Lighting is a key factor in creating a successful image. Why? It determines not only brightness or darkness, but also tone, mood and the atmosphere. Therefore it is necessary to control and manipulate light correctly in order to get the best texture, vibrancy of colour, and luminosity on your subjects. In order to truly take control over your dental photography, you should understand the way light works.
Intraoral Dental Photography: Why Light Distribution is so Important?
Ambient light is never enough to make your dental photography great, especially when it comes to intraoral photography. Getting enough light on your subject – teeth – can be difficult.
If you shoot at a low f-stop number like f/1.8, you’ll have a very thin depth of field in your images. Your intraoral photographs might look out of focus and blurry. The solution to this is using a macro flash. The flash dedicated to macro photography can open up a whole new world for you when it comes to macro lighting.
What flash for Intraoral photography (which is a type of macro photography) offers the best overall lighting?
If you’re looking to take intraoral pictures, getting bright, even lighting is a must. And you’ll likely need a flashgun. So what flash for macro photography will give you the best chance at the shots you want?
Pop up flash build in your camera – Speed light or Studio flash heads – can work well if you are shooting portraits, but intraoral photography needs a specific kind of light. Bright light is essential for intraoral photography because you want to reveal as much detail as possible. What’s more, you will also likely be shooting at small apertures in order to increase the depth of field (the area in focus) within your image.
Well chosen flash is a necessity in these situations. This is why you need a specific source of light: There are two types of artificial lighting systems for the intraoral macro photographer, Ring light and Dual flashlight.
Intraoral Photography: Ring Light and Dual Flash
Ring Light
Ring lights are one of the most common lighting solutions for macro photography because they are the best combination of price/performance available. They have two sets of lighting sources (the light ring is divided into two independent halves), so you can adjust the power of each half individually. They have some limitations which can be explained in the following two points:
They produce a circular catch light, although this is a fantastic look, it becomes annoying to have bright circles bouncing off any shiny subject that you photograph
They are not recommended to use for colour transfer
They need a lens adapting ring
Aside from these limitations, ring lights tend to produce fairly well-lit images. In terms of the quality of light, I would recommend it to a beginning dental photographer.
Dual flash
If you are looking for a solution which will give you more control of the light like studio light setups (used by portrait photographers), you should think about a Dual Flash. Studio light setups usually use a minimum of three lights (the main light, a fill light, and a background/accent light) for portraiture.
Such a complex setup makes it easy to control how the shadows and highlights fall on a subject, leading to more effective photos. Controlling the light and shadows is the easiest way to show the tooth texture – so important in intraoral photography.
Using a Dual Flash gives an easy way to position the direction of light coming from the two flashes; also you can control their power. When used with appropriate diffusers, the quality of light from a dual flash can be the best option.
The biggest drawback to a dual-flash solution is their price and that they demand bigger skills; therefore, I would recommend them to a more experienced photographer than to a beginner.
Light Distribution in Intraoral Photography: Tutorial
Understanding the Light Distribution in Dental Intraoral Macro Photography is a key to be a good dental photographer. But this is just theory! How does it work in practice? On the video below, you can see how the light is changing when you use a different source of light, and when you manipulate them.
In this lesson our expert shows flashes for intraoral photography and explains:
why a pop-up flash can ruin a picture with a shadow
why a big flash proves that the size doesn’t always mean success, especially when it comes to macrophotography
why a ring flash is one of the two best choices and how a close light can change the effect
why a dual flash gives you the widest possible area of your work and why the bouncers matter
what should you spend your money on and why
Watchingthe lesson about intraoral photography will once and for all dispel your doubts. This is one of the necessary steps if you’re aiming for becoming a master in dental photography!
If you’re a mirrorless cameras fan looking currently for a low-budget lens, this news is for you. We’ve found a great option for anyone who wants to start a dental photography adventure.
You’ve probably known the Chinese company for its outstanding, low prices. The optical quality might not be the highest, but their products are definitely sufficient for beginners in dental photography.
The cheapest macro on the market: How does it work?
7Artisans 60 mm f/2.8 is created for cameras with the APS-C matrix, so it gives the equivalent of 90 mm focal length
with minimal distance of sharpening (26 cm) it gives us the maximum magnification, 1:1
the optical system is based on 8 elements in 7 groups and has a diaphragm with 10 aperture blades, which we can close to f/16
the lens is made of metal with a stepless aperture adjustment ring; it will be helpful for those who like to focus manually while taking photographs of the interior of the mouth and while filming
the producer provides an extra sleeve to put on the lens: thanks to this, the front element will remain clean
the lens is quite small: 66 x 55 mm, but also rather heavy: it weighs 550 g
Let’s have a look at some example photographs. The producer didn’t share them in high resolution, but we must say: the quality seems to be just fine.
