Help with Flashes for Macro <moved>

After years of yearning, and more recently, months of my kids badgering me, we're going to get serious about learning macro photography. It was the jumpers that did it.

I was going to order the Canon MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite Flash to put on the end of my new 180mm lens, but then wondered . . .

If I have a 580EX (not 580EX II) and the new 600EX-RT flash, do I really need the twin light? Can I use the bigger flashes, or is that going to lock me into a lot of stands, and keep me from going after things that move? I have a few sets of speedlight triggers (an off-brand and some cheap Cowboy studios ones . . . am considering the Yongnou 622c).

I am leaning towards another 600EX-RT instead of the twin flash, and I need to make sure I get the optimal one to shoot bugs and broccoli and spiders and some macro stuff that doesn't move. Strictly hobby-level, but we are hard-core hobby-level meaning we'll spend an entire weekend looking for things to shoot, then loading them into Lightroom for a picture show/show-n-tell.

If it matters, my kids use my T2i, and I suspect the twin flash would be much easier for them to use. I am planning to set the kids up with the T2i, a 50mm or 85mm lens and either extension tubes (which I already have), or the Canon 250d close-up lens.

We have various tripods, monopods, reflectors, if that matters.

Hi alintx, for macro any flash you own is going to work, the important thing is to be able to get the flash close to your subject, and been able to diffuse the flash to give you the optimal light the shot requires, I recommend you to read LordV intro to macro, in there he explains the best setups for use of regular non dedicated macro flash https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=807056 As well as very important info on diffusion, (very important)
I believe that before you buy a dedicated macro flash
get the most out of the gear you have, and when in love with macro, upgrade. I use single 580exii Well diffused for some of my shots especially when using the 100mm for larger subjects, and the MT 24 EX with my MP-E however I also use the 580 with the MP-E and the results are also great.

I use a 430EX on my macro shots and its works well. HOWEVER, you're going to find that a dedicated macro lite on the end of the lens is sooooo much easier to work with and you do not have to be a contortionist or fuss with moving a bracket.

Thank you!

I use my 430EXII with extension cable or flash triggered with a diffuser.

There won't be much advantage in using an MT-24 on a 180mm 1:1 macro lens. You would be better off with a normal flash and a large softbox diffuser.
Brian V.

LordV wrote in post #15251885
There won't be much advantage in using an MT-24 on a 180mm 1:1 macro lens. You would be better off with a normal flash and a large softbox diffuser.
Brian V.

What he said.

I have the MT-24EX, it is great on the 100mm and wonderful on the MP-E. You can use it fine on the 180mm but you need a microlight adaptor.

An ordinary flash might be the cheaper option if you don't plan to use it for a 100 or MP-E in the future.

<I'll move you over to talk also>

So . . . to get both my 600EX-RT and 580EX (not II) close to the subject, what would you recommend?

And, how to trigger both off-camera (just use third-party triggers, and set the flash manually)?

You could probably just use it on the hotshoe.

The problem IMHO using flash for main lighting on the 180 is you will be relativly close to the lens axis with any normal type of macro flash setup, this is because of the extra working distance.

This is why the twin flash works so well with MP-E, the shorter working distance.

You could use the MT24ex or a standard off shoe bracket for an ordinary flash but this would need quite a large offset distance the get a good modelling angle. (With the twin flash you could add extension adaptors to achieve this for example).

This would be fine but quite bulky for in field use potentially.

Generally I only use flash with the 180 for high speed fill in on sunny days, in this case being close to the lens axis is fine and good, the twin flash is fine for this.

Of course others may have already been through this and may have a solution.

I ended up getting the ST-E3-RT transmitter for the 600EX-RT and have it on a stack of books on a table.

I have it diffused with a Lumiquest diffuser, reflected off various white things wrapped around the back side of my test subjects.

I'm learning a ton about positioning the light and why the 180mm makes this harder. On the other hand, the colors out of the 180mm are rocking my world, in focus or not.

Thank you - your comments made things clearer!