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"I am still unsure of which flash system
to use and I would be grateful if you could answer a few more
questions.I want it mainly for I/oral shots and occasional
portrait/extral oral shots.
Do you use the point flash on the Dine for extra
oral/portrait shots and the ring for intra oral?.
When you say the sigma and canon ringflashes
are adjustable to show more detail does this just refer to
I/oral shots and can these flashes be used for extra oral/portrait
shots?
Is the dine not adjustable in the same way as
the canon and sigma?
Does the Dine flash produce more harsh shadows
than the canon and sigma with I/oral shots?
Is there a significant difference between the ring flashes
for I/oral shots (especially of anterior teeth)?
Dine flash is ideal for intra oral and portraits
and you are correct that the ring is used for intra oral and
the point flash for extra oral shots.
The Dine point flash will give harsher shadows
than the Sigma and the Canon, these ring flashes can be used
for extra oral shots too...but to reduce shadowing say on
the background of Portraits you would need to adjust the flash
or remove from camera and use the cameras own pop-up flash...so
basically both types of flash have their own pros and cons....if
you are concerned that you won't get the detail in your anterior
views then you are probably better to go for the Canon or
Sigma...or just to complcate matters Canon also do a twin
flash...which gives even more control over the direction of
the flash.
I personally always use the Dine ring flash
for intra orals...ist true that ringflashes don't always show
maximum detail because of the diffusing effect of the ring...but
if detail isn't showing as I want, I will change my angle
of view.
Hope this helps...a bit!
"i don't like the moving tube from the
sigma and the af is also much slower and louder than the canon
so i am thinking of either going back to my 100mm (havent
sold it yet) or a 60 mm canon. do you have any recommendations
on this? another thing is that it is recommended not to use
the af in macro but i find it much more precise than moving
forward an backward with a bended back. how do you do this?"
I would use either the Sigma or Canon whichever
you prefer...I would not recommend the 60mm as this gives
too close a working distance to the patient, in my opinion.
Persevere with the manual focusing, but get the patient to
move their head rather than you bending.
"my next question is about the handling.
i am not really comfortable to touch the camera with gloves
due to cross infection but sometimes i have to adjust the
mirror or retract the cheeck a bit more. what is the perfect
workflow for this?"
I do recommend that the
dental nurse takes the photographs, this is the ideal workflow
as it save you time and you can continue working while the
nurse is preparing to take the photos.
"i am not sure if this releates just to my ringflash
but the ringflash does not allow to attach the lenscap while
the flash is connected. how do you do this? i dont want to
do and undo camera and flash every time i want to take pictures
(that is what i am doing at the moment and this is one of
the reasons that i take so less pictures) but i am not sure
if i can leave the lens open during the whole day.
i saw on your picutres that you put the camera
with the flash attached into the case. what do you do wth
the lenscover? is it open or closed?"
Kits I supply do not have any protection
for the lens to keep costs down. However it is an idea to
put a UV or skylight filter on the lens to protect it, this
removes any need for a lens cap to be fitted at all.
"what are your recommendations on software? i am still
an associate and my boss desnt like computers so our practicemanagementsoftware
is quite basic and doesnt realy support imaging (you can import
but thats it) and is more or less just used to send claims
to the pct. so far i was using lightroom + photoshop after
importing the raw files from an usb card reader. this combination
worked very good but the results were not there directly.
so for education purposes not realy useful.
i am now thinking of using a cable and shoot
into eos utility or maybe c1 and then autoimporting into a
imagemanagementsoftware. do you have any experience with this?"
Yes wired image transfer
does work...I am at present looking into wi fi cards but may
take a while as I am very busy at the moment.
Hope this helps.
I just recently found your excellent website
(was recommended by a friend). I am a dentist in Ireland who
recently purchased a Canon 450D kit from ******** ***** in
the UK. The lens they provided was a 60mm Canon macro, the
salesman told me 'put it on auto & point & shoot'.
I thought great , nice & simple but I have been very disappointed
with results & poor support from ********. The anterior
teeth seem fine but the posterior teeth are blurred in a frontal
photo of the occlusion. I think I need a better lens &
proper settings.
