YONGNUO YN24EX YN-24EX 24EX, TTL Macro Ring Flash LED Macro Flash Speedlite, with 2pcs Flash Head and 4pcs Adapter Rings for Canon

Yongnuo YN24EX Macro twin flash (for Canon)I am a big Canon fan and for some years now only shoot with Canon glass (two Canon bodies; 5Dmk4 and 40D) . Once I moved from the 100mm macro lens to the 65mm the need for a macro flash is imperative. In most circumstances there is just no way to get a decent shot without the right lighting setup. Despite my love for all things Canon - the Canon macro flash rig at $990 was a stretch too far compared with the YN24EX at $180. The ratings for the canon were 79% 5 star and 13% 1 star compared with the YN24EX 74% 5 star and 4% 1 star. To me it seemed worth a try.I have been using the YN24EX for 10 months now. Easily rate it 5 stars as it has given me some fantastic enjoyment and an amazing macro photography experience. Of course every customer experience is unique and different but here is my summary and also some comparison with the Canon:Build quality is very good. No issues at all on that front. It came well packaged and to date quality and overall performance has been faultless and has not been an issue at all.Set up is pretty easy; the twin lights can be adjusted around the ring to any position and also swivel to allow good light direction. The flash comes with 4 or 5 adapters to fit the various lens size diameters (despite its $1000 cost the Canon flash comes with zero adapters and need to be purchased separately).The flash power is simple and very quick to adjust (1/128, 1/64, 1/32, 1/16,⅛,¼,½,1) and can also be fine tuned by 0.3 and 0.7 fractions as well.The LED lights are great for illuminating the subject prior to the flash and they have independant low and high settings. Each flash can also be adjusted in ratio if you wish one to be higher than the other - I set mine up with one a little bit more than the other as a preferenceI use Amazon rechargeable batteries (takes 4) and not had any issues whatsoever - plenty of life and super fast re-charge cycle times between flashes.Similar to almost all similar flash rigs - the set up is a bit cumbersome - since it will be used to get very close to a pretty tiny subject- macro photography if doing it handheld needs a bit of patience, slow breathing and a good grip and in my case as well as some decent pictures also results in a sore back after several hours crawling on the ground!. The subject distance is just too close to easily use a tripod - not unless you are taking still - or dead subjects!Things that could be improved; the flash lights are too easily moved around on the ring - this would not be an issue except the cable stiffness tends to pull on them and invariably moves the flash lights around the ring when you are setting up the shot. It is a minor issue but can be annoying if the flashes themselves start to interfere with your set up.The one significant thing this flash lacks that the Canon flash has is high speed sync. I do quite a bit of hummingbird photography and used this flash for some pictures on my 100mm lens but of course you cannot freeze the bird wings without hi speed sync.Note - you cannot put the lens cap on the lens once the ring is mounted to the front of the lens - I'm guessing this is the same on all such lens mounted setups - i don't even think the universal rubber lens covers would help; so your lens is w/o cap at all times when the flash is mounted.Other than that - it has been a breeze and a joy to use with not a single issue in 10 months. Included some examples of how the finished product looks and the lighting on the subjects. In most cases the subject to lens distance is a couple of inches or so and the distance to the flash heads on the ring about 4-5 inches.

I found the YN24EX to be comparable in build quality to the MT-24EX, with the exception of the hot shoe mount (the YN24EX metal, shoe plate and flip lock system being superior to the plastic, shoe plate and twist lock system of the MT-24EX). The inclusion of various lens adapters is a thoughtful touch.So far, with limited testing, the ETTL system of the flash unit does a great job with exposures. The power output is pretty strong and I'd like to try it with a few non-macro lenses.I would love to have two features incorporated with this flash. One, is high speed sync and two, is a cap for the lens, mounting bracket (to protect the lens while the flash is mounted and carried). Overall, however, this is a fine product at a great price!

I bought this product for the ability to aim the lights and position them at various points around the lens, as well as the ability to have them float off-camera to do macro stacks with more dynamic lighting. They work fantastic! They are more than bright enough for f10/f11 shots at iso 100 and shutter at 1/250. They keep up with my Helicon Focus Tube, and the multiple lens adapters to attach to different sized lenses is great.I have decent rechargeable batteries, and have yet to have to change them out for a single shoot, as they last for several hundred shots at a time very easily. I honestly just charge them after I take several hundred stacks regardless of if they are drained, so I don't know for sure how many shots I can get out of them, but it's a lot.The cords that attach to the lights are pretty thick and as such are stiff and make it difficult to use the lights unattached, as they have a lot of return-to-shape tension. So if you want to detach one light from the adapter to set off a little further from the camera, you'll have to hold it by hand or attach it to something else that will hold it stationary. Otherwise the cord, which is coiled like a spring or old telephone cord, will just pull it back toward the flash unit.Once you get the hang of the controls, it's a breeze to set up and dial in to suit your needs. The ability to turn the individual bulbs on to two brightness levels as regular always-on lights is a nice touch, and helps with handheld shots of live subjects as it not only lights your subject a bit for focus prior to snapping the shot but also seems to help lessen the scare of the eventual flash to the subject.Buy it, you won't regret it.

For the price (compared to the Canon MT-24EX), this is definitely a 5-star flash. It is as good as the MT-24EX for way, way less money. The only difficulty I have has is an occasional failure to flash. I have determined this is due to a slight looseness of the flash to the hot-shoe. I have not had any problems if I "wiggle" the flash before use. If I have further problems, I will figure out a way to increase tension on hot-shoe. It is worth the slight inconvenience for the savings. My Canon 580EXII, on the other hand, is extremely difficult to remove from the hot-shoe, which is not characteristic of 580EXII flashes, so perhaps the looseness of my YN24EX may be uncharacteristic. The flash is easy to mount and use and has a handy case. The positioning of the heads and their relative power is adjustable to get the lighting and shadows you desire, although the ring the heads are mounted on does rotate more readily than I would prefer. The provided adaptor rings will work on a wide variety of lenses.