Flash Type Advice Request

[lonepal]

Hi;

Firstly I want to inform you I use 2 ikea jansjö ledl ights for continuous ligting for now. But because my magnification range extended to 25X levels I think I need a flash to get rid of the vibration issues.

I use Mitutoyo M Plan APO 10X and 20X on APSC sensor.
I also have a Componon-s 80mm for 0.5X-2X.

I know the ring flash makes and alien effect on the eyes of the subject.
But I want to hear some experiences about it, is it worth trying? Anyway to get rid of the alien effect?

I plan to purchase yongnuo or meike 14 series ring flash.

If normal flash is used, should it be a twin or single flash?
If I decide to use single flash, I also have a Canon 430EX II. But it is so big.
If I decide to use twin, I plan to purchase Yongnuo yn-24ex twin macro flash.

Of course it will be better to buy Canon models but they are really expensive

Please guide me on this matter.
Thanks.

[Deanimator]

It sounds like you're doing studio work, as am I.

I have had recommended to me, a couple of manual flashes, off camera controlled by an on camera radio controller.

I would caution you about Yongnuo flashes, as I hear a LOT of complaints about poor quality control and failures after little use. Yongnuo requires you to pay the shipping to them for repairs, even when the item is under warranty.

I plan to get Flashpoint flashes and a controller from Adorama. They're rebranded Godox units. I've dealt with Adorama and wouldn't worry about support if an item should fail while under warranty.

[lonepal]

Hi Deanimator;

Yes I heard lots of complaints about chinese made flashes but you get what you paid for Same Canon flash costs 750USD (mr14). mt-24ex is also very expensive.

I also have radio controller for my 430EX II.

I want to be sure about using double or single flash. I eliminated ring flash already.

How should be the setup? What is your plan?

Thanks.

[Deanimator]

Hi Deanimator;

Yes I heard lots of complaints about chinese made flashes but you get what you paid for Same Canon flash costs 750USD (mr14). mt-24ex is also very expensive.

I also have radio controller for my 430EX II.

I want to be sure about using double or single flash. I eliminated ring flash already.

How should be the setup? What is your plan?

Thanks.

There's "Chinese" and there's "Chinese". Godox is Chinese and they're pretty good. Flashpoint is Adorama (a reliable distributor) branded Godox, which is even better. You'll get what's considered an acceptable level of support (at least in the US) if there's a problem with what they sell. It's fine to buy Chinese gear. I just caution people against buying Chinese gear that has a high failure rate and virtually nonexistent customer service.

I plan to use twin manual flashes, very close to the subject on low power, probably 1/128.

I make a lot of my own supporting equipment using PVC pipe. I've already made a stage capable of mounting a couple of flashes, capable of being pointed directly at the subject at close range.

I'm between jobs and won't be able to pull the trigger on the flashes until I'm working again.

[lonepal]

Because I live in Turkey and I will purchase the items through ebay, the guarantee has no meaning for me so I do not worry about it

About twin flash, I still have worries..

[mawyatt]

I had the Yonguno YN560 which I used some, also had the YN-568 & YN-685 which were used less. Also had the Yonguno RF controllers. Never had any problems except with the YN-685 when it overheated and partially melted the plastic clear cover. B&H replaced it without question. So the Yonguno speedlights I had served well were generally reliable. I know others have had some issues, so concern is probably warranted.

I switched over to the Adorama (Godox) series because I wanted the studio strobes to have TTL capability and the speedlights to all be RF compatible, and Yonguno didn't have much to select from for TTL studio strobes. What they had in a studio strobe was much more expensive compared to others, so I switched to Adorama (Godox) and sold my Yonguno speedlights and RF controllers.

I use light tents the help diffuse the strobes in studio macro, so don't have to get as close with the larger strobes. I don't use my speedlights for studio work because my stacking sessions can be up to 400 or more stacks and sometimes multiple sessions in a row. This would be very taxing on a battery speedlight, even at low power levels.

Best,

Mike

[Deanimator]

I use light tents the help diffuse the strobes in studio macro, so don't have to get as close with the larger strobes. I don't use my speedlights for studio work because my stacking sessions can be up to 400 or more stacks and sometimes multiple sessions in a row. This would be very taxing on a battery speedlight, even at low power levels.

Best,

Mike

I have a couple of questions for you:

1. What kinds of subjects and what size are you photographing?
2. At what distance are you placing the strobes from the light tent?

I don't have any strobes, and wasn't contemplating buying any, but I do use a light tent with 300w equivalent CFLs. However, I only use the light tent for relatively large still life subjects, (guns, etc.).

[anvancy]

Because I live in Turkey and I will purchase the items through ebay, the guarantee has no meaning for me so I do not worry about it

About twin flash, I still have worries..

Hi Lonepal.

If you are asking non canon twin flashes, both Venus KX800 and Yongnuo YN 24EX are good working twin flash options.

I am using the venus for almost two years now and it has survived torrential rains and falls. I have also used for crude studio work and they worked good.

[Lou Jost]

I have used Yongnuo flashes and they are good enough. They are cheap enough that failure is not a disaster. Like you I live abroad and a guarantee is unimportant. The Yongnuos are so cheap that you can buy several in case one goes bad. If you have more than two, you can lower the power, which results in shorter flash duration which is better for stopping vibration motion. You should also purchase external battery packs which make them capable of handling very large stacks.

[lonepal]

Hi;

I finally decided and bought a Yongnuo YN24EX twin flash from ebay.

I emailed Yongnuo about my questions but they did not answered yet.

I know there is an external power socket at YN24EX and some other Yongnuo flashes.

Can I use a power adapter with it instead of a power bank?
Where can I find a jack for this socket? Does it come in the package?

Also I need the voltage and current values to purchase an appropriate power adapter.

Anybody has any informaiton about those?

[mawyatt]

I use light tents the help diffuse the strobes in studio macro, so don't have to get as close with the larger strobes. I don't use my speedlights for studio work because my stacking sessions can be up to 400 or more stacks and sometimes multiple sessions in a row. This would be very taxing on a battery speedlight, even at low power levels.

Best,

Mike

I have a couple of questions for you:

1. What kinds of subjects and what size are you photographing?
2. At what distance are you placing the strobes from the light tent?

I don't have any strobes, and wasn't contemplating buying any, but I do use a light tent with 300w equivalent CFLs. However, I only use the light tent for relatively large still life subjects, (guns, etc.).

Sorry for the late reply, I missed your questions.

I typical image small silicon chips, integrated circuits. These are under 20mm on a side.

Since the light tent becomes the illuminating source for the subject the distance to the strobes is not critical. I have 4 different size light tents but use the 40cm one mostly. I may place one light tent inside the other to get better illumination uniformity. These tents are very inexpensive on eBay, usually under $20. I place the tents over the subject & mounting fixture, and cut a slit in the side for the camera lens to poke thru.

In the setup I am experimenting with now, the 4 strobes are placed about 50cm from the tent edge. One strobe is directly overhead, 2 others are off the front edge of the tent at about 60 degrees, the last strobe is behind the camera at about 45 degrees. I've found thru experimentation this gives a somewhat uniform illumination at the subject. Before I would use up to 12 strobes positioned around the tent (larger 80~100cm) and use them in double diffused soft boxes. This gave very uniform illumination but was physically large. When my work space was reduced, I am experimenting with the 4 strobe tent setup now, but may add one or two more strobes later though.

Speedlights are not an option for me, because they wouldn't last long with my abuse! I just shot a ~400 stack session (will probably shoot 3 or 4 more sessions today) which required the AC powered strobes to be about 80~100WS each, typical speedlights are about 60WS maximum output I believe. Getting very uniform illumination usually requires wasting lots of light power, thus the need for multiple AC powered strobes.

I should mention that the chips I shoot usually have many (100>>1000) tiny solder balls (40~100um diameter) that are tiny spherical mirrors, and a real pain to get illuminated properly so that significant specular artifacts don't show up in the images. This is mainly why I've evolved to this type of lighting setup.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Best,

Mike

[Lou Jost]

This is a very cool thing for Yongnuo 560:

https://prophotographygear.com/products ... 60-yn565ex

[mawyatt]

Lou,

Yes that is a great idea using the 11.1v (3 cells) LiOn battery pack for the YN-560. I had a external pack that required 8 AA cells, this is way better.

I can't believe that someone hasn't produced a Speedlight that will operate from the popular 18650 LiOn cells. I know Godox has the LiOn powered 860 speed light, but this is a custom 11.1v battery...why not three 18650s for power??

Best,

Mike

[ChrisR]

I have found a ring flash is good, for well diffused shots at high magnification. It's also about the best I've managed with short Working Distance objectives. You do need a circular diffuser of course.
Using the Yongnuo ring flash, the last time I used it (I'm not doing anything as much as I'd like, these days) which was to check a cheap 4x NA 0.1 objective, minimum power at minimum iso was too much. Turning off half the ring was about right, and the was lighting still pretty diffuse. The 4 x AA batteries last a very long time.

I get occasional - but too many - missed flashes, and the battery cover locking lugs have partly broken away. I'm not sure when that happened, but the plastic part concerned is very thin. I hold it together easily with a cable tie. This is my third Yongnuo flash (one went back), and enough is enough, I'd try Godox or something else next time.

I use an unusual adapter - wil lpost a picture.

"Well diffused" isn't good enough for Mike's solder spheres, I daresay. I haven't tried those, but I'd expect trouble.

[RobbieC]

This is a very cool thing for Yongnuo 560:

https://prophotographygear.com/products ... 60-yn565ex

I am getting over 2000 flashes at 1/64 or 1/128 power with the Godox eternal battery for 2 YN 560's. Be sure to purchase the Nikon cables to fit the YN 560.

Robbie