Canon quietly announces MR-14EX II Macro Ring Lite
posted Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 1:59 PM EDT
Hidden amidst today's stack of announcements from Canon was the unveiling of a new ring light for macro photography. The Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II is a followup model to the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX, which has been on the market for a while.
The new light garnered just a two sentence mention in the official press release for the new Canon T5:
The Canon Rebel EOS Rebel T5 camera is also compatible with the full line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses as well as other accessories like the new Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II. Ideal for close-up photography with EF Macro lenses, the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II supports E-TTL wireless autoflash in conjunction with one or more Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT flash units.
Designed specifically for macro lighting, the MR-14EX II has a guide number of 34.4 ft./10.5m at ISO 100, and is powered by 4 AA batteries. Here's how Canon describes it:
The all-new Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II is ideal for EOS quality close-up photography when used in conjunction with one of Canon’s EF Macro lenses. Redesigned as a perfect complement to contemporary digital SLR setups, it is the most advanced macro flash Canon has ever produced. It has a maximum Guide No. of 34.4 ft./10.5m at ISO 100 and a twin-tube design where both flash tubes can be directed to fire independently or together. Sophisticated white LED focusing lamps and two forms of modeling lights make for easy and accurate previewing of lighting effects. Infinitely adjustable in any lighting condition with its illuminated dot-matrix LCD, the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II has 12 custom functions and supports E-TTL wireless autoflash when linked with one or more Speedlite 600EX-RT flashes. All this in a refined, compact design with shorter recycling times than its predecessor makes the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX II a reliable, customizable choice.
It sounds like this is a more compact design than the previous generation, with a faster recharge rate—and with an identical $549.99 price.
The announcement of the new light was buried by all the other gear that Canon unveiled today—but we're willing to bet that there are a few macro specialists out there who are pretty excited about this new bit of gear.
