MT-24 Twin Lite - ac adapter

[dreamspy1]

Is there an ac adapter available for the Twin lite? I suppose this flash has

the same connector as all the other canon flashes.

 

reg

frí­¡nn

[lester_wareham]

The twin flash is the only modern flash I have so I am not sure what the connector you refer to is. The manual says it takes the following external power sources can be used.

 

Compact Battary Pack CP-E2, Transistor Pack E with Alkaline or Ni-Cd batteries.

 

I use mine with Metal Hydride batteries directly and am not aware of an AC adaptor.

[walang_pangalan]

Quantum has something called a "Turbo AC", which appears to do what you want.

 

Be prepared for some sticker-shock: http://www.qtm.com

 

The MT-24 is a macro-flash though, so one would expect that the internal AA's would last quite long given the close distances. If, for whatever reason, you need even more than that I'd recommend a larger battery instead of AC. Portability has its uses, even in a studio.

[lester_wareham]

"The MT-24 is a macro-flash though, so one would expect that the internal AA's would last quite long given the close distances."

 

Don't forget you will be well stopped down for macro work. Range is not an issue with the 100mm and MP-E 65mm but does start becoming an issue around the 200mm length.

 

However, having said that I find battery life is very good, you could probably shoot all day on a set.

 

I got three sets of rechargables to use with mine but one would only really need a single spare set and not even that if working with a fresh set.

[robin_sibson1]

Like the MT-24EX, the MR-14EX also has an external power socket, but I've never come across any reason to use it. With macro flashes, recycling time is pretty unlikely to be an issue, and a set of NiMH AAs goes a very long way.

[lester_wareham]

"With macro flashes, recycling time is pretty unlikely to be an issue.."

 

In fact Robin I run into recycle time issues a lot, specially if I am focus stacking.

 

One techneque for this is to move the camera forward through a few mm whilst running in continious drive. This gets several frames separated by fractions of a mm with minimal subject movement between frames.

[robin_sibson1]

That's an interesting technique, Lester, and hadn't occurred to me. I do see that you would need rapid recycling to make effective use of it.

 

Let's unpack the issue a bit. Battery capacity surely can't be a real problem. Recycling speed is pretty good if only a fraction of the power of the flash is being used, which is quite commonly the case, although some special techniques like the one you mention, and possibly the demands of capturing insects at the perfect moment, may require something faster. But if you are using the flash at the limits of its power, then recycling from empty does take an appreciable time. This situation probably arises when you are a considerable distance from the subject. Is the MT-24EX or MR-14EX really the right tool for the job in that case if rapid recycling is also wanted?