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[wpramazon asin=”B0002ER2WI”]
Simon Yates Photography
Bringing you the best of photography, cameras, lenses and accessories
[wpramazon asin=”B0031AQ302″]
[wpramazon asin=”B0002ER2WI”]
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I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,
It does what it says, basically. Some of my rechargeable batts will work with it and others won’t. That may be related to the shape of the battery contacts.
Having constant illumination is great for focusing, plus it allows you to choose higher shutter speeds instead of aperture if that suits your purpose.
The battery life is decent, but as you shoot if you’re tracking insects etc. you may leave it on to be ready at a moment’s notice. You may not notice your batteries are draining and you’re not getting much out of it. But gee, they included an AC adapter and if you’re doing indoor macro stuff, that’s a fantastic accessory to have. That more than offsets the downside IMO.
Being so lightweight, it doesn’t seem to tax my kit lens’s AF motor at all. The only real downside I have seen is that reflections of the ring light may be broken or jagged. That is, instead of a clean circle of light reflecting off a water droplet, you may see individual LEDs. I’ve been using it at very close range, though, and I think as you move farther from the subject that’s less noticeable or nonexistent.
The other issue TBD would be longevity. For my purposes it’s fine and I don’t beat up my equipment. If you’re a pro…well, why wouldn’t you invest the money on a serious ringflash setup if you’re a pro, right?
This gets the job done for me with little fuss or fanfare; it’s well worth the ~$50 I paid for it, easily. I’m very very pleased with it so far.
Update 5/28: I retested my AAs that wouldn’t work before. They work now. It could be that the battery compartment is just a bit fussy. I’m a little tempted to rubberband the back cover to the unit because it can come off. I do like the fact that the batteries are separate from the ring because there’s no point in adding extra weight to the lens if you don’t have to. Also I had a slight issue where the light was weak and I’d just put in fresh batteries. Either the cord is starting to short or the cord at the battery unit wasn’t making good contact but that was easily fixed. I’ve made hundreds (maybe a thousand by now) of shots with the unit though and remain very satisfied.
Update 6/5: I might start by saying that I use this 3-4x a week. Although I’ve had it about five or six weeks, I have probably used it 25x and made at least 1000 pictures with it.
I’m starting to have problems with it. Sometimes the cord from battery to light doesn’t want to seat properly; now I think the cord itself may be thin and not conducting the electricity well. I’ll try a quick fix of wrapping the “elbows” with electrical tape or something like that, à la Roger Daltrey and his microphone. If it continues to fail, I’d probably buy another and wrap it from the gitgo, treat it more carefully.
One thing I meant to do and haven’t: run a pencil on both sides of the adapter, the idea being to “lubricate with graphite.” Sometimes as the lens twists etc. it may strain the cord b/c it doesn’t rotate as freely on the front as I’d like (not that it alters picture quality or becomes a hassle—just that it may be what’s causing the wire to short). Were it to move freely, maybe I wouldn’t have the issue I seem to be encountering.
Should I end up getting a 2nd one, I guess it wouldn’t be a total loss. I’d have an “extra” battery holder. Also I haven’t used the AC cord much…that may be a tool to see where it’s failing, by process of elimination.
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|Just what I needed,
Customer Video Review Length:: 1:30 Mins
I made this video since I couldnt find any when I was doing a research on this item. On the video you see how the 58mm adapter screws into the lens and then how the ring is used on the camera. As you will notice the ring light rotates on the lens. Some will find this an issue but not me. Is all plastic and only the lens adapter is metal. If you take care of it (like I do) you wont have any problem.
