Quote Originally Posted by neuroanatomist


I think it depends on what that purpose is - a ring light will be better suited to documentary shooting since it can produce a flatter illumination. Even though you can vary the ratio of the two tubes in the MR-14EX, you won't get the same flexibility in controlling the light that you'd have with the MT-24EX.


I suspect there are a few people out there who combine the MT-24EX with one of the brackets discussed above (instead of mounting two large flashes). That enables you to get the flashes farther from the lens axis (which would be more important for a longer working distance). If nothing else, the control would be easier - how would you control a pair of 580's on a macro flash bracket? Radio or IR, I guess? OC-E3 for one then slave the other?

Flatter would not be good, the 180mm F/3.5L is capable of putting out a very nice 3D effect. I wouldn't want to kill that in any way.


I suppose you could have a bracket with two 580's but at some point this thing is going to be huge. To me the larger it gets the more useless it would be (only because how I like to shoot), not that it wouldn't work well with static objects or if you were staking out a paticular spot with your tripod.


I have used a single 580, but the problem is controlling the light. It has to be diffused some how or it over exposes and washes all the color out of the picture. I would think controling the harshness of light from 2 x 580 would be harder than cotnroling the 24EX.


On another note:


I went to B&H to buy this thing about 30 minutes ago. They are out of the 72C adapter and won't have it in for one or two weeks. Twice I have tried to pull the trigger and failed......[]