11 Mighty Features of the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash

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When you’re ready to explore the world of macro photography, you need the very versatile and easy-to-use Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash. This single unit with two miniature flash heads provides an excellent light source for photographing the tiniest natural creatures and objects as well as many tabletop set-ups of products, food, etc.

Read real customer reviews of the Canon MT 24EX here.

Whether you’re shooting in the field or the studio, the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX can be attached to any of the Canon EF Macro lenses and be completely assembled within a couple of minutes or less. (To use the MT-24EX with the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro lens, you need the Canon Macro Lite Adapter 72C.)

You begin by removing the lens cap and hood, which can be returned to the end of the macro lens after mounting the MT-24EX. Press the button on the flash mount ring, so the four locking tabs retract, allowing you to slide the ring onto the lens. Then, turn the ring until it is in your preferred position. Releasing the button on the ring will then lock it into place with the four tabs.

The twin lights, designated A and B, attach to the miniature hot shoes on the flash mount ring. You’ll find a button on each head to release it from the hot shoe.

It’s the versatility of the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash that makes it such a powerful, little macro photography tool. First, you can tilt each head separately to a number of click-stop positions. Second, you can rotate each head around the flash mount ring, as it remains stationary. Third, the flash heads can remain in static positions and the ring can be turned. Fourth, free either head from its hot shoe to create off-camera lighting effects.

Each light is then separately attached to a handheld interface device via coiled cables. With the controller, you have much the same functions as found on the Canon 550EX Flash, including FEC (Flash Exposure Compensation), FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing), FP (High Speed Synch) and a flash output ratio of 8:1 to 1:8 in a 6-stop range.

Versatility is also built into the MT-24EX control unit. With a very short learning curve, you’ll quickly understand how to choose ratios for flash A, B and C. You’ll also be able to direct slave flashes to which you’ve assigned the A, B or C designations. For total control, use the custom setting to assign the same ratio to A and B slaves flashes as those of the “home” flash units. (The Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX is compatible with Canon 580EX, 550EX and 420EX, as slave flashes.)

The flash C designation on the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX is an ingenious extra. Assign C to a third flash to provide some illumination behind your macro subject or object. Typically, macro photos have very dark to black backgrounds due to the combination of narrow apertures and the short reach of the light. With this flash-C feature, you have many options to improve the look of your macro photos, as you are also more creative.

The MT-24EX may be small, but it provides complete E-TTL exposure and full manual operation.

You don’t have to shoot much macro photography before you discover that many shooting situations and environments don’t provide much ambient light. You can’t often check framing and focus because of the absence of adequate light. Plus, the closer you are to your macro subject/object, the less light enters the viewfinder. The MT-24EX is equipped with two different kinds of modeling flash, which are fired by pressing the DOF (Depth of Field) Preview button. They illuminate for one second, so you can preview your image.

The small parts of the Twin Lite MT-24EX are well protected in the quality zippered nylon case that is included. Each part is secured in separate, padded pockets.

The Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX Flash is available from B&H Photo Video for $788.00, at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Canon+Macro+Twin+Lite+MT-24EX+&N=0&InitialSearch=yes.

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