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|For Price – Amazing,
This unit comes with 6 adapters [49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, and 67mm). The adapters screw into the end of your lens or filter. For me I tested it on my T1i’s 18-55mm Kit lens, screwing into my Hoya 58mm UV filter with no problem. The Ring flash then slides over the adapter. The ring attaches to the battery pack (uses 2AA) which itself attaches to your hotshoe (a little loosely but I had no problems) On the battery pack you can choose Off/Battery/ or DC Plug (provided). On the ring light you can choose between Full/Right/Left to determine which LEDs light, either all or half. Obviously the ring can be rotated so that it you can light only Top/Bottom or almost any angle. The LEDs are Bright -I was surprised and impressed. As stated in other reviews they will reflect in reflective surfaces such as Glass/water/eyes. Since I tested them on an EF-s lens which spins the end of the lens to focus I did notice that the ring would turn, however it is easy to hold in place or reposition – I had no problem. The build quality does seem a little weak as it is all plastic but this product is 10% of the price of the Name Brand and works basically the same. The lights Do Not strobe or flash, but simply stay on until you turn them off. If you want to pay $360 more for that feature be my guest I dont need it. For me this is a great product.
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|Adorama Macro Focusing Rail Set,
This product is very good for macro photography. Moves left and right, foward and back so you do not need to move your tripod to get in position again to reframe or focus the subject. Smooth and very small fraction of an inch foward and back movements allow for macro subject to become in focus without having to go back to lens focus ring after you have previously set the len’s depth of field. Great for when an insect moves in any direction as you do not need to move the tripod and miss the shot.
One thing Adorama missed. A quick release instead of the screw to attach the rail to the camera so if you need to walk to the next shot you do not find yourself walking with your camera dangling around your neck with the bulky 1 1/2lbs. rail. The rail should have a quick release and be attached to a ball head with a quick release that is attached to a macro photography type tripod. The rail quick release will allow you to walk with it attached to the tripod and have no need to break it down or keep it attached to your camera.
Over-all a very good product.
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|Very good value for the price,
I bought this for my at-home photography and am evaluating it in comparison to a much more expensive unit I use at work. The long and short of it is that this is a very good value for the price you pay. I have three minor design criticisms. First, the mounting hole on the bottom is not centered – it’s located towards the rear of the base. I have no idea why they designed it that way, but it should be in the middle. I’ve mounted a quick release plate onto the bottom and I just wish it was more centered. Second, the locking screws to set the rail once it’s in position could be a little sturdier. Finally, I’m not certain this would be true for other brand cameras, but I have to take the camera off of the rail to get the battery out. That’s a very minor point, especially since I’ve added a quick release to make this part easier.
I have a D80 w/ a 50mm lens reversed onto the front of a 70-300MM VR zoom. The whole thing is sitting on top of a second quick-release plate so that I can pop the rail on and off the tripod, and pop the camera on and off the rail very easily. With this setup, I have about a 5:1 enlargement, so the tolerances are pretty tight, and my DOF can be less than a MM. In use, I find the controls plenty precise for the macro work I do. You could pay 5 times as much for other rails, but you wouldn’t get even a 2X improvement in the controls. In terms of rigidity, my setup is pretty heavy and even at full forward extension (maximum torque), it’s nice and stable. If there’s any wobble, I more suspect my ballhead and tripod sitting on carpet than the rail.
At work, I have a top of the line D300, VR macro lens, Gitzo tripod, Martins ballhead, and Novoflex rail. At home I have this focus rail, a D80, a reversed lens hodge-podge, Manfrotto 488RC2 ballhead w/ a couple of integrated RC2 connectors and bases incorporated into the system, and a Giottos tripod. In price comparison, the work setup is at least 2X more expensive than the home setup. Comparing these two configurations, I actually get more extreme macro with plenty of pixels for cropping out the darkened corners, and can do focus stacking to get more DOF. It takes a little longer, and the whole system is a little clunky, but hobbies are supposed to take up time, right?
I’d have no trouble recommending this macro rail to anyone. You can save enough on the rail to get yourself a very nice slave/ring flash (I got the SB600). The side to side movement is a nice feature and works pretty well. Marking are nice and clear and the whole thing feels pretty solid. I’d say this one follows the 80:20 rule (80% of maximum resutls for 20% of the investment). It’s a compromise in some minor respects, but I’m not at all sorry I got it. I’m glad to have spent my savings on other equally critical system elements.
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