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இ Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary:
ѾѾѾѾѾ 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.
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