Marie Callender flash diffuser
A number of images in my photo archive were taken using this cheap flash diffuser and the camera's pop-up flash. The plastic dish is from a Marie Callender "Fresh Flavor Steamer" frozen dinner. Here it's rigged up as a kind of soft-box or shoot-through flash diffuser for using with the pop up flash on the camera. Behind the dish is a Nikon D40. The arms of the support bracket are screwed to the tripod mount of the camera with a knob having a 1/4-20 thread. Reading lights are used to support clips for holding the dish. I don't need or use the lights... just the "goose-neck" material and the light's mounting clips. The primary lens is a Nikon 70-210mm zoom AF lens, with the focus locked at infinity with the green rubber band. The lens with the silver barrel peeking out of the lens shade is the "common objective" from a junk American Optical "Cycloptic" stereo microscope (NOT reversed). Focusing is done manually, simply by moving the rig forward and backward and shooting as the subject passes through the zone of maximum sharpness.
DSC-0197
NOTE: This early version of my macro set-up has been replaced with an updated rig using a cut-down, lens-mounted diffuser, and a bracket using threaded rods to support reflector cards. The diffuser and reflector cards can be used separately, or together depending upon your lighting requirements.
Marie Callender flash diffuser
A number of images in my photo archive were taken using this cheap flash diffuser and the camera's pop-up flash. The plastic dish is from a Marie Callender "Fresh Flavor Steamer" frozen dinner. Here it's rigged up as a kind of soft-box or shoot-through flash diffuser for using with the pop up flash on the camera. Behind the dish is a Nikon D40. The arms of the support bracket are screwed to the tripod mount of the camera with a knob having a 1/4-20 thread. Reading lights are used to support clips for holding the dish. I don't need or use the lights... just the "goose-neck" material and the light's mounting clips. The primary lens is a Nikon 70-210mm zoom AF lens, with the focus locked at infinity with the green rubber band. The lens with the silver barrel peeking out of the lens shade is the "common objective" from a junk American Optical "Cycloptic" stereo microscope (NOT reversed). Focusing is done manually, simply by moving the rig forward and backward and shooting as the subject passes through the zone of maximum sharpness.
DSC-0197
NOTE: This early version of my macro set-up has been replaced with an updated rig using a cut-down, lens-mounted diffuser, and a bracket using threaded rods to support reflector cards. The diffuser and reflector cards can be used separately, or together depending upon your lighting requirements.