Could you recommend a lense & ring flash which I could
purchase from you & also I need to know the correct settings.
Also I would like to do one of your courses
, maybe the July course or the one in Manchester around November
time I think. Good digital photos are a great addition to
clinical records so it would be great to be able to properly
take them.
Just try this first and
we'll see how you get on.
If you could let me know which ringflash you are using too.
Try setting camera on 'Manual'...shutter speed on 1/200th
and aperture on f22...set lens to manual focus and the magnification
you require. Focus by moving closer and further from the subject...see
how you get on with those settings first....you may find you
are abit close to the subject, but we can sort that out by
changing the lens later.
Sorry I misunderstood..I thought you
were using a flash.
For the Digi slave light settings are not great.
You will need to set your shutter speed to 1/60th and keep
the camera as still as you can when taking your picture, aperture
will need to be set around the f11 region and you will also
need to increase your ISO to 200 or even 400 to get a decent
image.
Try these and see how you get on.
Sorry forgot to mention...limited places available for the
July course now.Nikon D60 settings
I bought a kit from you last year (Nikkon D60,
ring flash and Sigma macro), was and am still happy with it.
Recently one of my colleagues played with it, and accedentally
changed the settings, I manage most settings, I keep it on
auto- but the focus is clear on one tooth, and other teeth
are blurry.
Can you help please with your kind advise.
Camera should be set on 'Manual' and
then 1/200th sec and f22 Aperture...as per the cards you should
have had with the kit...'Auto' is the worst setting to be
on.
I would be grateful of your expert advice. I purchased a Canon
G10 for personal use and noticed on your website that it can
be used for dental photography. What settings would you recommend
and distance from the patient when taking photographs? Also,
what is the best format to take photos which will be put on
a website?
Are you planning any courses in the York area at any point
this or next year?
I have a section 63 course in Cumbria
on the 23rd October.
I am also arranging Private courses
1 of which is in Manchester...http://www.thedigitaldentist.co.uk/4.html
see bottom of this page. At some stage I will arrange a course
closer to York, just seeing what the interest is at present,
if you know of others who may be interested in a course in
your area I would be happy to arrange a course as per the
details on the web site.
Settings for the G10 would be ..set
on macro....set top dial to AV....set aperture to f8...flash
on....ISO 80....Evaluative metering....daylight white balance....neutral
'My Colours'.....and zoom at about half way...make sure digital
zoom is off. Once you have set all of these go to menu and
at the bottom of the first tab you can save your settings
to C1...which means these settings are recalled whenever you
select C1.
As far as best format is concerned I
would always use the highest quality and resolution settings
and reduce the file for the web in a programme such as Photoshop
Elements.
Hope this helps.
I need a digital SLR set up for case presentations,
patient communications etc. and would like some advice on
the best equipment. Was interested in the Nikon but unsure
of advantages of Dine ring flash or their close up flash.
Would be grateful for your help/ aadvice on which to buy from
you. I would be grateful of your expert advice. I purchased
a Canon G10 for personal use and noticed on your website that
it can be used for dental photography. What settings would
you recommend and distance from the patient when taking photographs?
Also, what is the best format to take photos which will be
put on a website?
Are you planning any courses in the York area at any point
this or next year?
Advantage with the Dine Ring and Point
flash is the ability to switch from the ringflash to the point
flash instantly.
When doing facial shots...head
and shoulders etc the ringflash will not give best lighting
and will necessitate taking the ringflash on and off to get
best results ...whereas you don't have that inconvenience
with the Dine...the point flash also rotates freely around
the lens so positioning is easy too.
I have a problem in choosing the ring flash..I am using the
Nikon D40 with AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm Lens for dental photography.Could
you please advise me which ring flash is suitable for these
combination and where to get one?Thank you..
You have a choice of either the Sigma
EM140 which you can get from any camera retailer at about
£260 or the flash I recommend whish is the Dine ring
and point flash which is available off the site @ £430,
the advantage of this flas=h is that it doesn't need to be
removed fropk the camera for full face shots.
