Has anybody tried cutting up a color check card into smaller bits and making a tiny version? There are small ones for sale but they are quite pricey. I've got a spare lying around, before I destroy it is there an obvious reason it wouldn't work?

Some cheap flashpoint/godox speedlights at lowest power would work well at a lower price than studio strobes and work a bit better in most instances, particularly to stop vibration. However, If you do decide to go with studio strobes I would check out the flashpoint rapid series (which I use - a lot...

Regarding the telecentricity, any difficulties stitching with the current setup? Great find btw!

Has anybody used the beetle black cardstock specifically for flocking instead of as a background? I have found it to be the best black background I've ever used, but I still have some glare issues when using it in extension tubes when compared to my Pentax bellows. Anybody using it in their tubes wi...

I think a big part of the reason is that a large portion of subjects we shoot are insects. Even if you don't take pictures of bugs, you will still have to look at many detailed pictures of them as you learn. Most of the women I know have a fair strong "ewww bugs!" response, especially at high magnif...

Sony, in their infinite wisdom, only has one multi-port which is also the shutter trigger. The simplest, and maybe only, workaround is to use an IR trigger. Since you have a stackshot and the IR remote you already have what you need to tether and trigger. I have my computer tethered to the a7rii usi...

If you intend on doing a lot of stack and stitch, I highly suggest using telecentric optics like the nikon telecentric objectives. It seems you are trying to optimize your workflow, and you will spend less time cleaning up the stitching artifacts if you do. For the price i'm not aware of a better te...

I decided I wasn't abusing my camera enough so I have been doing more macro time-lapse. As gratifying as it is punish my shutter with a 5000 shot stacking sequence, I am having trouble maintaining consistent exposure between frames, resulting in some flicker when I assemble the time-lapse. I know co...

Beautiful! Especially love the first shot.

Another a7rii user here. Love the camera, minus a few little quirks and design decisions that baffle me. The biggest issue i've run into for macro is that the "multi-terminal usb", of which there is only 1, doesn't allow you to tether your camera to a computer and use a remote trigger at the same ti...

Fusion 360 for sure. I use it for all my simple macro adapter needs. Intuitive program, easy to pick up, and lots of tutorials on how to use it for when you run into trouble. All for the low price of $0.00 for a hobbyist! I used sketchup prior to switching to 360, it was great but lacked some of the...

From my understanding, if you are going to be transmitting the photos to your clients there is nothing that will completely prevent them from being able to steal it. Watermarks can be removed, DRM can be circumvented. But just emailing them high res photos is just handing it to them. I think the goa...

Charge as a function of time and overhead. Give yourself an hourly rate then add your expenses. The cost of your equipment, facilities, and all expenses incurred should all go into the price of your work. Explain to potential clients how you arrive at your prices. If you don't value your time they w...

Is there a reason you aren't using a service like uship? I've shipped a lot of heavy stuff bought on ebay listed as local pickup only and used them to arrange LTL shipping. I think someone on the east coast could probably get them both picked up and shipped for a couple hundred.

I suggest http://www.macrocreator.com/ It's a good tool for macro and script generation, powerful without being too difficult to use. Highly recommended if you need to automate simple tasks on a computer.