Guide to Mastering the Macro Ring Lite Flash
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Beautifully and easily photograph everything Macro Ring Lite from flowers and insects MR-14EX II to small items and people! Guide to Mastering the Macro Ring Lite Flash Intro duction What is a Macro Ring Lite flash? The Macro Ring Lite is a ring-shaped flash that attaches to the front of the lens This flash fires from the very front of the lens for even area lighting. Making use of this ability, the Ring Lite flash can be used in a variety of situations, from Photo captured with a Macro Ring Lite flash capturing shots of small subjects such as flowers and insects to portrait photography. Browse through this guide to find a use that perfectly fits your style. Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II Photo captured with shoe-mount flash C o ntents BASICS Four merits of a macro ring flash 3 MR-14EX II Features and 4 6 8 10 Part Names 22 Shoot trinkets Shoot Shoot Shoot plant life and accessories nail art accessories in dark locations ADVANCED 12 14 16 18 20 Shoot Shoot Shoot Shoot flowers Shoot portraits clothing wristwatches and blue skies flying butterflies Get close to small flowers Flat light means when shooting fewer shadows Because light from this kind of flash is not obstructed Because the flash tubes are ring shaped, by the lens as happens with built-in or clip-on flashes, the overall subject is evenly illuminated you can feel comfortable getting close to subjects. for minimal shadows and vividly detailed subjects. Four major merits Reduced camera Sharp photos from the shake and subject blur foreground to background Because the subject is illuminated only for a moment, Because the light from the flash is bright, this flash produces the same effect as when using a high the aperture can be stopped-down for a wider in-focus area, shutter speed, for reduced camera shake and subject blur. and accurate, three-dimensional subject details. FREEZE! Ico ns used in this guide Macro Ring clip-on Built-in flash No flash Get close to Flat light Reduce Sharp shots Lite flash flash small subjects Fewer blurring from the when shooting shadows foreground to background With a Macro Ring Lite flash you can… Basics Reduce shadows with flat lighting 1 Easily and beautifully capture the details of trinkets and accessories Close-up shots Minimal shadows Flat lighting provides shadow-free images Macro Ring Lite flash and reproduces shapes and colors Shapes and colors as they appear to the naked eye are clear without Have you ever shot a favorite detail of the subject so that annoying any annoying shadows accessory with an SLR only to end up shadows from a single direction are Everything from the fine shapes, with strong shadows in the photo? If not a problem. This flash offers a colors, and materials of the colorful, overlapped buttons are vividly so, a Macro Ring Light is just for you. variety of easy flash lighting solutions, captured. Because this flash emits light evenly such as in photos of handicrafts for a • EOS 70D, with EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens from a ring-shaped flash tube, it is blog, or shooting small figures for an • Manual exposure mode; E-TTL II flash • 1/60 sec. at f/11; ISO 400 possible to illuminate each and every online auction. • +2.0 flash exposure compensation 4 Basics Easily and beautifully capture the details of trinkets and accessories 1 clip-on flash Blocked flash and strong shadows A shoe-mounted flash causes strong shadows in the photo. Also, when the light from the flash is obstructed by the lens, the brightness differs where light is illuminating the subject and where it is insufficient. Simple and Simply attach the Macro Ring Lite to the lens for macro beautiful w i I shots that are a touch different than the average th X I the MR-14E Flash not obstructed Flash obstructed Because light is evenly distributed, Because light is not obstructed strong shadows are less likely to occur you can get close to the subject ‘Blocked flash’ refers to obstruction of the flash by the lens, resulting in dark sections in the image. Macro Ring Lite flash Tips Extreme close-ups of a single button on a macro lens This is the EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, optimal for cameras Because macro lenses are designed for close-ups, equipped with an APS-C size you can focus in close on a single small button. sensor. Not only is this lens The Macro Ring Lite makes it possible to perfectly Close-up of an elegantly-designed button. Even with perfect for macro shooting, but it a diameter of approximately 0.8 inch (2cm), the fine can be used in a wide variety of illuminate the subject, whereas a built-in flash would indentations and ridges, as well as textures are captured applications such as landscapes, be inadequate at this distance. in great detail with lighting from the MR-14EX II. portraits and candid images. 