Just ordered one of these used, I can't wait to finally have a good flash! Getting into macro photography and have only had natural light to work with so a flash will totally be a gamechanger!
I’m amazed at the results you achieved Scott. I honestly thought that rig was impractical but you’ve proved otherwise! Great practical demo with lots of fab macro shots and tips - thanks’1
Hi Raymond. Thanks very much. I'm not sure which Pentax camera you have, but as long as it has a hot shoe, it should work. I've seen others who've used it with Pentax. There's a video on TH-cam from Thomas Shahan where he reviews it on his Pentax. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for watching.
Thank you, Scott, for a most interesting video. It gives me food for thought about using remotely triggered flash. However, that might end up being more unwieldy than your setup appears to be. Thanks again.
🤣🤣🤣 You're right, I'd never noticed that before. I always think it looks like a pair of antennae and a proboscis on an insect, which is fitting. Thanks for watching.
Hi Henning. I agree, the new diffusers I've found are harsher than my old ones, but they fit the flashes so much better. I think I just need to put a little more diffusion material inside them, but I plan to experiment with it a little bit.
It’s a bit of a awkward looking beast, and my experience of those sectional arms are that once the joints wear the lights don’t stay where you need them too..
I've not found that with my flash. The only time they really move is if I push them up against something that moves them. Maybe I just got lucky with a good one, or you were unlucky with a bad one.
Hi Scott, I have to say that set up looks amazing. I may well go for that flash myself. I use off camera flash at the moment and as you say it can be time consuming and a bit of a faff to set up. All the best, Steve.
Thanks Steve. I've got a remote transmitter/receiver that I bought a few years ago and have never taken out of the box. Gear acquisition syndrome in action! I really should try it your way too. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Brian for such a wonderful video as always. I am thinking of buying this flash but I need to know if it is fast enough for stacking? And about the diffusers, do you buy them with the flash or separately? Wishing you the best
Hi. I've only seen these particular diffusers available from ukdigital.co.uk. Before I had them I just used some general flash diffusers - but they didn't fit perfectly. The ones I showed are best for this flash. With regard to focus stacking, it depends how quickly you take the series of photos for the stack. The recycle time is plenty to get two or three shots a second. Thanks for watching.
Hi Scott, really great video again. I got one question left - i there any possibility to get the light more natural? i mean the light comes out very white, if you know what I mean. thx Flo
Hi Geasle. Yes, I totally understand what you mean. It's something I'm thinking about myself. I think the answer would be to use another layer of diffusing medium within the softbox, or to rig up a second layer of diffusion between the softbox and the subject.
Thanks so much for this! I'm just imagining its potential! Do you know if it would work on a cold shoe or does it need a hot shoe? And do you think it could handle a mild splash or would it curl up and die? Much appreciated!
Hi Roberta. It definitely needs a hot shot to make it fire at the same time as the shutter. I wouldn't want to count on it getting too wet. I've been out with it in the rain before and it has been fine, but I think there are various points where water could get in, if there's any more than a light shower of rain. Thanks for watching.
Thanks Chuck. I'm sure you still get some great shots with whatever gear you got, but this one might be a good options for you next time you're looking for a change. Thanks for watching.
Hi Alun. I just had to double check, because I thought it worked with all, but apparently it doesn't work directly with Fuji. You can buy third party hot shoe adapters on amazon for about £10-15 which would, in theory, mean you could use it. But I've never tried any of these.
Hey Scott, thanks for this pretty good video. The idea bringing the flash lights on the end of the arms is imho the best way to bring the light efficient and on the right place to the objects. 👍🏻 At least your gorilla tape works great! 😅 Thanks again and make more from this kind of videos.
Hi. I'm pleased you like it. And there'll definitely be more to come. It's a bit more difficult to make macro videos over the winter where I am, but I'm hoping to do one more before the end of the year and definitely more in the spring. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Scott. I just bought this macro flash model kr909 and mount it on my Sony A1. However the flash did not fire when I press the shutter. Can you advise any camera settings that I have to set to make this flash works?
Hi Kelvin. Most likely it's because you've got the electronic shutter on. Flashes only work with the mechanical shutter. So try switching to mechanical and that should sort it out. If not, let me know, and and we'll figure it out.
Amazing your videos!!!!, congratulations and thank you for your interesting information!!!!, please would you seid me where can i buy this flash for canon?, thank you for your coments!!!! best wishes from Peru.