The exhaustive list of available mounts and corresponding sensor sizes means that the lens will possess a different effective focal length, depending on which system you use:
Canon RF – 60mm
Nikon Z – 60mm
Leica L – 60mm
Sony E – 90mm
Fujifilm X – 90mm
Canon M – 96mm
Micro Four Thirds – 120mm
Price and availability
As said before, the 7Artisans products are usually available at a really good price. This macro lens confirms this opinion: it costs only 179 Euro. Even if it won’t provide the highest image quality, it’s worth to give it a chance.
This new manual Laowa 100 mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO has no equivalent on the market.
The Chinese producer once again is ahead of its competitors with this new lens. Manual, 100 mm focal length might conquer hearts of dental photographers.
Few sample photos provided by Laowa:
The full macro
The lens has – as many others – 100 mm focal length and f/2.8 max. aperture, but its 2:1 magnification ratio (while photographing from a 24.7 cm distance) is the distinctive value. What’s more, its dimensions are 75 x 125 mm and it weighs 683 g, identical as rivals with only 1:1 magnification.
The apochromatic optical system, based on 12 lenses in 10 groups, eliminates the chromatic aberration. The producer promises also an outstanding sharpness and radiopacity.
Depending on the system, the lens will have various numbers of aperture blades: Canon EF – 9, Nikon F – 7, Sony E – 13. Mirrorless users will be able to appreciate a „soapy” blur of sharpness. The most comfortable version is the one for Canon, with an EF bayonet and equipped with contacts, making it possible to control the aperture from the camera and moving full EXIF data.
Key features:
Focal length: 100 mm
Open F value: F 2.8
Filter Size: 67 mm
Lens construction: 10 groups of 12 elements
Number of diaphragm blades: 9 (Canon), 7 (Nikon), 13 (Sony FE)
Minimum aperture: F22
Maximum aperture: F 2.8
Minimum photographing distance: 247 mm (2x)
Maximum magnification: 2:1
Weight: 638 g
Price and availability
The lens is already available in presale at $450. Shipping is planned for the beginning of June.
Finally, the long-awaited Nikon Z7 is available and we could do some first tests.
The Nikon Z 7 is the company’s high-end full-frame mirrorless camera. It features a 45.7MP BSI-CMOS sensor, a hybrid AF system with 493 points and 90% coverage and 5-axis in-body image stabilization. The rugged body is similar in design to the D850 DSLR and is fully sealed against dust and moisture. It features a 3.68M-dot electronic viewfinder and tilting 3.2″, 2.1M-dot touchscreen LCD. An OLED panel on the top plate displays current shooting settings. Photos are stored on an XQD card.
Side by side the Nikon D850 and the Nikon Z7 look like “brother and sister”. The two cameras are very similar but still different. The Z7 has a smaller, lighter form factor and an electronic viewfinder (covering only 90%), while the D850 has a better battery life and an optical viewfinder (covering 100%). Another key difference between the two cameras is storage media – Nikon decided to go with a single XQD memory card slot on the Z7 instead of two memory card slots that we see on the Nikon D850. For video shooters, the Nikon Z7 is also a better option, thanks to 4:2:2 10-bit recording with N-Log, which is absent on the D850. Another feature difference is the number of autofocus points, which favors the Z7, although that doesn’t mean the Z7’s autofocus system is actually faster or more reliable (yet to be tested
Since the D850 currently sells for $3,300, and the Z7 sells for $3,400, the question is, which camera is the better choice for your photography? Well, it depends upon your needs.
Let’s get back to dental photography. The D850 and the Z7 offer many features and options you don’t really need in dental photography. Personally, I shoot always in DX mode. This gives you a better control of proportions, frame, and light. It also reduces the file size, keeping quality high.
Our first test shots show no really big difference between the two cameras. Images have been taken using manual mode – Nikon SB200 flashes mounted on an OWL bracket using the 105mm on the D850 and the 85mm DX on the Z7 – WB set to 5300 K – Image control set to Neutral.
After working with the Nikon Z7 for almost 2 months now, I find that the electronic viewfinder is a real relief at work, especially with the focus peaking displayed. Especially for eyeglass wearers, this is an improvement. In the digital workflow, the individually configurable Wifi data transfer has proven to be extremely useful. It is possible to define a specific folder on the computer for storing the images.
Key features:
Body type, rangefinder-style mirrorless
Max resolution, 8256 x 5504
Effective pixels 46 megapixels
Sensor size, full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm)
Sensor type, CMOS
ISO: Auto, 64-25600 (expands to 32-102400)
Lens mount, Nikon Z
Articulated LCD, tilting
Screen size, 3.2″
Screen dots, 2,100,000
Manual exposure mode, Yes
Max shutter speed, 1/8000 sec
Storage types, Single XQD card slot
Connectivity, USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
Weight (inc. batteries), 675 g (1.49 lb / 23.81 oz)
Dimensions, 134 x 101 x 68 mm (5.28 x 3.98 x 2.68″)
Stay tuned for more updates to come … if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.