5 With a Macro Ring Lite flash you can… Basics Sharp and vivid from the foreground to background 2 Vividly capture the natural, three- dimensional feel of nail art designs Close-up shots Minimal shadows Sharp fore and background The subject is brightly lit and in-focus Macro Ring Lite flash all the way to the background Sharply capture In macro photography without using these factors often result in photos overlapping fingers a flash, shadows from the lens or with dull-looking nails. If you use The overlapping fingers in both the camera can make the subject appear a Macro Ring Lite flash, the bright foreground and background are both dark as well as make camera shake flash lets you stop down the aperture sharply in focus and the fine designs on the nails are vividly recorded. more likely to occur, and drastically for a greater depth of field. The • EOS 70D, with EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens reduce the area in focus (depth instantaneous illumination also helps • Manual exposure mode; E-TTL II flash of field). When shooting nail art, to prevent camera shake. • 1/60 sec. at f/32; ISO 400 • +2.0 flash exposure compensation 6 Basics Vividly capture the natural, three-dimensional feel of nail art designs 2 Without the flash, the focus is shallow, and with the normal flash, strong shadows appear. When shooting without the flash and at wide lens apertures, the range of focus becomes shallow. A clip- on flash makes it easier for strong shadows to appear. No flash Without flash: nails in the background look blurred, from wide lens aperture Shoe-mount flash: sharp focus, but annoying shadows and uneven exposure clip-on flash Simple Focus range and beautiful w i I th X I the MR-14E Focal position Stop down the aperture for a sharp foreground and background Because you can stop You can shoot down the aperture when using a Macro Ring Lite vivid extreme close-ups flash, the depth of focus Even during extreme close-ups, the Macro Ring (depth of field) can be Lite flash produces uniform lighting, making increased. it possible to capture the minute patterns and subtle tones of the nail art perfectly. 7 With a Macro Ring Lite flash you can… Basics Compatible from close-ups to normal shooting distances 3 With this single flash, you can shoot photos of a favorite accessory on its own or a shot of someone wearing it Close-up shots Minimal shadows No troublesome shadows, With this single lens, you can shoot and the overall shot is Macro Ring Lite flash beautifully captured both close-up and pulled back photos The light passes over the complex with complete freedom shape of the entire brooch for beautiful colors and sparkling light. The Macro Ring Lite flash is not in a blog or online auction. • EOS 5D Mark III, with EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM macro lens just for close-ups, but is fully Because the MR-14EX II flash tubes • Manual exposure mode; E-TTL II flash • 1/60 sec. at f/16; ISO 800 capable of being used at general are split into two semicircles, A • +1.0 flash exposure compensation shooting distances. and B, the strength ratio of the You can easily shoot a favorite flash (flash ratio) can be easily accessory on its own or a shot of adjusted for shots that perfectly someone wearing it for inclusion match the feel of your subject. 8 Basics With this single flash, you can shoot photos of a favorite accessory on its own or a shot of someone wearing it 3 Details of a single enlarged section are perfectly captured Macro Ring Lite flash Simple and Both close-ups and pulled back beautiful shots are quick and easy w i I th X I Because shadows are not the MR-14E With a single Macro Ring Lite flash, you can easily shoot close-ups of a part of an accessory, or pull slightly back to noticeable around the neck capture what it looks like when a person is wearing it. and clothing, the subject Macro Ring Lite flash stands out even more clip-on flash Strong shadows clash with the image of the jewelry There are strong shadows on the accessory and cloth. The jewels on the inside section are difficult to make out, and the image is lacking in three-dimensional feel. Flash tube B Flash tube A Tips Adjust the flash ratio of both lamps to perfectly match your ideas You can adjust the flash ratio of both flash tubes in half steps from 1:8 to 1:1, and from there to 8:1.