Customer Reviews

Sigma EM-140 DG Macro Ring Flash for Nikon SLR Cameras

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been searching the net for a reveiw of this flash. Since I couldn't find one I just went out and purchased one. Yes this flash works iTTL on a D70. I would have given it 5 stars if it had a more robust hot shoe like the SB 600 or DX 50 both Nikon flashes I own. (I have a Nikon SB 21 and it's hot shoe has worn out being the all plastic as well) . Other than this negative this product seems very well built and sturdy. The flash is permanently attached to the control head unlike the Nikon ring flash which was in 2 parts. This makes stowage a litte difficult in your camera bag however it does come supplied with it's own very nice ballastic nylon bag. Unlike the Nikon the cable is spring coiled and always stays neatly out of the way. It is a good sturdy and well reinforced cable. It's controls are fairly simple to figure out. took some pictures today of orchids and the exposures were (mostly) perfect. I put my camera on the full PHD mode (push here dummy) and the EM 140 DG on iTTL and shot away. Most of the shots were perfectly illuminated. I then switched to A mode that the instruction booklet tells you to use when shooting macro distances. In this mode I was able to set the bracket mode to vary the flash and it worked like a charm . In all cases the middle shot was the best . Battery life was good I took over 70 shots today and the recycle time was still very rapid. I am in no means an expert on either the D70 or photography in general. I also tried the manual mode with both flash and camera and was able to experiment to get stunning results. Sometimes you want the background to be blacked out and you need full manual. You can also vary the output independetly of both sides.In manual its easy to shoot and check results in the display. You have to love digital for this alone. I was using this flash on a 70-180mm Macro Nikon and had to get a 58mm to 62mm step up ring. It worked well and did not impede the field of view at all. Sigma supplies a 55mm and 58mm with the unit. This attachment is very well made and also much nicer than the flimsy one that Nikon supplies. You will have to go to the Sigma website to buy other sizes which I think are 62mm 72mm and 77mm. I'm very happy that I got this flash. However like any camera equipment the best test is to go buy one and try it for yourself. Good shooting.

I have employed my Rebel XT digital SLR into my dental office. I upgraded to the Rebel XTi (10 mpixels) for home. I purchased the Sigma ring flash with a Sigma macro lens for the Canon SLR family. If you look at the Lester Dine website this is basically what they sell for a few hundreds dollars more.

I compared the ring flash and lens with the ones offered by Canon and felt that it was worth saving $300 by purchasing the Sigma combo.

The macro lens/ring flash work well for dental purposes. After a little experimentation I discovered that I get the best images by using the aperature priority setting. All settings are used with ISO 400 speed. I set the aperature at 14-16 for intraoral shots. This gives the best depth of field. I also use the operatory light for intraoral shots. I set the aperature to 6 for full face shots.

I use autofocus but set the ratio to 1:2 to 1:3 for intraoral shots. This keeps the autofocus from "hunting". I frame the shot by moving towards the subject. Once I get close to the image that I like I use the autofocus to get the final focus for the picture.

Finally a flash Nikon should have produced long ago. I shoot a lot of macro and have used the Nikon SB 29s with my Nikon D100. Unfirtunately that flash forced me to use manual mode as it doesn't know about digital camears. This is fine most of the time, but sometimes you don't have the time to experiment and shoot bracketed series, etc. So I went out and bought this flash.

a) Yes, it definitely works fine with Nikon's older D-TTL system besides the newer i-TTL. The D100 uses D-TTL. The D70 i-TTL.
b) It is a really nice piece of work.

I sold my SB 29s. The LCD panel on the back is not immediately obvious, but once you have flipped through the few pages of the slim handbook (takes about ten minutes). all is clear. The automatic TTL works fine when you're in a rush, like when you are shooting medical operations on the fly or when trying to get that butterfly shot before it flies off. The manual adjustment options are really really worth spending some time with and experimenting with. Like the Nikon SB 29s, this is not actually a ring flash, but consists of a tube on each side of the flash. With this flash, you can control the flash power of each tube separately, from full power, through 1/2, 1/4, 1/32, 1/64 or off. This is really great and a lot of fun, if you have the time to experiment.

All in all, an excellent piece of equipment. No competition currently out there. Yet.

The only reason I didn't give this flash five stars is because it isn't immediately intuitive to set all the cool features ion manual mode. I guess it merits a four and a half rating.

I specialize in plant photography that I use in lectures and books, and bought this flash to compliment my Nikon D200 with 105 mm macro lens. The first day I used it I was hooked. It allows me to take the most incredible extreme macro photographs of flowers, seeds, insects, mosses,and anything else with a lot of complex detail. I do wish that the hot shoe was metal and not plastic, but so far I have not had a problem with it breaking (I remove it gingerly). The response from audiences has been overwhelmingly positive and I only wish I had bought this ring flash earlier.

It was working excellent with my Nikon D80 for nearly 2 years (not quite 2 years yet). I used it for taking clinical photos of my patients. I only use it for about 1 to 2 times a week, not really that often. Today, the right side of the tube die on me and didn't flash. I checked and make sure it didn't fire not because I accidentally switch that side off. I am going to send it back to Sigma and see what's the estimate of fixing it... It isn't very durable for only lasting less than 2 years...

