Sigma Ring Flash vs. Canon

I'm planning to buy the Sigma Ring Flash for macro work very soon, but I was wondering, why is it so much cheaper than the Canon equivalent? I can't afford the Canon alternative at the moment, but is the Sigma flash suitable?

I can't seem to find any decent reviews and I've found no comparisons, so I was wondering if anyone could help me out?

Also, do I need to buy one 'to fit Canon'? On some sites I've found it doesn't list the brand that it fits, and on others it says either 'for Canon' or 'for Nikon'.

Either way, I'm planning to buy it from the following website:

http://www.crazycamera​s.co.uk …roductId=9202&a​ff_code=gg

Would this be okay?

Sorry for all the questions but I just want to ensure that I'm making the right decision!

I'll be honest with you, I think it is extremely expensive piece of very specialized equipment. A nice diffuser on a regular flash works just fine as far as I can tell.

yes you need to buy "for canon" you you want ETTL to operate.

I certainly would not buy the sigma fit version for a canon camera- as commented above it may not work at all and certainly would not allow ETTL metering. There has also been some problems with even the canon version working properly with some of the recent canon bodies- not sure if sigma has fixed this.
This type of flash does get the light where you want it but is very hard to get decent diffusion - as commented by Will above I'd get a normal canon flash such as a 430Ex and use it with a diffuser such as a Lumiquest softbox.

Brian v.

Thanks for all of your comments, luckily I did end up buying the Canon fit one! It should be here by the end of this week so soon I can have a decent play around with it and make a decision... if I don't feel it's giving me the results I want, I'll be returning it and looking into regular flashguns.

I've got a few more questions to ask (directed especially towards LordV):

1. Can 'nice', 'artistic' lighting be achieved through the use of a ring flash? I've read that ring flashes can create dramatic '3D' lighting when played around with, but I've also read that they can produce pretty flat light. I'd really like to produce images similar in style to yours and those of other photographers such as Igor Siwanowicz; what would you personally say are the big pros/cons of ring flashes vs. side-mounted flashguns? The main reason I just wanted to get a ring flash was because I felt that they looked much more compact and a hell of a lot less fiddly and weighty than a side-mounted flashgun.

2. Probably a stupid question, but can a ring flash be used when a lens hood is attached?

if your shooting macro at 1:1 then you probable don't have the hood attached already :P

Warl0rd wrote in post #9275462
if your shooting macro at 1:1 then you probable don't have the hood attached already :P

+1 I rarely use lens hoods when doing macro, they tend to bump stuff and mess up my shots!

As long as it uses e-ttl it is compatible. Sigma makes good stuff so I wouldn't hesitate to try it out.
I have the Canon and some of the comments by people who don't have it are off the mark. You can turn off or turn down the tube on one side to give you some modeling and you can hold the flash off camera for more.
You cannot use the lens hood as it goes directly on the front of the 100 macro lens. Other lenses, including the new 100 L macro, require an adapter.
One excellent feature of the Canon is that it can be used as a master with the 580 and 430. That opens up huge opportunities. I'm not sure the Sigma can do that.

I own the Sigma, and I've been very happy with it. I use it exclusively with my MP-E 65mm lens (I've never felt the need for a ring flash with my 100mm 1:1 macro). The ETTL does work, but I seem to use manual settings more often. I remember getting some quirkiness with ETTL when I first got the flash, but that was probably more user error than anything else. I also seem to remember the Sigma having the capability to act as a Master, but I've never actually tried it, so assuming I even remember correctly, I don't know how well it works. Perhaps I'll have to play around with that when I get home today.

IMHO you'd be better off with a standard flash on a bracket. Even with ratio control the light from a ring flash is going to look flat. If you really want a dedicated flash for macro then get the MT-24EX and build a diffuser for it. I own the MR-14EX and I only use it for abstract work, and wouldn't have bought it if I'd known how poor the light quality would be...

Thank you all for your help and advice! The flash came today so I've been having a play around with it with my Sigma 150mm at 1:1, and I'm afraid to say that the light is indeed very flat and unattractive! However, holding the flash off camera produces the right kind of look; here's a quick experiment I did earlier with a dead orchid mantis:

Now, I'm wondering, if I'm going to be constantly holding the flash off camera, is it worth the £220 it cost me? I don't know whether I should take it back for a regular flashgun, but if I did then surely bracket mounting the flashgun would make the whole thing very heavy, and I wouldn't be able to move the flash whereever I wanted it?

why do you think some advised to buy a standard flash...

you can also play with the flash settings or see if you can make some kind of diffuser...

Yeah, I understand why some suggested a regular flashgun but I thought that bracket mounting looked like a bit of a messy job and I thought that it would make the whole unit very large and heavy. Also I just wanted to try out the Sigma flash just to see how it worked, and when held off camera it seems to work as I would like it to, despite the fact it's very tricky to hold the camera in one hand and the flash in the other and still take a decent shot. All I'm asking now is would it be more practical and affordable for me to get a regular flashgun which I could suspend off camera and diffuse?

I would say switch to regular flash unless you can figure out a way to use the ring the way it is supposed...