Thank you. You can get it direct from Venus Optics / Laowa. They do international shipping. www.venuslens.net/product/macro-twin-flash-kx-800 it will work on any Canon that has a centre hot shoe. Thanks for watching.
Hi. It depends what you are looking for. Most macro lenses nowadays are in the 90-110mm range. 50-60mm is the next most popular. But there are lots of specialist lenses out there that do more wide-angle macro. I made this video for Laowa that you might be interested in, comparing different focal lengths for macro. Not with insects, but the ideas are still relevant. th-cam.com/video/aJXDVDXvD44/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3Wa33mc8FpWcHkFn Thanks for watching.
That's potentially a solution. You'd have to rig something up to block light from the flash above hitting the subject. But I think this is the one of only a couple of solutions you can use 'out of the box' to do it, and certainly the most flexible. Good question and thanks for watching.
Wish moving the arms would not be that noisy/squeaky - It can disturb the subject - especially snakes and frogs. Any remedies to reducing the squeak that you may know of?
Ho Someet. No, unfortunately there's nothing I've heard of the sorts out the creaking noises. The noise does seem to bother insects, which is what I mainly use it for.
Very interesting flash for macro photography. You use this flash on your Sony A9 (or 6400). Can you mount it on the camera without any (hot shoe) adapter? Or do you need an adapter to have this flash to work with a Sony A7M3 or A7RM3? BTW. Your channel is amazing 😎🤩👍
Hi Paul. Thank you very much. I was using it on my A9. You can use it on any camera with a hot shoe and you don't need an adapter. So it will work with the A7M3 or A7RM3.
Hey Brian. All good thanks, hope all''s well with you too. I've just been really busy, sorry. But I've got a video scheduled to go out this evening, and a few more in the bag that are recorded. It's just finding the time to edit them.
@@WalksOnTheWildSideNice to hear from you. Was just checking in on you. I started to watch your new video last night. Again I'm learning something new. Thanks 👍🏾
Hi Joe, I haven't - though I like the look of it. I still worry that the flashes are so close to the lens, so it means it can't be used for back-lighting shots - but at least they can be rotated. Godox reached out to me a while back to ask me to review it, after I replied, I never heard from them again.
Hi Ana, sorry for the delay in replying. No, there is no option for high speed sync with with this flash. But you'll probably only need a high speed sync if you're photographing something moving really fast, like a water drop splashing into water. Thanks for watching
Thanks for letting me know. I've reported it to Amazon. Something has gone wrong with that. In the mean time, here's a link to a website that you can get it for the RRP www.ukdigital.co.uk/venus-optics-kx800-flexible-macro-twin-flash-kit.html. You can also buy direct from Venus Optics. I'll change the link in the description until Amazon has fixed it.
Based on your amazing review, I just bought a KaKas version of the twin flash 800.....an identical unit to the Kuangren, but priced much cheaper. The manual in the box even labels it as a Kuangren! She arrived today.....can't wait to crack her out!
Hi. This particular flash doesn't have high speed sync, but whatever flash I'm using I never need it. The flash is what freezes the action. Typically the amount of time for a flash is 1/1000 to 1/2000 sec, which is much less than the shutter speed. So the shutter speed is just used to control the exposure.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide sir i know that flash speed superseed the shutter speed i speak why you dont take advabtage of synq speed of camera wit flash i know exposure the same but to reduce motion from hand i talk about synq speed not hss
Hi. I just find that I don’t need it. The normal flash speed is enough. I know the are plenty of macro photographers who do use high speed sync. I’ve just never found that I need it.
Most of the criticisms I’ve read about this flash system deal with reliability, durability, flash output and the lack of suitable diffusers. Where did you purchase the diffusers you are using in this video? Great concept but doubts remain.
Have owned three of those flashes. They are not that strong to be honest. The modeling light was always the first to stop working correctly. Much prefer the Canon twin flash using articulated arms made from smallrig extension arms.
