Customer Reviews

Bower SFD14C Canon E-TTL I/II Macro Ring Flash

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I didnt expect much with this being priced so much lower than other macro light rigs, but it works very well and took almost no time to figure out and use. I have taken a few pics with my new 100mm macro lens and this ring light makes shooting things like flowers and small items very simple. The Canon MT 24EX dual macro light is probably better quality, but the price difference was too much for me. I am happy with this light.

The results obtained with this product were good, and it was very pleasing at first. But after the first couple of shots during the first session, the flash didn't fire about half the time even thought it indicated it was ready, and then on the second time I used it, it stopped functioning altogether, and now will not produce a full strength flash even with brand new batteries. I didn't expect much for the price, but I did expect it to work for awhile at least. Looking at other products at a similar price point to this, many of them look spookily similar and appear just to be re-badged versions of this unit. Caveat Emptor! I have not heard back from the retailer yet indicating if I can even return it. I'm buying the more expensive Sigma unit because I really need this functionality.

I got this today, and it works just fine on my Rebel XSi and Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro lens. This is the first ring flash I have ever used, and I gave it five stars based on cost/performance. I'll update this short review later to comment on how the flash holds up over time. If it dies a young death, as some users have complained about, I'll just trash it and get the Sigma ring flash which costs several times as much. I don't think that there is any good way to mount the Canon ring flash to third-party lenses, so I didn't even consider that one.

Waste of money.
I thought to myself, "how different could this be from a Canon brand ring flash?"
Very different.

This hardly works for macros of flowers and insects and completely FAILS when it comes to portraits of people. You don't get a nice ring in a person's eyes with this, just two harsh dots.

If you are like me, you are looking at this because you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a macro flash. This is a good bargain if you really need a macro fing flash but don't need the features in Canon's far more expensive offerings. I now use my standard flashes wirelessly or on a cord with home-built diffusion and generally like the results from those shots better. That said, this ring flash has performed pretty well for me on my 100L and MP-E 65 used with a 5D2 and 40D.

Pros:

1. Comes with various sized filter ring adapters;
2. The ETTL works very well and tends to nail the exposure (in my experience);
3. Delivers nice flat light (which is a pro if that's what you want);
4. It's inexpensive.

Cons:

1. Construction is cheap feeling;
2. It's a bit slow to recycle;
3. You can't adjust output so always get a uniform ring flash, which makes it hard to create shadows or other interesting light without affixing some sort of diffuser to the flash itself. This very much limits the flexibility of the flash;
4. On the MP-E 65, you won't be able to go past about 3x before this flash gets in the way.

I have really enjoyed using this flash. I think the trick is to give it just a few seconds between shots to discharge or you get inconsistent lighting. But the shots I have gotten are really, really good at dusk! Awesome!