Continuing on with my studio practice, I decided to try my hand again at macro photography.
The camera rig!
Equipment:
Pentax K-5 Digital SLR Camera Body
Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR lens
Kenko Pz-Af 1.5x Teleplus SHQ tele-converter
Custom Brackets flash bracket with a Sigma EF-530 DG Super flash, the Sigma acted as the trigger for the other flash units.
2x Yongnuo YN460-II flash on Flashpoint light stands
Slik Pro 700DX AMT-Alloy Tripod Legs with a Smith Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head
Here is a quick video of the setup in action (sorry for the *pop* *pop* sound, it seems that the 25fps videos have an issue when directly uploaded to YouTube):
My artistic goal for the session was to create top-down images of texture and detail. Things we see everyday, but when viewed up-close they are very different than how we usually perceive them. Intricate networks of connection and amazing textures abound…
Here was my first subject, stale matcha (finely-milled Japanese green tea) showing up on the LCD screen:
Using live-view is very, VERY useful in macro photography. I can zoom in 2x, 4x, or more to ever so gently gain proper focus on the subject. With such limited depth of field and such tiny movements necessary, don’t bother trying to use auto-focus.
My first shot of the day, this was actually hand-held with only the two slave flashes providing significant light:
This is the gold area of a “Goldtoe” sock:
Allergy medication (I like the vibrant textured nature of the pill upon close inspection in macro mode):
A sock with the center section shown at 100% magnification:
What recycled napkins really look like:
A belt buckle that looks amazing up close:
There are just too many photos to show in one post without blowing up my site’s index page download time! Anyways, moving forward, I want to eventually get some extension tubes to increase magnification and drop the teleconverter from the equation.
Overall, I’m happy with the results, but again… I could benefit from more diffuse light as some of the highlights are blown. I think I’ll be doing more macro photography in the future.
Viltrox asked me if I wanted to take a look at this unique compact autofocus full-frame prime lens with a focal length of 28mm and a fixed f/4.5 aperture for Sony E-mount cameras. Viltrox agreed to my standard collaboration terms before sending me the lens. In the video I talk about features, how it works in practice, and show photos I had taken on a photo walk with the Sony a7S as well as the APS-C a6000. Viltrox is starting this off as an Indiegogo campaign. They told me that it will eventually be sold through normal retailers: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/viltrox-af-28mm-f4-5-fe-chips-size-ultra-thin-lens They said it will be $99 USD or 109 Euros with discounts during the crowdfunding period. Check out Indiegogo for details. I am not an affiliate of that website. You can check on the status of availability through my usual affiliates: B&H Photo Video Amazon As an affiliate of these shops, I earn from qualifying purchases! The front of the lens. K...
A great overview by Gerald Undone on his experiences in the field of camera gear related videos! It is an important topic. The more open the better, I’d say. After over 13 years making photography and videography gear videos, I’ve not had a huge amount of success comparatively, but I’ve also never been especially brand safe to begin with for these companies to consider me. 🤣 I think his mentions toward the end of the video are especially important. The unwritten pressure, or worse with companies like Insta360 , shouldn’t be acceptable and should be publicly called out more often. That’s probably the only way things will actually change for the better. I created a video detailing my opinion on the topic further: More of my comments on the video… His YouTube channel. 4:30 I understand that’s what Gerald does, but are there situations where companies are paying for flights and hotel costs of other reviewers with the expectation of a video/article being produced? (EDIT: I’ve seen confirm...
I've use a Sony Alpha A6000 and the PZ 16–50mm F/3.5–5.6 OSS kit lens with my computer as a webcam for a long time now. It's a lower cost option that has been very consistent outputting 1080p at 30 FPS to a USB based HDMI capture device. The kit lens is generally fine, but it has a few quirks. The biggest issue is that throughout the zoom range the maximum aperture value is not fixed. This introduces technical challenges when I want to show detailed views of product or similar use cases. There are also other considerations I'll talk about later in this article. So I decided to buy the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | C lens in E-mount as a replacement. Links in this article are a mix of paid and through my affiliates. I earn from each in different ways. One is a flat fee and the others I earn from qualifying purchases. Considering them for your purchasing needs helps make the creation of this information viable! I made a video unboxing the lens and trying it out with Open ...