Hi Dariusz. I've heard people say this before, but the reality is that you just use the shutter speed as one of the components to control the exposure, just as you would without a flash. It's the flash that freezes the picture when you use a flash. Typically the length of time the scene is exposed to the flash is about 1/2000 sec even if you have a much slower shutter speed. I hope that helps and thanks for watching
Hi. If I see an insect moving around I usually don't approach because I know it will probably take off. I tend to look for the ones that are already stationary because there's a better chance of capturing them. Particularly dragonflies and butterflies. The exception is bees who are just focussed on doing their work, so even if they do move, they probably just move to the next flower.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Tbf that would be better suited for Static Captures only . But i can't justify spending money on a product that is in essence a waste of money . By the time you faff about with it the target has bolted especially Butterflies
![[UNCUT] เก็บ "สจ.โต้ง" เอี่ยวมาเฟีย รู้ตัวคนบงการ ก่อนสั่งลั่นไก I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 13 ธ.ค.67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/o-J_p62D40w/mqdefault.jpg)
Just ordered one of these used, I can't wait to finally have a good flash! Getting into macro photography and have only had natural light to work with so a flash will totally be a gamechanger!
Good choice, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching.
I’m amazed at the results you achieved Scott. I honestly thought that rig was impractical but you’ve proved otherwise! Great practical demo with lots of fab macro shots and tips - thanks’1
Thank you Stephen. Much appreciated.
Very exhaustive video and I have to say that speedlight is really interesting. Thanks Scott for this review!
Hi Giuseppe. Thanks very much, I've definitely found it very useful over the years. Thanks for watching.
Godox MF12-K2 is a good alternative too. when used with a mounting plate with flex arms, it replicates the flexibility of this.
Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching.
Wish that great flash would fit my pentax,excellent info and tips here as always Scott and love those beautiful macro images !
Hi Raymond. Thanks very much. I'm not sure which Pentax camera you have, but as long as it has a hot shoe, it should work. I've seen others who've used it with Pentax. There's a video on TH-cam from Thomas Shahan where he reviews it on his Pentax. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for watching.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Thanks for that Scott I will look into that, many thanks and have a great weekend 😀
Thank you, Scott. I too have tried and use several different macro flash systems.
Thank you for watching. It's always worth experimenting, especially with macro.
Thank you, Scott, for a most interesting video. It gives me food for thought about using remotely triggered flash. However, that might end up being more unwieldy than your setup appears to be. Thanks again.
Hi Bill, that's something I've never done. I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it. Thanks for watching.
Nice review Scott & some beautiful shots of gorgeous specimen!😊 every time I see those articulating arms I think of the tripods in war of the worlds😁😁
🤣🤣🤣 You're right, I'd never noticed that before. I always think it looks like a pair of antennae and a proboscis on an insect, which is fitting. Thanks for watching.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide haha yep:)
I think that flash needs more diffusion, because the light is still quite harsh, otherwise its certainly a very useful and adaptable flash
Hi Henning. I agree, the new diffusers I've found are harsher than my old ones, but they fit the flashes so much better. I think I just need to put a little more diffusion material inside them, but I plan to experiment with it a little bit.
It’s a bit of a awkward looking beast, and my experience of those sectional arms are that once the joints wear the lights don’t stay where you need them too..
I've not found that with my flash. The only time they really move is if I push them up against something that moves them. Maybe I just got lucky with a good one, or you were unlucky with a bad one.
Hi Scott, I have to say that set up looks amazing. I may well go for that flash myself. I use off camera flash at the moment and as you say it can be time consuming and a bit of a faff to set up. All the best, Steve.
Thanks Steve. I've got a remote transmitter/receiver that I bought a few years ago and have never taken out of the box. Gear acquisition syndrome in action! I really should try it your way too. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Brian for such a wonderful video as always. I am thinking of buying this flash but I need to know if it is fast enough for stacking? And about the diffusers, do you buy them with the flash or separately? Wishing you the best
Hi. I've only seen these particular diffusers available from ukdigital.co.uk. Before I had them I just used some general flash diffusers - but they didn't fit perfectly. The ones I showed are best for this flash. With regard to focus stacking, it depends how quickly you take the series of photos for the stack. The recycle time is plenty to get two or three shots a second. Thanks for watching.
Hi Scott, really great video again. I got one question left - i there any possibility to get the light more natural? i mean the light comes out very white, if you know what I mean. thx Flo
Hi Geasle. Yes, I totally understand what you mean. It's something I'm thinking about myself. I think the answer would be to use another layer of diffusing medium within the softbox, or to rig up a second layer of diffusion between the softbox and the subject.
