Canon SpeedLite 270EX Good or Bad?

[JoshuaJury67]

Hi everybody,

I'm thinking of of setting up a lighting rig similar to Bucks macro one

But am unsure whether or not the Canon SpeedLite 270EX would be good enough for it. I'm a university student so I don't have a huge amount of disposable income so I'll have to go as cheap as possible. I'm also looking at getting the Canon EF 100/2.8 USM Macro lens. I suppose my question is will these Speed lights adequately light a macro subject (perhaps a bug)?

I've never used anything but my Canon 60D's built in flash and my fathers SunPak Auto 36DX Thyristor (on the rare occasion).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Joshua.

 

[Stryker]

If its just bugs you want to shoot, here's a very cheap alternative.

Get a cover of the KFC bucket, cut it to fit your lens, and use your pop up flash. The bucket cover acts as your diffuser

 

[JoshuaJury67]

That actually looks pretty cool Does it get enough light for extreme close ups though? I only ask as I've never use a dedicated macro lens before. I've been using an old Canon FD 35/105mm lens reversed and that requires a bit of light.

Example image from reversed zoom lens.

 

[GelBand]

You could also take advantage of the natural light and pick up a 12 to 14 inch deflector for about 20 dollars. Without attracting attention of the bugs, or adding extra shadows, the deflector light does not make them jittery. Good luck, have fun and happy shooting.