Flash Setup for 2010 7d + Sigma lens + Flash (1 Viewer)

There's been a few questions about my Setup for Flash Macro over the last few weeks so I thought I would set out my equipment that I am going to try and use this summer. Here's a few images of how it looks and will be used handheld and of cause if you want it can go on a tripod.

Heres the List of Parts
Canon 7d Camera
Canon BG-E7 Battery Grip
Sigma EF 530 DG Super Flash
Sigma 150 mm f2.8 Macro Lens
Flash Bracket off ebay from YISHUMA Gadget Store
Off camera Shoe Cord Yongnuo OC-E3 form YISHUMA Gadget Store
Hama Universal Ball Joint
White Carex Plastic Bottle used as Diffuser
Enloops rechargeable battery's for the Flash

I also have the Lumiquest Softbox that folds up flat that you can carry around with you if you want to change over from the carex bottle.

The weight of all this comes in at about 6.5 lbs approx 2.8kg I use the neck strap so when walking around its taking half the weight. I want to shot in manual so I can adjust various settings to suit the subject and conditions trying to maintain 250/1, f11 f13, ISO 100,200,400 well its all hit and miss till I get out this summer and try things out, I might have to use some duck tape to keep the flash in the position I want, don't suppose to will harm the lens paint ? its only on for a few hours.
The last image was from my last setup with the Lumiquest Softbox and 50d

Terry,

Looks very good, good enough to work:t:

I wondered what you meant by a Carex bottle, I thought it was some obscure accessory manufacturer that I hadn't heard of.:-O:-O

What size is the soft box as I noticed there is a variety of sizes?

Have you had a chance to experiment in the house with any of the flash settings? Just wondered with the flash head being so close whether it would overpower the ambient light.

What about shots where the subject is further away do you think the flash would be still effective? Would a Canon speedlite be any better for these shots as as the speedlite is supposed to alter its settings via the camera metering?

Is the ball joint easily adjustable?

Well I'm off to ebay now to do some shopping?

Thanks for your help greatly appreciated:t:

Brian

Why not just buy a ringflash, and get perfect light every time ? Just over £100 from WE.

Stephen Fletcher said:

Why not just buy a ringflash, and get perfect light every time ? Just over £100 from WE.

Click to expand...

Thats what I thought when I was investigating a ring flash last year, but by all accounts it gives a flat type image, most of the marco shooters I have looked at there setup would be a flash from the side to help with the shadows. but this setup is also adjustable and you can move the flash to any position you like. there is a Macro flash from Canon (MT24EX) Macro Twin Flash nice piece of work, but its around £725 and the flash is completely dedicated to macro work. At least my setup is much cheaper and you can use your flash for other work as well.

Nikon Kid said:

by all accounts it gives a flat type image, most of the marco shooters I have looked at there setup would be a flash from the side to help with the shadows. At least my setup is much cheaper and you can use your flash for other work as well.

Click to expand...

Thats when you blank off parts of the ringflash with black tape, and use reflectors to create shadows you have perfect control over. Ringflash are great for portrait work too.

The gaffer said:

Terry,

Looks very good, good enough to work:t:

I wondered what you meant by a Carex bottle, I thought it was some obscure accessory manufacturer that I hadn't heard of.:-O:-O

What size is the soft box as I noticed there is a variety of sizes?

Have you had a chance to experiment in the house with any of the flash settings? Just wondered with the flash head being so close whether it would overpower the ambient light.

What about shots where the subject is further away do you think the flash would be still effective? Would a Canon speedlite be any better for these shots as as the speedlite is supposed to alter its settings via the camera metering?

Is the ball joint easily adjustable?

Well I'm off to ebay now to do some shopping?

Thanks for your help greatly appreciated:t:

Brian

Click to expand...

The Softbox that I have used is the LQ-107 believe they make a different sizes, and of cause there are alot of other manufactures.

You can do auto mode with the Sigma, I only bought the Sigma fllash because kerso was selling them at bargain prices last year, other wise I would have got a Speedlite 580EX II, when I had saved the money up for it, price tipped the balance of doing marco shooting with a flash.

The Hama balljoint is very adjustable.

The dragonfly was taken in Auto flash mode the exif is still attached as is all my images. but its just about getting out and taking images in manual to try and adjust to all the conditions I want 250/1 and as low ISO as I can and more DOF for some nice ultra sharp images.

I think I am more lightly to go out on the dull days with the flash rather than the sunny days, and this new Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro IS L lens is wetting my appetite for the Sunny days.

I am no expert this will be my second year at macro shooting, but I will share what ever I have learnt so far.

Stephen Fletcher said:

Thats when you blank off parts of the ringflash with black tape, and use reflectors to create shadows you have perfect control over. Ringflash are great for portrait work too.

Click to expand...

With the Sigma ring flash you can alter the power levels on the two sides independently or disable one side of the flash altogether.

Sprigo said:

With the Sigma ring flash you can alter the power levels on the two sides independently or disable one side of the flash altogether.

Click to expand...

There were three reasons to go the way I did, one that a fair number of the macro shooters were using this method, two Sigma 530 EF-530 DG SUPER ELECTRONIC FLASH £149 from kerso that was the main consideration for me to try flash with macro, three more powerful flash than a ring flash.

Nikon Kid said:

There were three reasons to go the way I did, one that a fair number of the macro shooters were using this method, two Sigma 530 EF-530 DG SUPER ELECTRONIC FLASH £149 from kerso that was the main consideration for me to try flash with macro, three more powerful flash than a ring flash.

Click to expand...

Terry

As you said earlier with this sytem you can also take the flash off and use it for other uses.

Was the Hama ball joint 30mm or 20mm?

Brian

Sorry for the delay, the Hama balljoint I have is 30mm.

Heh I'm going to totally steal this idea - mount a 580EX2 and lumiquest softbox instead and use it for my macro lighting as well. However with the 580mm I found that hotshoe flash actually worked pretty well, but I've been needing something to use in the field for my MPE65mm macro which has far too much extension of the barrel to work with a hotshoe flash.

However I would personally have the flash in a much higher angle - resting on the rim of the ballhead holder edge - that way you lose that highly side directional lighting and get a more "sun light" mimicing source. I would say around 1oclock is a good position (from what I have read of other uses using a similar method when lighting macro shots).

As is everything Overread its totally fluid, until I get out and about this Spring, I can literally move the flash in any position, I think I will need some form of taping or Velcro to the flash head to the lens hood, in fact I might try and turn the flash completely over so the flash head lays on the lens hood level at the end of the lens. And of cause I might go back to the Softbox.

One item that Terry missed off his shopping list for the rig is a ¼" stud to fit the ball joint to the bracket. Terry suggested just using a ¼" or 6mm bolt with the head cut off but I have done some research and discovered that the correct thread is UNC (Unified Coarse). It is either written as ¼" - 20 or ¼" UNC for anyone wanting to find the proper stud.

Brian