Low end "Kit" / Oshiro 60mm 2:1 & Meike Twin F

[Yawns]

I recently acquired an Oshiro 2:1 60mm and later the new Meike Twin Flash ...
last weekend, besides it was raining in the Saturday and very windy in the Sunday I could try both together with daylight .
It's low end but's pretty capable and I'm happy with it.
It's totally manual.. bot lens and flash. As there is no communication with the lens, the flash as to be set manually too.. requires a bit of experience .
I lock the Oshiro with tape at f/8 , set the speed at 1/200 and ISO 500.. both flashes at 1/16,and them I check every picture and adjust as necessary.

The kit .. almost "out of the box" ...
New Kit - Oshiro 60mm + Meike Twin Flash by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

my best friends.. scissors, gorilla tripod with an adapted clip and a studio semi-transparent umbrella (retractable and easy to transport)
DSC_0005 clean by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Sysphidae(s) - single shots
Unknown Syphidae by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Unknown Syphidae by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Ladybug larva - stack of 7 shandheld
ladybug larva by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

wet Trichodes octopunctatus - Stack of 11 handheld
trichodes octopunctatus by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Thomisus - Single shot with umbrella bacground
Thomisus by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Cryptocephalus - Single shot
Cryptocephalus rugicollis by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

Studio (tabletop) with my "crash test dummy" for light tests
222 by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

[cmagno]

Very nice field results. Thanks for sharing.

cmagno

[Yawns]

Very nice field results. Thanks for sharing.

cmagno

Obrigado (thank you)
another Portuguese around here...

[Beatsy]

All lovely, but the stacks are especially nice. Do you just move the camera forward by hand for these?

Also, do you set up your umbrella then wait for insects to arrive or are you able to spot an insect first and then put the umbrella in place?

Thanks

[Yawns]

All lovely, but the stacks are especially nice. Do you just move the camera forward by hand for these?

Also, do you set up your umbrella then wait for insects to arrive or are you able to spot an insect first and then put the umbrella in place?

Thanks

Hello Beatsy .. always having kind comments ...

1. I simply hold the camera im my hands and turn the focus ring... I don't use any other mechanic help, like a focus plate ...
The Oshiro is tricky .. the ring is quite stiff and above 1:1 I see the magnification changing slightly between photos (the ring looks to be exponential), but so far the software handles well with the rescaling
( I use affinity photo to merge the focus .. it has a very nice correction tool)

2.
I started to use an umbrella first because of the wind .. I have wind here all the time and have to deal with it. Even in the cludy days I have it with me all the time.

about 02 by antonio caseiro, on Flickr

This umbrella is new .. before I was using a regular one, but it's broen and I couldn't find another one in the shops.
So I got a studio umbrella semi-transparent and it's so much better than the previous one.. makes a very luminous light in the grass .. the background grass comes out very beautiful .

The insects don't like to be in the shade .. they don't like the sudden change in light.... but they seem to tolerate the studio umbrella very well, as it makes more like a penumbra full of light than a dar shadow .
To answer to your question.
When I see the insect I make shade with the umbrella while I still standing up and leave it like that for a few seconds.. if the insects doesn't goes aways, then I bend and position the umbrella and start to prepare the photo.

Bugs, spiders, grasshoppers etc.. those stand the umbrella shade very well .. only the very agile, like the flies, are unpredictable ..
If the flies are feeding usually they don't care and keep eating ... they just become sensitive in the end of the day when they are trying to keep warm with the last sun rays ..

[Yawns]

I did those photos under these conditions .. it's the way it is here most of the time and I learned to deal with it or I wouldn't shoot nothing most of the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IHqCPkFXEo

[Beatsy]

Thanks for all the extra info. I have several of those white brollies (often come free with studio lights and stands which I use for portrait photography). As you say, they're very compact and portable, and I hadn't thought of using them as wind-cheaters too. Think I'll carry one along on my next trip.

I've switched to Affinity Photo too (and Phase One instead of Lightroom). Both excellent apps and no subscription. Bye bye Adobe!

[rolsen]

Really nice setup, I definitely have to get one of those umbrellas too! -One more thing for me to chase in the windy costal area

- Rane

[cmagno]

another Portuguese around here...

Vamos falando...

[MarkSturtevant]

Very interesting! I find the umbrella especially interesting. Takes control of the ambient light AND can help with the wind.
Next you will need an assistant