My Gear - New Family Speedlite 270EX

http://www.leephoto.com.my/http://www.fotopro.cn/products/accessories/468.htmlPlan to own this flash long ago not only plan for my Old MACRO setup

Bracket





Due to the light source is bigger and the softer effect is my preference so far but the weight and the MP-E65 long extend ... I had decided to change to Canon Mt-24 twin flash
 


With the 65mm, light is easier to control and much better than long focal length lenses but it make failure rate approach certain bugs higher ... so I never stop try and error for my SIGMA150 Macro len. [discussed @ http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-i-shoot-macro-new-lighting-test-for.html ]

so I had below item to start off new lighting for both short and long macro lenses

1. Speedlite 270
2. Fotopro twin flashes arm 
   - Malaysia Distributor is Lee Photo
3. Pixel TTL wireless trigger
4. Vellum Paper as diffuser
5. paper cup






so let's look close on my new member

- a small flash
- easy to use paper bowl to make diffuser

- not much control
- no manual setting
- just on off button

- my 5dm2 need a flash ... and it is small and fit nicely

- not only direct but can have bounce to ceiling too ...










result of the flash
- indoor 24mm, F8, ISO100, 1/60

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what surprise, it fit my Lumix Lx5 too

but then think TTL never work ....
- indoor 24mm, F8, ISO100, 1/60 - direct

but with bounce

  look ok ... to use :D

















I will build this cheaper/lighter new lighting ASAP and share to u all with another share.....

Panasonic DMC LX5 MACRO picture

managed to try out 1cm MACRO today



it is fun to use PnS to do MACRO .... Liveview focus so easy ... AF ...... no need flash :D
non edit, non crop(shoot in Square), non curve, no change saturation .... noise reduce and resize only .....

this was shooting with my new gear family
http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-gear-pns-camera-panasonic-lx5.html

My Gear - PnS Camera Panasonic LX5

Mr 1st LEICA !!!!

finally I had make decision for my spare body .... a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5....

think too many people give review to this camera, and I am not going to share one now but my 1st hand experience

1. a solid point and shot
2. 1cm macro is fun (I am back with so much of DOF now)
3. image quality , from the screen is great
4. size much smaller than my 5d but slightly bigger than my Ixus700
5. for a new user (1st time using Panasonic camera), I understand and know where to set most of the basic requirement setting in ~10 minutes .. so this is consider a very user friendly PnS

will shoot more pictures using this camera to share more actual IQ concern :D

Full Specification can easily get from google or http://www.dpreview.com/news/1007/10072110panasonicdmclx5.asp

the main specifications that make me choose this
1. 24mm wide angle
2. aperture f2.0
3. proven IQ LX3
4. shutter speed 30-60s (24mm F2 @60s ... good for star :D)
5. 1cm MACRO

.....

New Found - a Mayfly in Hotel room !!!

was surprise last trip to Terengganu, where we found 3 types of mayflies, soldierfly, beetle, ... in the hotel room itself ..........................



this is like other mayfly, not really move a lot and quite small ~5-7mm long .....

more flies pictures

How I shoot MACRO - Patient to wait

love to do night macro but some of the insect may not active or sleeping in the night and it is good to shoot them while sleeping as in daylight you may not possible to shoot it .. e.g. bee, the bee use to flying around non-stop and not easy to have a capture of it in the day light but at night it will sleeping as


- it seldom move, or we can move it any location/direction to capture a beautiful sleeping style

but I getting bore after a while looking at this beautiful bee sleeping .. so I decide to mark the location and go back in the early morning (just before the bee wake up) , what I going todo
- wake up early (~6-630am)
- go back to the mark location
- use tripod to aiming or pre-focus to the bee
- wait ................................. it may wake up 1-1.5hr later :D so patient is important here
- the moment it wake up, it will stay still for ~5-30s depend on luck
- do not touch it to make it wake up this will make it flew off within 2-5s after we touch it

then with all the efforts above ...





or recently

News - Basic MACRO Workshop (Jan 2011)

As special requested for Jan 2011, I have additional workshop happen on 16- 17 Jan near Genting, Pahang area.





it going to be 2days 1 night sharing, which include

1. travel from/return PJ/KL to Genting area
2. max 5 participants but 3 are fill so 2 left
3. accommodation include
4. 1 breakfast, 2 lunch, 1 dinner included
5. theory sharing for basic requirements for Nature - MACRO photography
    - gears basic
    - setting basic
    - lighting advices and DIY diffuser base on participant current setup 
6. Basic Post Processing with Photoshop
    - WB correction
    - color cast remove
    - sensor dusts handling
    - basic curve and saturation
    - cloning
    - noise reduction
7. practical shooting with recommended method
    - basic MACRO shooting skill
    - flash shooting and natural light

Who should attend
- those have basic knowledge of photography and would like to know more on MACRO

What should bring
- Camera (DSLR will be recommended)
- MACRO len, if no MACRO len let me know more what do you have and we will arrange loan equipments
- flash (external prefer)
- tripod and monopod
- clothes for change
- notebook is recommended




for more details, contact me here

They are back !!!

Cuckoo Bee  - Thyreus sp

found back those bee use to stay near my In-law garden ... and most of them back !!! for what happen previously for this "small jungle" pls refer
http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/06/news-another-sad-news.html


but too bad for Wee & Tan who missed this as we only found them 2nd day ....

I also found Owl-fly which is 1st time for me to see it in wild and it is so near to me ....