Question 2
Thank you for your reply. I am just wondering,do
you think nikon macro speedlight SB29 TTL ring light flash
suitable for my D40 and the above combination?I was advised
by my other colleague about this flash. I will be taking a
lot of extraoral and intraoral pictures. I have tried Marumi
and it didn't seem to be compatible to my camera.Sometimes
its ok the other time the shutter will locked and it says
'Flash in TTL mode.Change to other setting etc..What is your
comment?
SB29 is discontinued for some time now, there
may be some around still...not had any information as to its
compatibility with your D40 though.
Marumi is a budget flash and therefore
may be intermittent in use, I find it is also low power and
gives a more diffuse/flat lighting which is not ideal.
Hope this helps
Hi Mike, have recently picked up a Canon g6
cheaply - £80.00!
Regarding settings, not sure I understand RAW and jpeg settings.
Currently have jpeg setting @ superfine as suggested. If I
set to RAW also I am not able to open the files on my pc as
I don't have Adobe Photoshop. Does this matter and can I use
just the superfine setting?
Reason you cannot see RAW files is that
as you realise you need software on your PC to read this file
type.
OK to carry on just using 'Superfine' though RAW is something
you may want to consider in the future as it does have some
benefits over jpg, I will hopefully have something on the
website in the near future.
I am a dentist from chennai in india. I am unable
to invest in high tech cameras. i was wondering if it is possible
to attach powershopt A470 with canon MR -14 EX macro ring
lite.please let me know if it isnot possible what other budjet
options i have with canon power shot .
No you won't be able to fit the Canon Ringflash
to this camera as it has no 'hot shoe', also due to the lens
type it would not be possible to attach any other lightsource.
You may struggle with this camera to get good intra oral shots
as it is very limited in its functions related to dental phtotography.
Sorry
I have a Canon 20D body that I'd like to equip
for dual use as a family and clinical camera (for dental photography).
Best I can tell, I'll need a macro lens and ring flash dedicated
for intraoral use. At other sites I've seen several endorsements
of the Canon 100mm f/2.8 lens and MR-14EX ring flash however,
in reading your responses to other inquiries, you favor the
Sigma 105 mm lens and Dine flash. I'm interested in your reasons
for favoring the Sigma/Dine combination; I'm also interested
in your opinion of the suitability of my 20D for intraoral
photography?
Your 20D camera will be fine for dental work,
though a little dated now in it's functions compared with
modern equivalents, however for dental photography there are
few of the new functions that help.
I find Sigma lenses compare well with Canon for dental work
and at £150 more it is a better buy. Other differences
between the 2 is that the Canon has 'internal focussing' which
means the physical length of the lens doesn't change when
focussing in close, whereas the Sigma lens barrel extends
the closer you get...I have never found this an issue though.
As far as the flash is concerned, I favour the Dine flash
as it is powerful and has the added bonus of having an extra
'point' flash attached to the ring which rotatse around the
ring for perfect positioning when doing facial shots thus
not needing to remove ring flash from lens to do good facial
shots.
Hope this hepls
Hello again Mike...this is the second time i
wrote to you, you answer me a question about macro lenses.
Im an Orthodonthist from Mexico and i been given lectures
of Clinical Dental Photography since 2000 ,now i teaching
Dental Photography in a local University...i started with
a Sony CD-1000 Mavica. I have 2 year using the excelent Canon
RebelXTi/400D and i very happy with the results ,espacially
when i compare results with the point n shot cameras.
I still use the 18-55 kit lens(always at 55) and a Canon 50mm
1.8 for full tooth shots.
I really want a 100, 90 or 105mm macro lens,,but you now the
economical crisis, i have too wait, anyway..
I have a few questions..
What magnification radio i have with those lenses...how i
can measure the amount of the magnification?, and how much
the images i obtain are trustfully in proportions for clinical
records?
Ok last month i buyed a 430 EX II flash and a off camera flash
cord...i know the best option for this macro shots are the
more expansive Twin Flash system....or the ring flash...but
i dont like a lot the total shadowless results with ring flash,
because the lost of depth and flateness the image...so im
trying to use this flash off camera.
