DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX-RT question

Started 11 months ago | Questions thread
John K Veteran Member • Posts: 9,870
Re: Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX-RT question
1

danferrin wrote:

I have an EOS R5 and the EF 100mm L macro lens.

The working distance of that lens, at 1x, is 6" (`15cm). IMHO macro twin flashes (all of them) perform best at working distances in the 4" (10cm) or less range. The flash heads are small, and the diffuser that Canon supplies with the MT-26EX RT is not that great (really does nothing to make the light larger). The larger a light source is in the subject's field of view the softer the light, so getting good light quality from a macro twin flash is tough.

I use the MT-26EX RT with the MP-E 65mm and the EF-S 60mm and have spent many years experimenting with different diffuser designs and materials. Here is a video of an older set that I built, but my current set is similar (just a little larger):

Here is a recent shot that I took:

Tech Specs: Canon 90D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to 2x) + a diffused MT-26EX-RT, E-TTL metering, -2/3 FEC. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. In post I used Topaz Denoise AI and Clarity in that order. Shutter and ISO set to expose the sky in the background.

I took that one at 2x, so the distance from the front of the lens to the bee was 2.5" (6.35cm). Here's what the light looks like at 1x (4" or 10cm working distance):

The greater the working distance the harder it is to get good specular highlights. If the light is not diffused enough the specular (reflective) surfaces will return the color of the light source instead of the color of the specular surface and you will lose detail.

Not saying that you cannot use a macro twin flash with a 100mm lens, but you might look into either getting the flash heads closer to the subject or using extension tubes to go above 1x and reduce the working distance. You could also get an EF-S 60mm and use a 12mm (or larger) extension tube so you can attach it to your R5. I use to shoot with a 1D Mark III using the EF-S 60mm and tubes and it worked fine. Best to get some practice shooting above 1x with a standard macro lens before you buy the MP-E 65mm.

Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow