffuser.


No diffuser. See the harsh light, spectral highlight and hard/harsh shadow.


More macro rigs here.

Adrian's Macro Rig

Okay, more like his backup macro rig since he too already has the MT-24EX. Again, a single 270EX / 270EX II is used here.

The speedlite is placed upside down/belly up, like what I mentioned here.

All he needed were some adhesive-backed velcro, and a lens hood.

If you have a 270EX II and a newer body such as the 60D, 7D, 600D, you don't even need the OC-E3 cord as you can trigger the flash wirelessly using your built-in / pop-up flash.

Make sure the lens hood is not too long that it exceeds your minimum working distance at 1:1. For example, if you are using a Canon 100L with a minimum working distance of 5.9 inches at 1:1, the front end of your lens hood should be at least an inch or two shorter so your flash won't overshoot when tilted all the way down.







 For more info, head on to Adrian's blog post.

More macro rigs here.

270EX for Macro - improved version.

As mentioned in my previous post on using a single 270EX for macro, there were two issues that needed to be addressed. The two issues were:

1. shadow on the lower part of the subject
2. very dim catch light in subject's eyes.

In my opinion, these two issues were caused by the fact that the 270EX was too far out and as a result, the light would come down from a higher angle.

In this post, I will show you the solution. You will not believe how simple it is. I don't even need a ballhead anymore!

This animated gif will tell you everything you need to know!


New vs old method:

Left: 270EX upside down/belly up        Right: 270EX in normal position (upside up?:D)

The 270EX was on an FMMB (Front Mounted Macro Bracket) mounted onto the front of the lens. This is extremely convenient for lenses with no IF (Internal Focus). The bracket and speedlight will move along when you zoom in/change magnification. (Edit: i still love my MT24 though and use this 270EX on FMMB as backup only)

If you are not sure how to make an FMMB, here are your alternatives:

1. Lens hood based flash holder.
2. Mount Ring / Tripod collar


I was playing with my 270EX, extending the head out, tilting it at different angles when the idea struck me - turn the 270EX upside down (belly up)!

As can be seen in the gif animation, at its lowest flash head position, it can handle the MPE65's working distance at 5X (1.6 inches). With this improved setup, now I can just tilt the 270EX's flash head to take care of different working distances/magnifications of the MPE65! Sweet! Now, if only the 270EX comes with focusing light as well like the MT24EX does! But you can't have the cake and eat it too though.

The MPE65's working distances at different magnification are as below:

1X - 4 inches; 2X - 2.5 inches, 3X - 2 inches; 4X - 1.7 inches; 5X - 1.6 inches

Sample images taken with this new setup. I used the same concave light tent diffuser that I use for the MT24EX.



Blue tiger beetle (Neocollyris formasana?) with red socks.


Grey ant,  Diacamma sp.


A female Bathippus sp.(?) jumping spider


A tiger beetle with an ant's head


Check out this post for more macro rigs.

   
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

270EX for macro

By now, I am sure you are aware that many of my macro friends use single 270EX as their light source for macro. Just check out this post in case you missed that. It's been proven without any doubt that a single 270EX is just as good as twin flash.

Two of the easiest and most light weight ways of holding the 270EX in place are:

1. an FMMB (front mounted macro bracket).  More info about the FMMB here.

FMMB is great for lenses without IF (internal focus) and/or lenses without tripod collar/mount ring. Example: Tamron SP90, MPE65 (both SP90 and MPE65 extends out considerably) , and Nikon 105mm (no tripod collar?)

270EX on the FMMB, MPE65 and 40D. (Edit: this is the old method. New and improved method is here)

Yellow arrow shows that the oce3 cable is preventing the 270ex to be pointed any lower.

The angle between the two green arrows are more than 45 degrees, so the lighting is more like top lighting. A comparison to the MT24EX can be seen below, after a few sample shots.

Sample shots:

I used the same concave diffuser like this. More about that concave diffuser here.


Jumping spider. Noticeably much much dimmer catch lights in the jumper's eyes. I personally prefer it to be slightly stronger. I am guessing this is due to the higher light angle.


Fly. Heavy shadow on the lower part of the fly. I am not too concerned about shadow below the subject, I am more concerned about shadow on the lower part of the subject. Again, i am sure this is due to the higher light angle.


hover fly


270EX on FMMB versus MT24EX

Bigger image here.

The 270EX is just too far out and shines down from a higher angle, whereas the MT24EX flash heads are just on top of the front of the lens/filter, with lower angle too. (Compare the angles between the green lines). These  explain why we get dim catch lights on subject's eyes and the shadow on lower part of subject. I think I found the solution already and I will share it in my next posting.

Note: the shadow and dim catch light issues are more prominent in the MPE65's higher magnification range i.e 2x and above. At 1X, with a working distance of 4 inches (front of lens to subject), it should be okay.

(Edit: check out the new and improved method that solves the shadow and dim catch light problem)

For normal 1:1 macro lenses, this setup should still work well.

 2) Mount Ring/Tripod Collar

Almost no DIY required compared to the FMMB, but you will need to add in one or more extension tube(s) or teleconverter in order to be able to rotate the tripod collar/mount ring 180 degrees.