Nikon R1 macro light

Greenwise

Hi all, am looking for anyone who has experience with the nikon R1 lighting kit, I've just bought one (admittedly without trying it), as im looking to improve my macro photography. This was only bought on a whim as the price was too good for me to resist... if its not what i need or like i'll get my cash back on resale.
Has anyone used this piece of kit with any success and have any tips to boot ?!
going to be using it with my D750 and my Nikon 105mm macro
also got access to buying a Nikon 60mm D macro ???
any thought would be welcome
thanks for reading

Elvishefer

I had more fun with it when I used them as remote flashes with colored gels than for macro, TBH. Plenty of creative options to explore.

proudgeek

I've used this quite a bit with a D800 and a 105, primarily to experiment with focus stacking. I find it pretty good. You can see a few samples here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdanford/sets/72157645359377226/

I've also done some backyard insect photography with it (at reduced power) and have found it pretty good.

Photobug

At a Nikon photo workshop I had the opportunity to use the R1 system with two flashes and my shots were amazing - 105mm lens, of course. The bad news, only got to use them for two macro set-ups and had less than 10 minutes of shooting. I wish Santa would bring me the complete set for Christmas.

jjb930

@proudgeek
Is that with the SU-800 commander or with the built in flash of your body?

Also, I've read lots of great reviews about the R1 and R1C1 systems. The most common complaint is the price. A second complaint is that the flashes use uncommon batteries (CR123) that are pricey ($8-10 a pop) and drain faster than people like (as with all flash devices). Try to pick up a few sets of rechargeables if you haven't already.

Greenwise

I've used this quite a bit with a D800 and a 105, primarily to experiment with focus stacking. I find it pretty good. You can see a few samples here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gdanford/sets/72157645359377226/

I've also done some backyard insect photography with it (at reduced power) and have found it pretty good.

heh, looks like you've mastered stacking well done mate these look good
if i can get this type of result ill be happy!!

any pointers to stacking would be welcome

proudgeek

Thanks all, but I find this to be really hard. Nothing worse than shooting 30 frames only to find out you messed up by bumping the tripod and moving it a millimeter. I use the in-camera commander. Nikon has a great article on this technique on the education section of their site. Worth a read:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/h91fgucv/techniques-flower-power.html

TomB

I have found that i enjoy using a small lcd panel as lighting for macro shots more than my RC kit. Easier to adjust and you csn see change results prior to photo.