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Reviews (45)
05 May, 2016
Bargain price, useful for macro
Generally I have no use for these bitty modifiers. But for macro work thought I would give this a try. It is light weight and comes with a storage bag which is a nice touch. It is not particularly rigid but the piping along the edges holds the shape well enough. It does fold flat. It has a reflective silver fabric liner The one significant deficiency is that it is sized for larger flash heads. It fits a Nikon SB-900 but is a bit large for the smaller SB-600. There is an elastic strap with a Velcro end. On the SB-600 the strap is a touch too long for the Velcro to engage and hold tight. Over time I would expect the elastic to stretch. For the price it is worth a little trouble to sew some more Velcro to the strap. And it is possible to put an additional strap over the attached one. Considering many macro flash photographers have to scratch build softboxes and those constructions may well be heavier and more cumbersome to use I judge this one to be an easier starting point, more convenient to store and transport, and more esthetically pleasing (style points).
02 Mar, 2015
A micro lens with ZOOOOM, and built like a tank.
3 of 3 found this helpful This is looking to become my favorite lens. Let me qualify that. I do a fair amount of product photography with many of the items being jewelry or watches. I have several other micro lenses (macro for non Nikon shooters), including the 200mm, 105mm, and an older 28-105mm (another nice niche lens). The 200mm sometimes requires one to be too far away from the subject for convenience. The 105mm requires the camera to be moved in an out or the subject moved and re-lit. The 28-105mm is not really a 105mm when focused close, and it often has to be put so close as to block lighting. The 70-180mm fits in the middle of the other lenses and allows a comfortable position for the tripod and subject. I can shoot into a shooting box without putting the camera inside, and the subject is within easy reach for adjustments. Best part I can zoom in and out for various compositions with everything left in place. However for handheld the fixed focal length lenses are just fine zooming with ones feet and arms. There are the usual caveats for an older technology lens. One is the slow noisy autofocus, which is not a problem as much of potential use is with manual focus. It is necessary to shift from manual to automatic on the lens itself. It is not adequate to shift on the camera body, and the camera must have a focus motor...the lens does not. Auto focus will hunt if not limited. The front element does move in and out as the lens is focused, but does not rotate. Having the element move with focus in macro work is a little worrisome that one might run the front element into the subject. However given this is a minimum 70mm, and that the close focus distance is not right up against the lens as with shorter focal lengths, this is not really a problem. Minimum focus distance on my copy is a little over 4 inches throughout the range measured from the front of the lens. The Nikon support site indicates this lens is not compatible with the R1 flash system because it will "rotate focus". That is not completely correct. The front element does not rotate. The added weight of the R1 system might pull or push the lens out of focus at other than horizontal positions. Moreover the added weight would accelerate wear on the focus system. It would especially be risky in auto focus. However in macro work it is common to set focus and move the camera until the subject is clear. In that case and with some care the R1 is useable with this lens. The barrel and most parts are metal and built to last. As such it is a bit heavy, but that is good to help stability and reduce mirror slap vibration, etc. Sharpness is extremely good, close if not as good as the 200mm, which is the gold standard. There is an aperture ring, meaning it will function with older film SLRs. There is a non-removable tripod foot that rotates. This lens works so well that it is surprising that Nikon discontinued it over 10 years ago and has not replaced it, and no one else makes a similar lens. Find a used one for a good price, and in good condition, I recommend you buy it. But don't collect it, use it!
25 Aug, 2015
Useful filter gel kit, but missing one gel
This is a useful gel kit for the SB-R200 flashes. It covers most of the bases, but misses like all gel kits in that no neutral density is included. Sometimes in the very close work the SB-R200 is useful for a little more range in adjustment is desireable, say a reduction in another 2 stops. But no one does this in gel kits. Fortunately a large sheet of 2 stop neutral density gel material is fairly inexpensive and several can be cut out in a few minutes with a lifetme supply left over. Also for odd color gels, sheet material is available.
A nice use for SB-R200 flashes is background lighting. Colored gels against a black backdrop (not white) can add some drama to a shot.
The price has come down on these gel sets, to the point it is worth it just for the convenient wallet. Gels are considered consumable as they wrinkle and bleach out with repeated use. However the SB-R200s do not generate the heat and brilliance the larger speedlights do, so these gels will last much longer than those for a SB-900 or similar.