Illuminating the world of macro with a dedicated macro flash

As any serious macro or close-up photographer will tell you, a dedicated macro flash is an indispensable accessory.

One of the main challenges when shooting up close is that as the working distance decreases, so too does the light that reaches the camera's sensor. When using a macro lens at 1x magnification, there's around a two-stop exposure factor to consider, for example. While that's not much of a problem at the maximum aperture, maintaining a high enough shutter speed is more difficult when maximising the depth of field with smaller apertures. And at greater magnifications, there are even larger exposure factors to overcome, due to the closer proximity of the subjects.

Introducing additional lighting for macro photography is extremely useful, as it allows photographers to use a fast shutter speed while also stopping down the aperture to increase the depth of field.

The MR-14EX II is compatible with a number of other lenses too, including the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM (with Macrolite Adapter 72C), RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM and RF 100MM F2.8L MACRO IS USM.

"I use the Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II because it enables me to produce light close up to the lens," says Christian. "Normal flashes cast a lot of shadows. I sometimes like the shadows, but often they're distracting. When I want an evenly lit environment for a project, I use the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II flash – for subjects such as butterflies, for example, to create close-ups of their intricately detailed wings, and tiny insects.

"With these tiny subjects, because they're so close to the lens, just getting the light on them is really tricky," he explains. "I can be photographing a subject that's just 5cm away from the lens, so it's a question of getting an adjustable light source really close to the front of it. That is really difficult to accomplish with off-camera flash, but it's effortless with the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II."

In addition to its ease of use, there are many other aspects of this flash that Christian enjoys. "The heavy-duty coiled cable is durable, and the option to position the twin tubes by rotating the head about the axis is a nice feature," he says. This, combined with the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II's ability to control the power of either strobe (over a 6-stop ratio), means you can not only control the angle of the light source but also make one strobe brighter than the other, for relief lighting to enhance textures.

When working up close with small subjects, Christian finds the power of the Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II to be more than sufficient. But he also praises its ability to work wirelessly in a multi-Speedlite flash system and retain exposure control using a built-in IR-based optical transmitter. "I once photographed these really tiny wasps that are just 1mm long," he recalls. "I used the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens with the Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II as the fill light and used it to trigger a couple of Speedlite 430EX III-RTs acting as the key light."

The MT-26EX-RT can be used with the same lenses as the MR-14EX II, including the Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo, RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM and RF 100MM F2.8L MACRO IS USM.

"Independently adjustable heads allow for greater control of the position of each light source, making it easy to highlight textures and create the look required," Mark adds. "Each flash tube can be moved around the mount ring or even detached and connected to another third-party mount or tripod within the length of the cables. This means you are not restricted to 180-degree rotatable crescent light sources as with the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II.

"You can position the heads more like you would for a portrait, for example, with a key light from above and a fill light at 90 degrees from the side," Mark continues. "This enables better control of the highlights and shadows, which can give the image a more three-dimensional feel. Each flash tube is smaller than on the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II as well, so each head comes with the option to attach the supplied diffuser, to soften the light if needed."

When additional illumination is needed, for backgrounds or for additional creative lighting effects such as rim-lighting, both flashes feature wireless optical IR transmitters for remotely controlling Canon Speedlites. The Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX-RT also offers the additional versatility of radio-control. While IR requires line-of-sight for control, the Radio Transceiver feature does not, so multiple RT-enabled Speedlites can be positioned wherever required.

Whether you opt for the Canon Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II or the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX-RT for close-up photography, both Speedlites will help elevate your macro photography. With either one you'll be able to sculpt the light that falls on your subject to your exact requirements to capture perfectly-lit, crisper detail.