Ring Light For Macro Work

[pepsiplease69]

I was getting tired of seeing shadows cast down by the lens itself on the subject when I get really close to it.

 

The task lamp on my desk is shining down from above, so the shadow eventually would get into the image if you get close enough.

 

I'm working on building my own ring lighting to attach to the front of my macro Lens according to the following youtube:

 

 

 

My lens has a 49mm filter thread diameter and I'm using it on a Sony QX-1 body.

(Sony E mount 30mm F3.5 Macro, SEL30M35)

https://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/lenses/sony_e_30_3p5_macro

I've purchased the NeoPixel ring and attached it to an Arduino Micro and got the light working just today.

https://www.adafruit.com/products/1586

I just need to get a step ring now and will attach the lighting to it using a Sugru adhesive.

I'll provide pictures once I've got it working.

[ac12]

Or you could try rigging one of these to your camera. The adapter ring is threaded, so you just need to get a step up/down adapter to go from your lens to the ring light adapter.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AmScope-LED-64-64-LED-Microscope-Ring-Light-with-Adapter-/190961487722?hash=item2c76310f6a:g:d9QAAOSwnipWYow7

Edited August 2, 2016 by ac12

[Out0Mind]

Very cool and inexpensive system for what can cost a significantly larger amount. For a simple solution, I'm a fan of portable LED tents (I do not like carrying around bulky and heavy lights for a few simple photos).

 

I'm a fan of the one in the link below:

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1265080-REG/fotodiox_studio_box_led660_24x24_led_studio_in_a_box_24_x.html

 

It's not perfect, but it gets the job done when you're on the move.

[pepsiplease69]

Or you could try rigging one of these to your camera. The adapter ring is threaded, so you just need to get a step up/down adapter to go from your lens to the ring light adapter.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AmScope-LED-64-64-LED-Microscope-Ring-Light-with-Adapter-/190961487722?hash=item2c76310f6a:g:d9QAAOSwnipWYow7

 

 

Very cool and inexpensive system for what can cost a significantly larger amount. For a simple solution, I'm a fan of portable LED tents (I do not like carrying around bulky and heavy lights for a few simple photos).

 

I'm a fan of the one in the link below:

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1265080-REG/fotodiox_studio_box_led660_24x24_led_studio_in_a_box_24_x.html

 

It's not perfect, but it gets the job done when you're on the move.

 

 

 

 

All are very good options. I like the light tent idea.

 

I personally prefer to build my own ring light because then I am in full control of the LED's since I'm using an Arduino micro controller to specifically address each LED and specify the RGB color as well as brightness level. I'm coding stuff in C language which, for me, is pretty instinctive.

 

The thing I liked in the youtube was that he used a control knob to position a portion of the ring to light up and that portion was movable, so he can control where the shadow falls, I thought that was a neat idea.

 

Building my own is probably not very cost effective, I mean, the neopixel ring and an arduino alone are costing me about $42.

 

The step ring I got from Hayward Camera show for $15 but I could find something cheaper on Amazon.

 

I love the idea of building something, though. Making electronics projects do something useful for me and not just blink or create some sort of amusement value.

 

Thanks for the inputs.

[Out0Mind]

Hey, no judgement! It's a super-cool project. Please share the results when it's finished and some photos you take with the ring. I'm intrigued to see how it handles hotspots given that there's no diffusing. Any plans to build it into a semi-matte cover?

[pepsiplease69]

Hey, no judgement! It's a super-cool project. Please share the results when it's finished and some photos you take with the ring. I'm intrigued to see how it handles hotspots given that there's no diffusing. Any plans to build it into a semi-matte cover?

 

 

Thanks my friend.

 

And you were right, I got a chance to assemble it all together yesterday and run it and I saw hotspots. I need something to diffuse the light.

 

At this point I'm thinking whether to use wax paper or I have some really thin Onion Skin paper which I can try to make circular cutouts from it and use that.

 

The thing does get a bit hot if it's on for a while so I'll just have to be careful with that.

 

I made a nice enclosure for the Arduino, but it is definitely for home-use only.

 

I'll try to post pictures in the next few days.

[Out0Mind]

Looking forward to seeing it.

 

When I'm in a pinch, I sometimes use velum to as a defuser (you can double and triple defuse at a relatively low cost). I wouldn't want it that close to a hotlamp, but in a pinch, it gets the job done. Just food for thought.

[pepsiplease69]

Here's what I've got to so far.

[Usernameistaken]

... I sometimes use velum to as a defuser (you can double and triple defuse at a relatively low cost). I wouldn't want it that close to a hotlamp, but in a pinch, it gets the job done.

 

Instead of using velum, you might consider a similar but more consistent material like the industry-standard TuffLux or Opal:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1100324-REG/rosco_110120240001_diffusion_filter_kit_20.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/577559-REG/Rosco_102304102124_E_Colour_410_Opal_21x24.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/163159-REG/Rosco_102302502124_E_Colour_250_1_2_White.html

 

The advantage with these filters is that they will offer a much more consistent and predictable color temperature, and they will cut light in a much more measured manner. They come in densities like 1/4 stop, 1/2 stop, full stop, etc. You can buy them in sheets or rolls, and if you treat them gently, they can last years. You can also buy them specifically for hot lights, and they will withstand pretty close proximity to a 1000 watt bulb well, but those are more expensive (http://www.rosco.com/filters/cinegel.cfm?CategoryID=6&menuReturn=quickfilmtv).

 

These materials look a lot like synthetic vellum, but they are made specifically for the transmission of light. Another useful filter to know about is Neutral Density (ND) gel. This simply darkens the light in measured increments, if you need less light but don't want to change the shape (diffuse, flag, rotate, etc.) or distance of the beam.

