TTL Ring Flash

Buckskin, thanks for sharing this advice about ring flash guns. They are very useful for macro shots. Original manufacturer ring fleshes can cost an arm and a leg and so third party equipment can offer good value. I purchased a Yongnuo YN-14EX ring flash many years ago and it has served me well. The advantage of a ring flash is that a true flash can put out a lot of light allowing for smaller apertures and greater depth of field. Its possible to vary the power so you can use it as fill with natural light, or as the main source of light and isolate the subject against a black background. The fast flash speed of between 1/1000 to 1/30,000 of a second can freeze the action. This is useful for fast moving subjects like insects.

Its worth mentioning though, the difference between Ring flashes and twin flashes. Ring flashes are cheaper, more compact and can search out subjects in tight spaces. The disadvantage though is that the light is head-on and so can sometimes produce unwanted reflections off shiny surfaces. Twin macro flashes are more expensive and are generally more bulky. The advantage is that you can get better lighting without the distracting reflections because the two small flash guns are positioned farther away to either side of the lens. The lighting is generally better and more professional.

Just a word of caution to anyone buying a third party flash. Please triple check that the auto TTL function works on your particular camera before purchasing. My older Yongnuo worked flawlessly on my previous Canon SLR camera but the TTL does not work properly on my new Canon 90D due to having incompatible firmware. I have found a work-around but it will not work as a true auto TTL. The other kind of constant LED ring flash works similar to a constant flashlight and will´have no problem being adaptable to new camera firmware. However, the amount of light produced by the leds is much less than the light from a true flash gun and so wider apertures and slower shutter speeds will be needed.

I hope this information can help someone before making a purchase.

Kind regards
Chris