The ring flash puts the light in the correct place at the correct intensity. Both bulbs brightness is independently adjustable. It is a very large unit emphasized by the connecting cable not disconnect for transporting. Weight is substantial.

I love this flash and would give it 5 stars but....
If Sigma had designed this a little larger than the current maximum 77mm to accommodate 82mm filters the "Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM AF Standard Zoom Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras" which is a macro, which I own would also work with this Flash. I am very disappointed that it does not fit, and consider this a very big oversight by Sigma! Why did you do this to me Sigma, do your product designers talk to each other?

I currently use this Flash on the my "Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG HSM Macro Zoom Lens for Sony Digital SLR Cameras" which is a macro lens and my "Sony 50mm f/1.4 Lens for Sony Alpha Digital SLR Camera" which is not a macro.

I use this ring flash with a 105mm macro lens on a D50 for dental photography. The pictures turn out great. My only complaint is that the manual is very vague, and there are not any user guides that I've found on the internet.

The flash worked moderately well when it did, which at first was more often than not. A misfire here and there, chalked it up to cycle time. Then it started getting worse. Then E-TTL mode stopped working altogether, so I used it on full manual. It was actually pretty good that way. Then finally, it quit altogether. I didn't use it very heavily, not in harsh conditions, unless you count my indoor studio and camera bag as harsh conditions.

The display panel for the unit is not great. The screen read-out is extremely cryptic, and had me going back to the manual for quite some time before I came close to being comfortable to operate without it nearby. The mounting rings are in some ways very good. The way the ring screws onto the lens means it's secure and they make adapter rings for just about every major diameter. The downside is the clip mount for the flash itself, whilst well secured, allows the flash head itself to rotate freely in a plan parallel with the lens mounting ring. If the ring flash has a mind, it will rotate around based on how the chord is feeling that day. It makes adjusting the balance of the left and right cells a bit, well, odd, as they can end up as more kind of, top-left and bottom-right cells.

The flash mount on the EOS 50D in general seemed rather weak, so there is probably some fault with Canon on this one. I've read reviews of other flash systems and chords having connection problems also, though those I've used didn't come anywhere near as severe as this unit. Looking at the price, it is cheaper than the equivalent Canon unit, but I have to wonder if the price gap between this and that is really large enough to justify dropping down to this unit. Whilst I haven't tried that unit itself, it seem like it's unlikely to be worse than this that I wish I'd plunked down a few extra dollars for it instead.

Some simple improvements could make this a strong product: improved back display, solid connectivity, and locking notch on the mounting ring or similar. In it's current state, I would neither buy again nor recommend to anyone.

This is a must have if you take dental pictures. I use it to take pictures for orthodontic and cosmetic dental work. They don't teach you how to use a dSLR in dental school, so it took some experimenting with lighting to get things right. I tried a few light diffusers and bouncing flash; they work okay, but it's hard to control the shadows and exposure right for dental/macro pictures.

I also tried the cheaper LED ring light. The LED ring is surprisingly bright and it could work for you, if you are not as concerned about depth of field which is in mm for macro photos. If you need high detail across the entire arch of the mouth, then you need aperture setting of F/20+. LED is not bright enough for such apertures; you need the ring flash. I think the LED ring, however, is a good backup to have since the life expectancy of ring flash is much shorter. In my experience the LED lights are sufficient up to about F/9 and the pictures are "good enough" with a steady hand.

If you are a frugal dentist like I am, you can use this flash with the kit Nikkor 18-55mm lens, and it works surprisingly well. You have to crop the photos a lot, however. I now use this with the Nikon 85mm Macro/Micro; the 85mm focal length seems to be just right for dental and orthodontic pictures.

It's nice for orthodontic portraits as well. The ring flash eliminates sharp shadows in the background; in my orthdontic portrait pictures, I cannot see ANY shadows around the patient; only a nice white background is seen. If a directional light is still desired for portraits, you can quickly detach the ring flash easily by pinching two buttons; next, just hold the ring flash to the left or right of the camera for directional lighting.

The Sigma ring flash only comes with adapters for 55mm and 58mm filters. Both Nikon 18-55 and 85/Micro have 52mm filters. You can order a 52mm Sigma adapter for about $20+. Or, like a dentist, you can find a step-up ring for less than $5. The 52-58mm step-up ring works perfectly.

Tested on both D40 and D90. No problems.

I have been completely satisfied with my sigma EM 140 macro ring flash. I use it for art purposes and love to use it inside and outside. I have learned to take great shots and my experience is extensive so I would say to give this a try for digital photography. I take it with me everywhere I travel so happy to advise you to buy one. My EOS Canon camera is suited to this flash and suitable for Macro lenses but it can be used with other lens types. I have adjusted the flash so I got 3 dimensional effects and that was pretty cool while I was in China. You can use a shutter speed faster than the shutter's normal synchronized speed so be aware of that. While the shutter is open, the flash will fire repeatedly so I can get a series of images of the subject exposed in 1 frame and I like doing that. All in all I have been really pleased with the results of my macro ring flash and happy to share my opinion.