 

Placing your diffusion material directly against or very close to your light source will not diffuse the light nearly as much as placing it between your light source and your subject - halfway is a good place to start. For this reason, ring lights can be problematic when working with macro. Ring lights will work best for less reflective surfaces, like brushed steel or raw wood, but they are less pleasing for more highly reflective objects, like polished metals, glass, etc. It's is often advisable to simply move your main light to a better spot or fill the shadow cast by its proximity to camera by using a reflector from the opposite angle.

 

For what it's worth, I like what you did with your ring light... am impressed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

James

Edited September 8, 2016 by Usernameistaken

[pepsiplease69]

@name_is_taken

Thanks for the reply. Yes I discovered that the ring light is not ideal for shiny things like crhome or gold finish of pens / nibs / furniture.

 

I did get some really nice, detailed, well-lit, close-up macros of things like an ebonite feed, which didn't reflect any light.

 

For all other things, probably I'll have to go back to my bathroom where a large diffused light source gives soft generous lighting from above.

 

Some photos of said lighting arrangement can be seen in the following thread:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/304633-initial-stab-at-bookbinding/

 

Another good place is at my office desk where the lighting is very flattering towards shiny objects. But I cannot goof off so much at the office.

 

 

I'm probably not going to try to put a diffuser on the ring light.

 

I did, however, add a potentiometer to my project and I'm controlling the brightness of the light. I use the pot to send an analog signal to the Arduino, which then dims the light down to a reasonable level, maybe this will help a bit.

[Usernameistaken]

Placement of light will help you more than diffusion of light. You can't diffuse away a direct reflection, especially on a curved object, without a VERY large light source and shooting area. Think of light as either causing a direct reflection (like lighting a mirror) or diffuse/indirect reflection (like lighting a white t-shirt). Any surface will feature either a direct or a diffuse reflection, or a blend of both (the only variation is in the case of a polarized reflection - a type of direct reflection - but let's talk about that another time). The ebonite did reflect light, otherwise there would be no detail to see, it was just a diffuse reflection. Don't limit yourself by thinking about reflections as only being represented by thinks like light bulbs in mirrors. Reflections define every untouched surface in our perception of the world, shiny or dull, mark or light.

 

Instead of thinking about your light source, thing about the reflections. Really study the materials and contours of your subject and you will learn how to intuitively place and modify your lights/reflectors and angles.

 

Also consider, when you're out and about, that cars are great large scale representation of pens, in that they have a similar variety of finishes and contours, and you can fairly easily learn to identity all the various light sources that define the shape and feel of any parked car you're passing. Studying things like this will vastly improve your photography lighting skills.

 

Again, hope this helps.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Usernameistaken

[ac12]

As you mentioned, being able to control the DIRECTION of the light can be important. My ring light is on or off, no ability to control direction of light. When I use a desk lamp, the shadows it creates can be VERY useful in looking at things that are not visible with the all-around ring light. But simple the ring-light was much CHEAPER than one with quadrant lighting control, so low price drove the decision.

[Usernameistaken]

Definitely keep that ring light, it is a very useful tool, just not for everything!

 

Also, another hint: you're often better off filling areas of direct reflection with a white card, rather than a direct light source. Then you can keep your light source off axis, creating generally diffuse light, while bouncing it (or another) off of your white card reflector, which will then fill the area of direct reflection with an evenly lit direct reflection of a diffuse reflection.

 

The shape of the reflective area will inform the shape and size of your "bounce card."

Edited September 12, 2016 by Usernameistaken

[ac12]

So what is the latest with the toy?

 

I use the ring light on my microscope a lot.

More for your eye than the camera, the intensity of the lighting makes a difference when looking at stuff. So the adjustable intensity is a useful function.

But as I mentioned, sometimes the lack of shadows with a ring light makes it harder to look at some stuff. The shadow cast by a lamp on the side makes looking at certain things easier.

 

As Usernameistaken mentioned, there is no ONE tool that will work for everything. You have to experiment with different lighting to see what works for what kinds of photos. For pens, you can also try making a small light tent/cube, then illuminate the light tent with a couple of desk lamps.

 

I just checked my microscope ring light. The mounting adapter has a 48mm thread. So that will need a step DOWN adapter ring for most cameras. And how bad will that adapter ring vignet the image.

The alternative is to clamp the ring light directly onto the lens.

Your DIY ring light is sounding better, as it is the correct size for your lens.

Edited January 14, 2017 by ac12

[pepsiplease69]

I also worked on a lighting rig based on the following adafruit tutorial.

 

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4WIRssvFgA8

 

 

It worked out quite well but lately I haven't used it that much. I might bring both lighting projects to one of the posses for a show and tell.

 

Which step-down ring did you need?

 

I know a guy who deals all kind of lens filters who might be able to fix you up.

 

Tim from filterfind. I got my step up ring from him and it works fine. Since it's a step-up ring there are no concerns about vignetting.

 

They do a bi-monthly camera show where all sorts of camera gear and enthusiasts converge. An interesting meet up. The next one is January 22nd

Hayward Camera & Video Show

[pepsiplease69]

By the way I use this ring light with my E-mount Sony 30mm f/3.5 macro lens.

 

It has a 49mm thread diameter to which I attach the step up ring. It goes on pretty solid, no need for clamping.

 

I don't know exactly which step up I used but it's large enough to accommodate the neopixel ring. I used some sugru to attach the neopixel ring to the step up ring.

[ac12]

Well if I use my Micro Nikkor I would need a 52->48mm step down adapter for my 48mm ring light adapter, or a 52->50mm step down adapter and a 50mm ring light adapter.

 

Jan 22nd at Hayward. hmmm I might go and see what I can get into trouble with.