Customer Reviews

Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This flash unit is by far one of the best camera accessories I've purchased...macro shots are much easier with this flash and I don't have to worry so much about blurry pictures. The bulbs can be set to fire at different ratios and it's possible to turn one side off completely, allowing for nice shadows that give your images more depth. The ring itself can rotate, so the flash can highlight any side of the subject. It has two small focusing lamps that illuminate your subject while you focus, which makes it a lot easier to see what you're doing. It even comes with a nice padded carrying case. This flash gets a lot of use and it's now a major asset to the rest of my gear...it's definitely worth the money.

Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:
***** Highly recommended with warm fuzzies!

Canon packages their macro ring lites with an EOS camera and macro lens for use by dentists for good reason: for close-up macro photography inside someone's mouth where you want to be able to either avoid or control shadowing effects, this is an indispensable flash that provides better close-up illumination than you can get with just a hot shoe flash. I am using this on an EOS 30D (updated posting: and also 40D) with their excellent Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras and Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras along with a Canon Macrolite Adapter 58C for Canon G2, G3, G5, G6 & Pro1 Digital Cameras

Even though the "Canon Macrolite Adapter 58C" says that it is for G2-G6 cameras, it fits their 65mm and 100mm Macro Lens also due to its 58mm size. The flash secures onto grooves in their 100mm Macro Lens, but if you prefer to leave a UV-haze filter on that lens, the filter covers up the groove. Therefore, to not have to remove the protective UV-haze filter lens in order to attach the ring lite, you need to screw the "Canon Macrolite Adapter 58C" onto the end of the filter lens, which then provides the grooves that the ring lite then attaches to. Yes, $15 is still a bit pricey for a skinny little ring of plastic adapter, but comparable to how Canon prices their lens hoods also... and it is the only way to attach the ring lite to the macro lens while still leaving a UV-haze filter screwed on (without resorting to black duck tape :-)

I use this ring lite for both indoor and outdoor nature macro photography and it is the perfect flash when the natural lighting is less than optimal. A macro ring light like this is optional equipment if you use Canon's 50mm, 60mm, 100mm, or 180mm macro lenses. But either this flash or the more expensive Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite Flash for Canon Digital SLR Cameras macro flash is really absolutely required equipment if you use the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras lens, especially if you do not always use a tripod. The diffuser plastic that is on this flash gives it a nice soft warm light that is not too harsh. You can adjust the "ratio" so that one of the half-circle ring's flashes are brighter than the other half-circle flash, to get better shadow contrast (when zooming the MP-E 65mm between 3X to 5X, I like to use a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1). The MT-24EX does have a distinct advantage over this MR-14EX when using Canon's MP-E 65mm at magnifications of 4X or 5X because the MT-24EX's two flash heads can be positioned and angled more directly at the subject. But I find the MT-24EX's light to be more harsh than this MR-14EX, unless you create your own diffuser setup for it.

July 22 2010 update: Since my original writing of my review, I sold my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras and bought the newer Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM 1-to-1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras. In order to use this new version of Canon's 100mm macro lens with the MR-14EX, you need to also purchase the pricy Canon Macrolite Adapter 67.

Im a dentist and i need to take around 20 intraoral pictures each day. I used to have a point and shoot camera, it was worthless. I decided to take the SLR big step, and i bought a Canon rebel Xt, a 2.8 100mm usm Macro, and this ring flash, I LOOOOOOOve my ring flash. You dont want to have the camera and the macro without it, taking pictures now its fun and fast. The set up its kind of heavy, and you need an assitant to hold the mirrors and the retractors (dentist stuff sorry about that) and thats why i think its better than the TWIN FLASH also by canon because the twin itsheavier and bulkier. For those like me who have a point and shoot camera, and think that upgrading to an SLR wit macro and ring flash would be hard because of all the options , BELIEVE ME its WAY EASIER with my current set up. The ring flash works perfect i would recomend it even better than the twin flash version (and its cheaper). I hope this helps to all the slr newbiees like me.

The Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite is a great flash unit for use at fairly close range. As the model number indicates, it has a guide number of 14, which means that its effective range is about 14 meters (or 46 feet). This is only slightly more powerful than the built-in flashes in Canon's low-end DSLRs (which have a guide number of 13), and considerably weaker than Canon's other external flash units (the effective range of which varies from model to model, from 22 meters to 58 meters). But the low guide number is not really a problem for the intended use of the MR-14EX, which is close-up and macro photography. By mounting the Macro Ring Lite on a lens, the subject of a photograph is made to seem to be illuminated equally from all directions. This avoids the harsh shadows that are commonly seen in pictures when a single flash unit was pointed directly at the subject.

The MR-14EX allows each of its two semi-circular lamps to be adjusted individually, allowing one side of the subject to be illuminated more strongly than the other if desired. It also provides two smaller lamps to aid auto-focusing in dim conditions. It can even serve as a master controller for off-camera Canon Speedlite flash units. It is powered by four AA batteries; rechargeable NiMH batteries are recommended.

The MR-14EX mounts easily on the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Lens, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens (now discontinued), and the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens. To mount it on the new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM 1-to-1 Macro Lens, a Canon Macrolite Adapter 67 is required. To mount it on the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Lens, a Canon Macrolite Adapter 72C f/ML-3 is needed. On some other lenses, it can be mounted with reasonable stability simply by attaching an appropriate 58mm step-up ring to the lens. I have done this with a Tokina AT-X 100mm f/2.8 PRO D Macro Lens using a Kenko 55mm Step-Up Ring to 58mm. Other lenses will probably require different rings to step up from their native filter size to 58mm.

Canon also offers the somewhat more expensive Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite Flash, which also mounts two lamps on the lens, but instead of a ring the MT-24EX provides two small lamps that can be positioned independently. I have not used it, but it seems to be well regarded.

Great for macro close ups. It really brings out the detail.
I also use it for portrait photography and wish it recovered faster. I use it frequently and would recommend it to others. I gave it a 4 because of the slow recovery time.

The Canon MR-14EX was a perfect addition to my macro photo equipment. It snaps onto my 50mm compact macro lens quickly and easily and illuminates extreme closeup subjects that a regular on-camera flash could not reach, and it saves futzing with an off-camera extension flash.

My only beef is that the inside diameter of the ring is too small to fit larger diameter lenses (I often like to use my sharp Canon 24-70mm lens with macro rings for extreme macros). There is no easy way to mount the MR14EX on this lens. I have sometimes hand held it in place, but this risks wiggling the rig during exposure. The ring is specifically designed to snap onto only the 50mm and 180mm macro lenses. That said, the small ring diameter does allow you to deliver light onto smaller, closer subjects.

The diverse selectable features of this flash unit allow you to tailor the results to your specific macro needs. The price tag is an eye-popper, but if macro photography is an important part of your photographic repertoire, the MR14EX will expand your creative possibilities considerably and give terrific results.

UPDATE: A caution about taking macros of reflective subjects, especially with water droplets: you will see little parentheses ( ) in every droplet - reflections of the two flash tubes. I have since updated my equipment to include the Macro Twinlite (MT-24EX) and Canon's new 100mm hybrid IS Macro lens -- a dynamite combination. The ring is less complex to rig up, but the Twinlite is more versatile. Both items are pricey. The 100mm IS requires an adapter ring (another $40!)to fit either of the flash setups.

I use this for taking photographs of my orthodontist patients. I have it mounted to my 100mm macro lens. Perfect.

Previously an owner of a sunpack ring flash used for medical photography with my canon eos 10D. This flash integrates flawlessly with my 10D. I particularly like the automatic shut down that conserves the battery life. Would recommend this product without reservations.

I take pictures for an orthodontists, and this has drastically improved the lighting on my photos. Its great for close up pictures. I use this in conjunction with a Cannon Rebel XT and a 60mm lens.

Excellent ring light. Easy to use. You get good shading effects with the variable bulb output.