I like to set the 400D in Manual, aperture f22, shutter speed
1/60, and in my last shots i raise one level the exposure
compesation of the external flash..
Thank so much for your atention
P.S I apologize if my english its not perfect.lol
Hi Carlos.....my Mexican (Spanish?) is non
existent so no need to appologise for your English!
Difficult to get consistent magnifications with a zoom lens.
With a 105 macro lens the setting for say a full anterior
view of the mouth would be 1:3 and then you would focus by
moving closer/further from the subject...thus maintaining
the same magnification each time you set lens to 1:3.
Your camera settings should be f22 but set shutter speed to
1/200th...this will make sure no other light is affecting
the exposure, especially important in terms of consistent
colour.
Your images on the web look good, just some shadowing in places
which you would expect when not using a ringflash, and in
some cases it is not a bad thing.
When buying a ring flash you might want to coonsider a Dine
Ring and Point flash.
Hope this helps
What is the canon 450 with the sigma macro and
sigma ring flash like compared to the G10?
The Canon 450D with macro and ring flash
will produce better lit pictures and close ups to 1:1 magnification
with great detail, I consider the G10 as a good entry point
for clinical photography but feel that practices should be
investing in a DSLR set up, not only for its consistent results
but also for it's professional appearance...these cameras,
lens and ringflashes should have at least 5 - 10 years life.
My 35mm set up comprises a Minolta Dynax 7000i
camera body , Minolta Macro 1200AF Ringflash and a Minolta
100mm macro AF lens. The lens allows me to preset the magnification
and then I focus the image by moving the camera towards or
away from the subject .The audible beep and green light in
the viewfinder confirm the subject is in focus.Ideally i would
like to retain some part of this set up as it was quite expensive
when new. I would be grateful for your advice on going digital
with an SLR,
many thanks.
You could try going for one of the Sony Alpha
cameras, retain your 100mm macro, problem would be getting
a suitable ringflash to work with it. I have supplied a friend
with the Lester Dine flash which seems to work well on their
Sony, but I could not guarantee that it would not cause any
damage to the camera...hasn't been any problems as yet but
I don't think they are using it a great deal!
Only other option then is to get a completely
new Canon or Nikon set up!...depends how much you want to
spend, digital cameras should last well now so it is worth
going for something that will cater for your future needs
as well as present requirements from your photography.
Hope this helps
What is the best ring flash for a Canon G9?
Is it the Opteka SL 300?
I have an Minolta X700 with 50 mm lens plus macroteleconverter
that has an old Centon ring flash. Could this be adapted with
suitable extension pieces?
You need to be careful with fitting non dedicated
flashes to any digital camera...the only 'safe' option for
the G9 is the Canon MR-14 EX ringflash, I doubt very much
that your Centon will work and have no experience of the Opteka.
Most flashes will physically fit with the
Canon LA-DC58H Conversion adaptor see shop.
A cheaper ring flash which should be compatibel is a Marumi
flash.....I have not tried this but I suspect it may be underpowered
compared to the Canon....as you can tell lots of pitfalls!
Hope this helps though.
Hi mike. just wondering if the sigma 28-90mm
macro will work for intraoral shots with my nikon d40 thanks
mate.
28-90mm macro will probably work, you are
best getting a 105mm macro lens though as this will give you
a good working distance and easy standardisation of your shots,
I know it seems convenient to have the zoom factor and macro
in one lens, but it isn't the best way to go for your dental
photography.
Is it better to use a dedicated macro lens or
a lens witha range i.e. 18-55mm or telephoto?
Better to use a dedicated macro lens preferably
100/105mm...depending on lightsource. Using a 'Prime' lens
rather than a 'Zoom' lens will be better for achieving consistent
magnification.
I have changed the settings but I am getting
light results ...should I cahnge aperture to f16Response
Just remind me which flash you have?
It's sigma EM-140 DG/ setting on TTL BL.
You need to get the flash back to my original
settings which are...flash on 'Manual'...set both sides of
the flash to 1/2 power...this will then work on 1/200th @
f22...unless there are other settings which have been changed
which I am unaware of.
Hope this helps.
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