The heads of the macro flashes

Konica Minolta macro flashes

KM has two macro flashes available, one ring-type and one with two flashes. Both are using the same base, you only have to change the head. The ring flash is a bit tricky as it is not really round. It has four small flashes inside, which can be activated individually. Their power is fixed, but a possibility to turn them on/off is very convenient. The other, two-head flash can be set differently for each head though and this will be useful for many macro photographers. The base on which the flashes are mounted has only a few settings, but it can be rotated, so various settings are possible. Another great feature are the telescopic flash holders, which can be leaned at will. This makes it possible to set the flashes so that one is illuminating from the far back and the other from the side of from the front. They can both be set individually, which gives one additional freedom needed for a photograph. In manual mode, the power of each flash can be set from full power to 1/64. Included are also light diffusers, which make the light more dispersed (the flashes itselves are quite direct). If KM would not use a special base for their macro flashes, they could be used on all cameras. Macro flashes are not usable only for macro photography, but also for portraits and medicine use, where they mainly use ring-type flashes. The reason is a nice, diffused light, which would be otherwise very hard to achieve. KM’s macro flashes have some attractive advantages over flashes of other manufacturers, which are warmly welcomed among macro photographers.

                                    Each flash can be set individually

                                 Ring-typ flash

Two-head flash with telescopic holders

Another view on the two-head flash

Ring-type flash with the left flash turned off

Ring-type flash with all flashes activated

Two-head flash, one left and one above, aperture f18, time 1/125 sec, ISO 100

Two-head flash, one left and one up and behind

Two-head flash, one left, one right

Two-head flash, one left infront, one up

Two-head flash, one right behind, one up behind

In the woods with the flash, aperture f16, time 1/30 sec, ISO 100

And without the flash, aperture f8, time 1/20 sec, ISO 800 – the AS works great

                                   A lizard, aperture f5, time 1/15 sec, ISO 800,

                                   couldn’t do it without AS

                                   Night shot with the Moon, aperture f3.5,

                                   time 1/15 sec, ISO 200

                                   Night shot with the Moon, aperture f5.6,

                                   time 1/60 sec, ISO 800 – the Moon is deformed