Any rumors on updates for the MT-24EX twin macro flash unit?

[Dalantech]

I use the MPE65 and MT24 a lot [I burnt out one flash tube].

I was shooting in a field that was wet from dew and one of my flash heads stopped working. Took about two weeks to get it repaired.

On the MT24 I use the garry fong puffers.

I made a set using a pair of Sto-Fens as the connection point to the flash heads. I cut up a replacement wide angle diffusion panel for a 600 RT and hot glued the pieces directly to the MT-24EX flash heads, then a set of Sto-Fens, and then a piece of 1/2 white diffusion material. A pair of Garry Fong Puffer Plus diffusers are the final stage, and all of it held together with a frame that I built using Legos. Due to the way it's built it's solid, but I can still break it down and change the materials out if I want to experiment with something new.

...This becomes even more important with z-stacking...

I avoid all of that by simply not focus stacking I like the depth and detail that I can get in a single frame stopped down. this shot was taken at 2x and F16:

Sleeping Cuckoo Bee by John Kimbler, on Flickr

Tech Specs: Canon 70D (F16, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held.

Technique: I went looking for dormant bees early in the morning and found this Cuckoo Bee sleeping in my Lavender. After it woke up I placed it next to a Daisy and it went back to sleep. I used an artificial flower behind it to keep the background from being black.

 

[Sabaki]

Dalantech's DIY diffusers are legendary. ;D Just type dalantech and the 2nd google autofill will answer your question (at least the English version of Google - not so for Google in Deutschland).

Thanks for the props!

Hi Dalantech!

I use the MR-14EX and I'm wondering, you have any suggestions on how to diffuse this unit please?

Thank you

Back when I had one I played with mounting it at different angles and couldn't get E-TTL metering to work reliably unless it was mounted right at the end of the lens. Ring flashes have two distinct problems: The flash heads are too parallel to the lens, and the flash heads / built in diffusers are too small. Unfortunately the only fix that I know of to both of those issues is to use a different flash

Thank you Dalantech, I guess I'll hold onto mine until a MT-24EX ii is announced

 

[mrzero]

I made a set using a pair of Sto-Fens as the connection point to the flash heads. I cut up a replacement wide angle diffusion panel for a 600 RT and hot glued the pieces directly to the MT-24EX flash heads, then a set of Sto-Fens, and then a piece of 1/2 white diffusion material. A pair of Garry Fong Puffer Plus diffusers are the final stage, and all of it held together with a frame that I built using Legos. Due to the way it's built it's solid, but I can still break it down and change the materials out if I want to experiment with something new.

I would really like to see some photos of this setup...

 

[Dalantech]

I would really like to see some photos of this setup...

I haven't forgotten about you, just haven't had time to take any photos or videos of the diffusers. Maybe this weekend.

 

[chrysoberyl]

Thanks for the advice, Zeidora and Dalantech. I've made time to work on lighting, and have made some progress. I am also more intrigued by 2X photography, my current max.

 

[Dalantech]

... I am also more intrigued by 2X photography...

I really can't say enough about the EF-S 60mm macro lens. Once you get use to shooting at 1x then you can add 37mm of extension and take it to 2x (the lens loses a lot of focal length due to the internal focusing). So you can go from shooting at .6x with the lens set to infinity....

Banded Eye Drone Series 1-1 by John Kimbler, on Flickr

...to 2x at maximum magnification...

Banded Eye Drone Series 1-3 by John Kimbler, on Flickr

Granted you're going to have to learn about the habits and quirks of the creatures you want to photograph in order to get close to them, but that's part of the fun.

 

[Dalantech]

I would really like to see some photos of this setup...

Here's the video.

 

[mrzero]

I would really like to see some photos of this setup...

Here's the video.

Thank you! The Lego apparatus is much cleaner looking than I imagined. Very cool.

 

[Dalantech]

Thank you! The Lego apparatus is much cleaner looking than I imagined. Very cool.

Using Legos actually helped me to keep everything aligned properly, and to make a perfectly matched set of diffusers. Working really well so far. Here's a few images taken with it. The first at about 3x, and the second at 5x.

Feeding Fly by John Kimbler, on Flickr

Stomorhina Lunata at 5x by John Kimbler, on Flickr

Both single frames taken hand held. I'll have some .6x to 1x samples up soon. Light looks fine even at 1x with the MP-E 65mm, and that's the furthest I'll have the flash heads from the subject. Due to the apparent light size principle (size of diffuser is relative to the distance from the subject) the light just gets better as the magnification increases.

 

[LostBoyNZ]

I would really like to see some photos of this setup...

Here's the video.

Great to see! I try to use the same flash with my Sony. There's certainly some limitations, but it's not too bad actually.

I'd love to give that setup a go too. Am I right in that the parts are...

Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce OM-24X Set
Gary Fong Puffer Plus Flash Diffuser for Canon Hot Shoes

If you happen to remember where you got the wide angle diffusion panel for a 600 RT, and a piece of 1/2 white diffusion material, that'd be awesome.

Thanks

 

[Zeidora]

Video is very nice and interesting. Gets me some ideas.
Re diffusion material, a bit old-school, but lens cleaning tissue works quite well. You can fold it as many times as you want to get the desired amount of scattering/absorption as you want.
For internal back-reflection of excess scattered light, I think of using silver tape used for masking slides. Yep, that old ;-)

 

[Dalantech]

I'd love to give that setup a go too. Am I right in that the parts are...

Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce OM-24X Set
Gary Fong Puffer Plus Flash Diffuser for Canon Hot Shoes

If you happen to remember where you got the wide angle diffusion panel for a 600 RT, and a piece of 1/2 white diffusion material, that'd be awesome.

Thanks

The 600RT replacement panel I bought off of eBay.

1/4 stop white silk

Opal frost gel

That Opal Frost is 1/2 stop loss (I thought it was 1/3). You can use whatever you want between the Sto-Fens and the Puffer Plus, but IMHO you should only use materials design to diffuse light for photography. An opaque plastic cutting board will diffuse a flash. Should you use it? Nope...

 

[Dalantech]

Video is very nice and interesting. Gets me some ideas.
Re diffusion material, a bit old-school, but lens cleaning tissue works quite well. You can fold it as many times as you want to get the desired amount of scattering/absorption as you want.
For internal back-reflection of excess scattered light, I think of using silver tape used for masking slides. Yep, that old ;-)

Depending on how you use it the lens tissue will actually block the light from the flash better than it diffuses it. Also keep in mind that it's not designed to diffuse light for photography, so it might add an odd color cast to the light. Silver tape will reflect the light, but it won't diffuse the light. Matte reflective surfaces work best.

 

[Dalantech]

.6x sample image

Taken at .6x (EF-S 60mm + 37mm of extension tubes with the lens focused at infinity):

Hoverfly on Yellow Flower by John Kimbler, on Flickr

 

[Dalantech]

This is what my current lighting setup looks like on a Bumblebee's eye (dark and reflective, so difficult to expose without blowing out the detail). Tech Specs: Canon 70D (F11, 1/125, ISO 200) + a Canon EF-S 60mm macro lens with 25mm of extension (1.7x) + a diffused MT-24EX (flash head "A" set as the key and "B" as the fill, both on the Canon flash mount). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I am the finger model.

Finger Fed Bumblebee II by John Kimbler, on Flickr

I'm still experimenting with the materials that I'm using on the inside of my diffuser.