The key features of Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro include an advanced optical system, maximum magnification of 5:1, high resolution and excellent colouring of the photographs.
Impressive close-ups within reach
Photos: Alberto Ghizzi Panizza, Jie Ge, Gil Wizen
The optical system of Venus Optics Laowa 25 mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro ensures image magnification from 2.5 to 5x. It’s composed of 8 elements in 6 groups, and one of them is made of ultra low dispersion glass. The manufacturer emphasises that thanks to such a design we can enjoy an appropriate correction of chromatic aberration, as well as images characterised by high sharpness and high reproducibility of colours.
Apart from that, each element composing the system is covered with anti-reflection coatings, which should minimise light reflection and appearance of hot spots and flares within the frame. In addition, the overall contrast of photographs in challenging conditions will be improved. The depth of field is ensured by the 8-blade diaphragm with the range of f/2.8-f/16. The focal length of 25 mm, in turn, is responsible for the 10.3-degree angle of view.
Venus Optics Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro is sized 82 x 65 mm and weighs 400 g. Of course, it’s a fully manual macro glass, which offers an effective focusing capability ranging from 173 to 223.5 mm. The lens is already available for preorder with Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony FE and Pentax K mounts. It costs 399 dollars.
An interesting option is that you can buy an adapter for the Micro Four Thirds (M43) system, so also the users of small mirrorless cameras can tap the potential of this glass.
Key features:
Focal length: 25 mm
Open F value: F 2.8
Field of View: 10.3 degrees
Lens construction: 6 groups 8 pieces
Minimum aperture: F16
Maximum aperture: F 2.8
Minimum photographing distance: 173 mm to 223.5 mm
Working Distance: 40 mm – 45 mm
Shooting magnification: 2.5 times to 5 times
Number of diaphragm blades: 8
Weight: 400 g
Corresponding mount: Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony FE
After delivering two very interesting wide-angle lenses, Irix is releasing a tele-macro model, which may be one of the most perfect designs intended for dental photography.
The Irix 150 mm f /2.8 lens should meet the requirements of even the choosiest users dealing with macro photography. The manufacturer has announced that the lens contains premium optics inside a very robust sealed enclosure. With the focal length of 150 mm and the magnification ratio of 1:1, Irix 150 mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 lens offers exceptionally convenient work. The higher focal length allows you to move away from the subject, so casting a shadow is no longer a problem, and using external lamps has never been more comfortable.
Zero distortion and easy focusing
The optical system is composed of 12 elements in 9 groups, with three of them made of extra-low-dispersion glass and four others of high refractive index glass. The manufacturer promises that the effect achieved by such a design is unnoticeable distortion of 0.1%. We also get an internal focusing system, thanks to which the glass does not change its size during the focusing. What’s more, the 11-blade diaphragm is supposed to give a pleasant bokeh and to make the diffraction appear much later than in other designs when it is closed down to higher values (up to f/32).
The glass will let you focus already at the distance of 34.5 cm, while the wide rubber ring with the rotation angle of 270 degrees should guarantee high precision and improve your work culture. Another useful option available is the possibility to lock the focus ring.
Robust sealed structure
Apart from that, we get a new version of the Dragonfly finish, which combines the advantages of Firefly and Blackstone lenses. As a result, the whole is relatively light and handy (87 x 135 mm, 840 g) but is still robust – the aluminium frame was enclosed inside an outer structure made of aluminium-magnesium alloys and composite elements. There are also sealings in 5 key places (front element, focus lock ring, focus ring and bayonet mount), thanks to which you’ll be able to work in any conditions. You can screw filters with the diameter of 77 mm on the front element.
In addition, the lens is equipped with a processor, which lets you control the lens aperture from the camera level, and with an AE module, which enables semi-automatic modes (PASM). Owing to this solution you’ll get a confirmation of focus from the camera level and record full EXIF data. The set includes a lens with a deep sun hood, a tripod collar according to the Arca Swiss standard and a rigid case for safe transport and storage.
Price and availability
For the time being, the manufacturer has not disclosed the exact date and the price at which the new lens will be launched. The glass will be available in versions with Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mounts.
So we’re waiting for a really interesting piece here.
Key features:
Focal length: 150mm
Format: 35mm “full frame”
Mount: Nikon F, Canon EF, Pentax K
Max aperture: f/2.8
Min aperture: f/32
Field of view: 16° (diagonal)
Minimum focus distance: 34.5cm
Focus: Manual
Focus throw: 270°
Magnification: 1:1
Aperture blades: 11
Optics: 12 elements in 9 groups
Filter thread: 77mm
Dimensions: 87 x 135mm (without lens hood or tripod collar)
Weight: 840g
More information about the lenses by this manufacturer can be found under irixlens.com
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