Thanks so much for this! I'm just imagining its potential! Do you know if it would work on a cold shoe or does it need a hot shoe? And do you think it could handle a mild splash or would it curl up and die? Much appreciated!
Hi Roberta. It definitely needs a hot shot to make it fire at the same time as the shutter. I wouldn't want to count on it getting too wet. I've been out with it in the rain before and it has been fine, but I think there are various points where water could get in, if there's any more than a light shower of rain. Thanks for watching.
Wow, I wish I had waited to buy macro flashes until I saw this video!
Thanks Chuck. I'm sure you still get some great shots with whatever gear you got, but this one might be a good options for you next time you're looking for a change. Thanks for watching.
Hi man, great Vlog as alway, just wandering if you can use that flash with Fuji cameras
Hi Alun. I just had to double check, because I thought it worked with all, but apparently it doesn't work directly with Fuji. You can buy third party hot shoe adapters on amazon for about £10-15 which would, in theory, mean you could use it. But I've never tried any of these.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Thank you for getting back to me
Hey Scott, thanks for this pretty good video. The idea bringing the flash lights on the end of the arms is imho the best way to bring the light efficient and on the right place to the objects. 👍🏻 At least your gorilla tape works great! 😅 Thanks again and make more from this kind of videos.
Hi. I'm pleased you like it. And there'll definitely be more to come. It's a bit more difficult to make macro videos over the winter where I am, but I'm hoping to do one more before the end of the year and definitely more in the spring. Thanks for watching.
Hi, I was wondering why you use higher ISO for your shots. I would think you could use lower ISO with flash. Thanks
the articulating arms utilize Loc-Line, which is used for coolant systems in machine tools ... stuff lasts forever
Good to know, thanks for sharing that and watching.
Liked and Subscribed !
Welcome aboard, thanks for watching and subbing.
Thank you Scott. I just bought this macro flash model kr909 and mount it on my Sony A1. However the flash did not fire when I press the shutter. Can you advise any camera settings that I have to set to make this flash works?
Hi Kelvin. Most likely it's because you've got the electronic shutter on. Flashes only work with the mechanical shutter. So try switching to mechanical and that should sort it out. If not, let me know, and and we'll figure it out.
Thank you Scott for your advice. Let me switch to mechanic shutter and see if that's work. Appreciate your swift response 👍
Amazing your videos!!!!, congratulations and thank you for your interesting information!!!!, please would you seid me where can i buy this flash for canon?, thank you for your coments!!!! best wishes from Peru.
Thank you. You can get it direct from Venus Optics / Laowa. They do international shipping. www.venuslens.net/product/macro-twin-flash-kx-800 it will work on any Canon that has a centre hot shoe. Thanks for watching.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide thanks for your valuable videos
Scott, is a 90 mm lens the best fit macro (insects)?
Hi. It depends what you are looking for. Most macro lenses nowadays are in the 90-110mm range. 50-60mm is the next most popular. But there are lots of specialist lenses out there that do more wide-angle macro. I made this video for Laowa that you might be interested in, comparing different focal lengths for macro. Not with insects, but the ideas are still relevant. th-cam.com/video/aJXDVDXvD44/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3Wa33mc8FpWcHkFn Thanks for watching.
Hi Scott, do I have to manually focus?
I'd of been interested what it was like for fast stacking shots
isn't a diffuser with a built-in reflective sheet under the lens also an option to get light under the subject?
That's potentially a solution. You'd have to rig something up to block light from the flash above hitting the subject. But I think this is the one of only a couple of solutions you can use 'out of the box' to do it, and certainly the most flexible. Good question and thanks for watching.
Wish moving the arms would not be that noisy/squeaky - It can disturb the subject - especially snakes and frogs. Any remedies to reducing the squeak that you may know of?
Ho Someet. No, unfortunately there's nothing I've heard of the sorts out the creaking noises. The noise does seem to bother insects, which is what I mainly use it for.
hey man, just FYI the link to the flash set up ends up going to a error...I googled it and found some tho
Thanks for letting me know - I really appreciate it. I've fixed the link.
Very interesting flash for macro photography. You use this flash on your Sony A9 (or 6400). Can you mount it on the camera without any (hot shoe) adapter? Or do you need an adapter to have this flash to work with a Sony A7M3 or A7RM3?
