I love macro photography and recently brought a regular speedlight (albeit a compact one) so that I could take it around with me; a bit of a pain, if I'm honest, with having the diffuser on it and trying to get the best light. Then I noticed this one a month after, and it was even cheaper, so I thought I would try it.I actually have 2 macro lenses over the years, a Nikon F mount and a Nikon Z mount, and there is an important thing you need to do with the Z mount lens; do not mount the flash to the lens part, which moves in and out, attach it with a larger adapter to the outer case. This is because it will put undue pressure on the lens and can result in lens motor failure. I did a lot of research on that, so I thought you should know.Loved the fact that it came with so many adapters, as I was a bit worried I was going to have to find some to fit my lenses.The light is beautifully even that comes out of it and really makes your picture pop, and the cable to the main unit is soft and flexible and doesn't pull against front. Very simple controls on the back to adjust the power, and so far, I've only needed the lowest setting for macro work, although I'm sure the higher setting will come in useful for portraits (not tried that yet).

I enjoy macro photography and was very happy when Nikon announced the 105mm f2.8 Micro lens for the Z mount cameras.The lens is larger than than the F mount counterpart, but not as heavy. It produces outstanding images, sharp from corner to corner. As a S-line Z mount lens, it has a customizable control ring and function button.Focusing is quick and silent, and the lens includes a focus-limiting switch to limit the working distance for close up work. It also has 4.5 stops of VR, so while you may not want to necessarily ditch the tripod for true macro work, you can use this in the field with confidence if you are not traveling with a tripod. The included photo was taken handheld.Highly recommended!

I love this mount. It is not compatible with the Nikon FTZ adapter unless you move it from the body to the adapter or buy another mount just for the adapter. I’ve hike a couple mountains and bustled through crowds without fail using this mount.

I ordered the 52mm filter because the 30mm f1.4 sigma lens for sony e-mount cameras has a 52mm thread but after lens arrived, I couldn't fit it on.But after-service support was pretty helpful in telling me this

ok so many of you are considering m.2 enclosures as a better alternative. here is why they are not. my use case. I have a Mac with 512g hd. plenty to store my programs and any video project I am working on. more than plenty. so why not use m.2 enclosure to hard store my videos? simple. with this I put a sticker on it with the date of when I filled it up. then throw it in a drawer. then when I want to pull a video I shot in may 2021, I find the drive that is stored on and wala it is there. not so easy to do on m.2. so you put a sticker with the date where? store it how? and have to pull your current m.2 out, install that one and see if your video is truly on that one or if you remembered the date wrong. seems like a big hassle to me.

I had a Hoya 1B HMC Skylight before, which broke over a pebble and saved my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (on a Canon 40D house) when I dropped the bag (a Soligor Classic Line, size M) from about 1m / 3.5ft.I decided on this filter mainly for the cost savings compared to a Hoya or Dörr etc, and am very pleased.I'm not a pro photographer, and use this filter mostly indoors (as mentioned above, it sits on the front of a 30mm f/1.4), so UV influx is rarely a problem anyway.That said, I haven't noticed any bad influence at all of this filter on the picture quality I get, and the fit (thread size and cap compatibility) is great and build quality seems all good so I'm a happy sailor.

If you're not familiar with Sirui (pronounced "SUE-ray", believe it or not), they are a high quality Chinese tripod brand. I use two other Sirui tripods and they are well built, reliable, smooth to operate, and use quality parts. The AM-223 is no exception. It is a nice set of legs that is robust and easy to use. I was particularly impressed with the excellent angle adjustment mechanism on each leg and the fact that the feet are removable. The tripod comes with a set of rubber feet for indoor use and a set of spikes which use a 3/8" thread just like full size tripods. If you've got rock claw feet for your full size sticks, they will work on the AM-223 as well. The AM-223 also features a metric scale on the lower leg segments. I'm not sure why it is there. Maybe to make it easier to adjust the lower leg segments to the same length? Or perhaps it is intended as a sort of ruler to provide scale when shooting macro subjects. Either way, nice to have but I don't know that I'd ever use it.In use, the AM-223 performs well although when I mounted my R5 and RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO on it using the included B-00K ball head tilted into portrait orientation, the system would get tippy in certain configurations (e.g., legs open to first detent only with no additional segments extended). Of course, this is just physics. Extending the leg directly under the camera and changing its angle will solve the problem, as would using an L-bracket and not tilting the small ball head to the side.So far, I've described a five-star product. Where this combo really suffers is the B-00K ball head. Normally, a separate panning knob and a safety mechanism built into the clamp of a ball head would be advantages. In this case, both just interfere with the operation of the head. The red safety release on the clamp can make contact with the body of the head and gouge it. My experience with the B-00K was frustrating enough that I returned this set in favor of a different model that I would recommend instead.What model would I recommend instead? The Leofoto LS-223C with LH-25 ball head. Note the similar model number of the legs. The Leofoto legs are identical to the Sirui except for a couple minor cosmetic differences. The Leofoto angle adjusters on the legs are silver instead of blue, something I prefer. And the Leofoto lacks the printed metric scale on the lowest leg segment. The Sirui version comes with a thin nylon bag that is closed with a drawstring. The Leofoto version comes with a better, padded, zippered case with a pocket inside to store accessories. And, speaking of accessories, the Leofoto comes with a special multi-tool that can be attached to your pack straps, your keychain, or kept in the pocket of the tripod case. Best of all, the Leofoto LH-25 ball head has a single control positioned opposite of its notch that assures it will stay out of the way. (As an aside, normally the knob that opens and closes an Arca clamp is positioned out of the way under the lens. With either of these tripod heads, Sirui or Leofoto, this knob should be positioned behind the camera to avoid interfering with the tripod legs.)The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with the Sirui AM-223 leg set though the Leofoto LS-223C offers a superior accessory package. It is the Sirui B-00K ball head that is problematic and makes the Leofoto LS-223C + LH25 package a far better choice than the Sirui AM-223 + B-00K ball head.

The SIRUI Mini Tripod AM-223 is a darn good little tripod. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and sturdiness. I use it mostly for macros and it has to hold the Cognysis automated rail, and a full size DSLR with a 100 mm lens. The ball head just has enough grip for good stabilization and the legs are stout and the twisting leg locks work smoothly. I’ll also us this for hiking as it’s weight is reasonable to carry around for miles of strep mountain trails. I shopped a bunch of these small tripods and I’m glad to have chosen this one. The less expensive alternatives all had weight limitations that might cause more problems when using full size cameras like the Canon 5D series and L glass.