Photography News Issue 44

47 Accessories test

Photography News | Issue 44 | absolutephoto.com

Venus Optics KX800 FlexibleMacro Twin

Kenko DG Extension Tube Set £129

10 NissinMF18Macro Flash £279

iLux 5-in-1 80cm Collapsible Bounce

12 Velbon Super Mag Slider Macro Rail £79 Working with such a shallow depth-of-field makes macro focusing tricky. But just like using the right techniques, picking the right accessories can make it easier. One such accessory is a focusing rail, like Velbon’s Super Mag Slider. Using the rail to move the camera, rather than focusing with the ring on the lens you get much more precise control, for example setting the lens at its closest focus for the maximum magnification. Made of lightweight magnesium alloy, and weighing only 470g, the Super Mag Slider allows smooth, accurate forward/back (+/-60mm) and side-to-side (+/-30mm) movement for alignment, while its 1/4in and 3/8in threads mean it connects like a regular tripod head. intro2020.co.uk

Flash Kit £279 This hotshoe accessory combines flash and LED lighting in a single unit,anddoesitwithgreatversatility in the design. Specifically built for macro photography, the KX800 Twin Flash features two 48cm long flexible arms with flash heads on the ends, and a third with an LED light. This means you can position the flashes very easily around the subject, even backlighting if the working distance is close enough. Running on four AA batteries, the flashes, which have a combined guide number of 58m, are controlled manually, and have eight power levels, adjustable independently. The flexible LED can be used to aid focusing or as a fill light, and the whole unit weighs only 450g. ukdigital.co.uk

Reflector Kit £14 Macro and close-up shots benefit from the use of a reflector just as much as other subjects. By bouncing some light you’ll fill in shadows, even out the contrast, and increase the shutter speed, but that’s not all. The middle of a 5-in- 1 reflector, like this 80cm version from iLux, is a diffuser, which can be placed between the subject and the light source to further even the contrast and reduce strong highlights. With its black or white surfaces you can also use it as a handy backdrop. If you want to support it more easily, you can clip it onto the iLux RH-02 Reflector Holder (£25), a three-section pole providing a 64-177cm length, which attaches to a regular lighting stand. photomart.co.uk

Extension tubes enable a regular lens to focus closer than normal, with no loss of optical quality, as there’s nothing for the light to travel through except a hole. They can be used on macro lenses, too, achieving greater than lifesize reproduction. The longer the tube (and the greater the distance from the lens to the camera), the closer you can focus, though the resultant light loss reduces the effective aperture of your lens. Kenko’s DG Extension Tube Set (available from chiswickcameras.co.uk), maintains TTL exposure and AF, depending on the lens, and whether there’s enough light in the scene. The set contains 36mm, 20mm and 12mm tubes and comes in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony fits. kenkoglobal.com

Macro lighting can be tricky. With the lens so close to the subject, it’s easy to cast a shadow on it, and with such a short working distance, placing off-camera lights becomes problematic, too. The answer is a specialist macro flash, like Nissin’s MF18. Sitting around the front element, and therefore unobstructed, the flash head fits lenses with threads of 49-82mm via included adapters. At 16m (ISO 100), the guide number of the flash tube might sound low compared to regular models, but it’s plenty at macro distances, and adjustable down to a tiny 1/1024 output. You can also use the LED modelling lights to illuminate the subject, and it’s available for Canon and Nikon cameras. kenro.co.uk