Friday, December 12, 2008

Ring ring ring!

Meal time~!

So, I sold my CSI kit, I no longer have the R1C1 and it is replaced by a China-made Dragonfly Ring Flash. See, even the name is macro-like :P Armed with the new toy, I went to one of my favourite hunting grounds - Tmn Rimba Kiara.

The difference between the ring flash and the R1C1 is that the ring flash depends on the power of the flash it is attached to. This means you can tweak the strength of the flash better.

Not only that, the ring flash generates circular catchlight and it is desired among some photographers, not all. That catchlight can be seen in the spider's eyes above. Oh, and yes I was interrupting him having a meal.

Long-legged fly

It is either I have missed a beat with the R1C1 but I was happier with the output from the ring flash. Somehow, it seems to have allowed me to capture the ambiance better. But that could be due to my inexperience in handling the R1C1.

The above shot of the long-legged fly is currently one of my favs because of the leaf's colours. I just love that warm yellowish tint.

Stilt-legged fly

But I still need to familiarise myself with the setup. The stilt-legged fly above seems to be a tad underexposed and the DOF is extremely thin. Wonder if I can utilise the SB-600 power and pump up the f value.

An orange skipper

And last but not least, my first orange skipper! Ahh such a happy man that day. The ring flash worked better than I expected and I got some shots that I really like. All in all, a good outing.

Next up: Non-insect macro shots!

4 comments:

Mark said...

Awesome photos, very sharp. I like the ring flash catch light in the spider's eyes.

Nicholas Leong said...

@Mark thanks man :)

meendee said...

Flash seems a bit harsh, but pics are really sharp :) Does it require an external flash, or it comes with a unit that you can attach to the hotshoe?

Nicholas Leong said...

@meendee it requires an external flash, because the ring flash doesn't have anything electronic in it. It just redirects light from your external flash :)

Noted on the harsh part, will try to tone down the flash power :)