OK
here's the scoop guys (and girls) !
I usually use the 65-116 tele auto tube when doing close-ups of this
kind requiring flash.
if i want to be mobile and hand held, I turn the tripod mount ring of
the 65-116 around so it is ON TOP of the tube, ie just in front of
the pentaprism on the body. This gives a female 1/4" 20 female socket
pointing straight up in the air.
Into this I screw a little beastie I made up myself (I'll try to
describe as best I can).
It is essentially two 14"/20 tripod screws that you can purchase by
the piece from most "real" photo stores (made by Hama if i recall).
About $5 each. Each has a male 1/4" 20 male thread (about 1/2" long)
on top, and a female 1/4" /20 socket on the bottom, with a plastic
knurled ring around it. They are like the screws you use to attach a
camera body to a generic flash bracket.
I went to a hardware store and purchased a length of 1/4"/20 screw
thread, which I then cut down to about 3/4" in length with a hacksaw
(will depend on the depth of the female sockets on your tripod
screws. Screw the female socket of each of the little Hama do-dads
onto one end of the 3/4" length of thread. You may glue this together
for extra security if you like (I did). You don't want a gap between
the two back-to-back screws if at all possible.
Now you have effectively two back-to back 1/4" male threads with a
nice double width plastic knurled ring in the middle.
One of these male threads I screw into the bottom of a little ball
and socket device which has a female 1/4" socket in it. The tiny B&S
head I have has a removable flash shoe on top, leaving - you guessed
it - a 1/4" 20 male thread onto which a T20 TTL connector fits
perfectly. I leave the T20 TTL con permanently attached to the top of
the B&S head, and this all permanently attached to the back-to-back
screw doo-dad. When I want to use it, i just screw the bottom 1/4"
tread into the (now rotated to the TOP) tripod mount socket on the
65-116 tube and "bob's yer uncle!".
It sounds complicated but it isn't. Pretty agricultural actually, but it works!
So, in operation this means that you have the T20 mounted just over
the lens, but can be tilted forward as required or leaned to either
side slightly to avoid vegetation etc, also the tripod mount for the
65-116 can be rotated to accommodate side lighting, or for keeping
the flash on top when the camera is rotated for a vertical format
shot. I usually use a diffuser on the front of the flash to soften
the light a little.
Advantages:
very portable, only extra kit reqd is the back to back screw device
very cheap to make (although T20 ttl connectors are going up in $$$$ !!!)
very flexible for verticle/horizontal format shots - can position
flash head anywhere)
you get OTF TTL
good balance
I have been using this set up for years before bought the "proper"
OM macro flash gear (ie T Power/T28 twin/ T8/T10). I still find I use
my simple setup when out and about because it is so compact and
rugged. The fancy stuff gets used when i am working indoors in a
studio type situation.
I tried making all the fancy angle brackets etc like John Shaw
recommends, but found they were a pain in the butt to pack as they
always had weird angles etc and were bulky. I always came back to my
simple solution.
I DEFINITELY wouldn't recommend putting flashes (especially not a
pair of T32 s !!!) on the front of your lens via the macro flash
ring mount - the lenses aren't designed to take the stress (remember
each has 4 batteries !!). Even a pair of T20's might be
I don't know what would happen first - whether the mount would give
way and your flashes crash to the floor, or you damage the filter
ring on the lens, or you wreck the lens mount on the body !
The T28 heads weigh almost nothing (the batteries and electronics etc
are all in the T power Control head).
Anyway, hope this helps.
peter
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2000 21:06:36 +0100
Regarding Olympus T28 ringflash. I decided to attempt to produce a "poor
mans version...The flash guns will mount to the front of the lens
using a macro
flash shoe ring intended for use with a T28 flash set up..(ring kindly
supplied by Lex Jenkins......Thanks Lex!)
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