Lighting recommendation for Nikon mirrorless Macro NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S

[learningtogrow]

Hi! I hope you are well.
I'm a newbie who likes to photograph insects.
I have a mirrorless camera and recently, I bought a used Macro lens NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S (NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S | macro lens)

Until now, I have been using a portable light for lighting without having great results (the quality and lighting of the photos were poor for what the lens should offer).
Which lighting/lighting setup would you recommend for me for taking photos of insects (most of them are in test tubes or small plastic/glass boxes) and flowers?

I'll appreciate any advice and recommendation. Anything helps.

Thanks a lot!

 

[ac12]

Post a sample, so we can see what the problem is.

How close are you, inches from front of lens to subject?
My experience is that you may have to try several different methods, to find one that works for what you are doing.
Change something, and you may have to figure out the lighting again.
- A ring light.
- Or Small desk type lamps, where you can control where you point the lamp. Presuming you have access to AC power.

Get a book on macro photography. There should be a chapter on lighting.

 

[RAZKY]

Hi! I hope you are well.
I'm a newbie who likes to photograph insects.
I have a mirrorless camera and recently, I bought a used Macro lens NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S (NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S | macro lens)

Until now, I have been using a portable light for lighting without having great results (the quality and lighting of the photos were poor for what the lens should offer).
Which lighting/lighting setup would you recommend for me for taking photos of insects (most of them are in test tubes or small plastic/glass boxes) and flowers?

I'll appreciate any advice and recommendation. Anything helps.

Thanks a lot!

Much of my work is with static subjects, ratios from 1:10 to 10:1 or greater. I employ macro and enlarging lenses from 40 to 200mm, as well as various other lenses with bellows, extension tubes, reversed or stacked, so working distances (front of lens to subject) may range from a few millimetres to several inches. I generally prefer off-camera side lighting to bring out texture, so don't use ring lights or ring flash much. I mostly use LED pocket flashlights, like Nemo's "Lil Larry" and "Big Larry," small LED worklights and clip-on LED gooseneck booklights. I also have clamp-lights with various size reflectors and 5200 K LED household bulbs. Custom snoots are easy to make out of construction paper and gaffer's tape. Electronic flash works well too, of course, but you cannot always see shadows or reflections beforehand.

 

[Rickbb]

Might want to look at something like this.

Nikon 4804 R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

Buy Nikon 4804 R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System featuring Compatible With Nikon D800, D700, D600, D300, D300S, D7100, D7000, and D90 DSLR Cameras. Review Nikon R1

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[Rickbb]

Or one, (or more), of these.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FF2VRHG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B09FF2VRHG&pd_rd_w=mwG52&pf_rd_p=ed02e65e-bf3f-46c8-aedd-152f4fca56ac&pd_rd_wg=QzDRc&pf_rd_r=187KPGD7EVBPNKRV5MR5&pd_rd_r=44b3fda4-c3ba-44bc-b40e-89b0d8e6f756&s=photo&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRjhZWEFUVVlPVE02JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjAzMDA3MVhGVlNDWTVMMjY5SSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODA3OTIzMUdNRjBPR0M1Q1REWCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

 

[greybeard]

Might want to look at something like this.

Nikon 4804 R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

Buy Nikon 4804 R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System featuring Compatible With Nikon D800, D700, D600, D300, D300S, D7100, D7000, and D90 DSLR Cameras. Review Nikon R1

www.bhphotovideo.com

I have the Nikon R1 system with the SU-800 controller that I use with my Z50 and AF-S 105 f/2.8 and FTZ adapter. It works well but is expensive and a bit outdated. Nikon DSLR with a popup flash can be used with the R1 without the need of the SU-800 controller as the popup could be used as a controller. Nikons current line of mirrorless cameras do not have a popup accept for the Z50 but, it can not be used as a controller. So, you will have to use the SU-800 or any number of flash units as a controller for the small macro flash units. I like the looks of the Godox ringlight. It's a manual unit that is relatively inexpensive and should more than do the job. Godox ML150 Macro Ring Flash