BTW. Your channel is amazing 😎🤩👍
Hi Paul. Thank you very much. I was using it on my A9. You can use it on any camera with a hot shoe and you don't need an adapter. So it will work with the A7M3 or A7RM3.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Thank you very much for your reaction Scott. I'm going to order one from my supplier 👍
Hi Scott, how's it going? Are you well, not had a new video for a few weeks now. Kind regards Brian
Hey Brian. All good thanks, hope all''s well with you too. I've just been really busy, sorry. But I've got a video scheduled to go out this evening, and a few more in the bag that are recorded. It's just finding the time to edit them.
@@WalksOnTheWildSideNice to hear from you. Was just checking in on you. I started to watch your new video last night. Again I'm learning something new. Thanks 👍🏾
have you tried the godox mf12
Hi Joe, I haven't - though I like the look of it. I still worry that the flashes are so close to the lens, so it means it can't be used for back-lighting shots - but at least they can be rotated. Godox reached out to me a while back to ask me to review it, after I replied, I never heard from them again.
Is this unit capable of High speed sync?
Hi Ana, sorry for the delay in replying. No, there is no option for high speed sync with with this flash. But you'll probably only need a high speed sync if you're photographing something moving really fast, like a water drop splashing into water. Thanks for watching
Just had a look at your Amazon link for the flash and although it’s out of stock at the moment the price is £519.80. So nearly double your £280!!!
Thanks for letting me know. I've reported it to Amazon. Something has gone wrong with that. In the mean time, here's a link to a website that you can get it for the RRP www.ukdigital.co.uk/venus-optics-kx800-flexible-macro-twin-flash-kit.html. You can also buy direct from Venus Optics. I'll change the link in the description until Amazon has fixed it.
Thanks, that looks a lot better! The flash itself looks super useful, even if it does look like Medusa’s head!
🤣
Based on your amazing review, I just bought a KaKas version of the twin flash 800.....an identical unit to the Kuangren, but priced much cheaper. The manual in the box even labels it as a Kuangren! She arrived today.....can't wait to crack her out!
@@kwakazx10r77 So it is. I just looks like a rebranded version, so if it's cheaper - great! Hope you enjoy it.
why 1/125 why not synq speed ?!!
Hi. This particular flash doesn't have high speed sync, but whatever flash I'm using I never need it. The flash is what freezes the action. Typically the amount of time for a flash is 1/1000 to 1/2000 sec, which is much less than the shutter speed. So the shutter speed is just used to control the exposure.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide sir i know that flash speed superseed the shutter speed i speak why you dont take advabtage of synq speed of camera wit flash i know exposure the same but to reduce motion from hand i talk about synq speed not hss
Hi. I just find that I don’t need it. The normal flash speed is enough. I know the are plenty of macro photographers who do use high speed sync. I’ve just never found that I need it.
Most of the criticisms I’ve read about this flash system deal with reliability, durability, flash output and the lack of suitable diffusers. Where did you purchase the diffusers you are using in this video? Great concept but doubts remain.
Have owned three of those flashes. They are not that strong to be honest. The modeling light was always the first to stop working correctly. Much prefer the Canon twin flash using articulated arms made from smallrig extension arms.
Schön erklärt und vorgeführt, aber zu teuer für einige Macro . Leider werden die meisten Macromotive vom störenden Hintergrund vernichtet.
Vielen Dank für Ihre Kommentare und das Ansehen des Videos.
狂人布光系统😅我有k1000，如果你拍昆虫他不是最好的。秘镜系统更为出色。
I thought 1/200 was the best speed with flash.
Hi Dariusz. I've heard people say this before, but the reality is that you just use the shutter speed as one of the components to control the exposure, just as you would without a flash. It's the flash that freezes the picture when you use a flash. Typically the length of time the scene is exposed to the flash is about 1/2000 sec even if you have a much slower shutter speed. I hope that helps and thanks for watching
tbh if you used that on what i capture you would be wasting your time because the target doesn't sit about to pose
.
Hi. If I see an insect moving around I usually don't approach because I know it will probably take off. I tend to look for the ones that are already stationary because there's a better chance of capturing them. Particularly dragonflies and butterflies. The exception is bees who are just focussed on doing their work, so even if they do move, they probably just move to the next flower.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Tbf that would be better suited for Static Captures only . But i can't justify spending money on a product that is in essence a waste of money . By the time you faff about with it the target has bolted especially Butterflies
@mmaguru