Canon's MR-14EX macro ring light

Is anyone using this MR-14EX ring light? Or does it become shelf-ware

pretty soon after purchase? This is a fairly expensive accessory, and

I've heard pros and cons about ring lights. This one, though, allows

you to control the power of the two lights separately. I'm wondering

if this makes a difference in getting lighting that is less "flat"

than what is provided by typical ring lights.

 

Your experience, pro and con, with this accessory would be

appreciated.

Well, I use the 24 but, except for power and some increased agility to aim (and un-

mount) the flash heads these are the same beast so....

 

yes, the variable ratio works well either to flatten or to bring out testure. I use it for

virtually every macro shot I take (and nothing else), I also find the focusing light to be

helpful (I use that more than, say, modelling with ratio using the flash head)

 

hth, m

I use the MR-14EX a great deal for botanical close-up work with either the 50/2.5 or 100/2.8USM lenses, or occasionally with other lenses via a Macrolite Adapter. Advantages over the MT-24EX, which I shall probably buy at some point, are that it is smaller, lighter, and considerably cheaper, and does not require any setting up of the light positions and angles for each shot. Disadvantages are that it is less powerful (particularly noticeable when used on the 100/2.8USM with its longer working distance) and the flash units are so close to the lens axis that the use of ratio control to produce off-flat lighting is effective only at very short distances. Even the MR-14EX is quite an expensive purchase just for casual use, but for regular close-up or macro work either it or the MT-24EX are just about indispensible. Incidentally, both of them have a far more intuitive control interface than the 550EX.

There's a review by photo.netter Markus Ehrenfried <a href="http://www.markusehrenfried.de/photography_MR-14EX.html">here</a>.

Marcus Ehrenfried's review is indeed an excellent introduction; what it doesn't explain is that the MR-14EX (and MT-24EX) both have wireless master capabilities which makes them very versatile indeed. The only thing that the MR-14EX cannot do but the 550EX can do in master mode is control other flashes without itself producing a picture-taking flash; I think the same applies to the MT-24EX.

 

Ehrenfried mentions the problem over filters. This does not arise with the 50/2.5, but with the 100/2.8USM it is a real nuisance. The MT-24EX has a 58mm thread on the front of the component that mounts on the lens. The only way I know to overcome the problem with the MR-14EX is to fit a filter onto the lens first, then fit the Macrolite Adapter 58 onto that, and fit the flash ring to the adapter. However, on some filters the Macrolite Adapter jams easily, and there is no thread on the front of it which the lens cap can latch onto.

Sorry, Markus not Marcus.

I have a Vivitar RingLite AF6000 flash that I used for over two years now (want to talk about flat lighting?!). I wish I had a MR-14EX... I always check for used one but they never show up!

 

About the MR-x4EX being a master, if I had one, I would put a 420EX of a 550EX INSIDE the flower box or BEHIND the subject as to get a bit of depth in the image. Of course, this setup is no good for extreme close-up work, but I could have used this setup many times.

I would be tempted to use this setup in portrait shooting as well, use the MR-x4 to control/reduce shadows in the face and slaved 550s to get the result I want.

 

Hope it helps. Good luck

 

JB

I read the review of this flash mentioned in this thread, and I'll be frank: The photos in the review are ugly and lacking in any artistic value. Now, I'm not commenting here so much on the photographer but on the quality (or lack thereof) of the lighting. It *is* flat, boring. This has been my perception of pictures taken with such a unit. Although I've *heard* people say that you can get less flat lighting with the macro ring flash, I've not seen good photos taken.

 

For most of my macro work, I use a studio. Granted, you can't take your studio out in the field, but I'm also quite sure I don't want antiseptic-looking photographs of *anything* in the field, and that's what I see being taken with this flash unit.

 

Anyone care to prove me wrong?