Another Speedlite Question for Macro

[Hooker771]

I know you all read these all the time and I apologize in advance, but..... I am looking to buy a light for Macro shots primarily. Other use would be indoor family shots around holidays etc.

I have a Canon XS. I just bought a Tokina 100MM Macro based on comments and reviews by those on this board. It will be in this week, I would like to buy a light for it as well.

Im pretty broke right now so $200 would be max if possible. However, I dont want to buy something antiquated that Ill upgrade in 6 months. And I am an Ebay freak

** I have been using my boss's Speedlite 430EX so far and like it for family photos but am not convinced about macro.

 

[icassell]

I use my 430 with lumiquest softbox for macro and love it, but I think it's a bit over your budget.

 

[Hooker771]

Im pretty sure I can get a 430 EX on ebay for around 200$. Ive been watching and have passed up several in that price range used. I guess a follow up question is should I be concerned about buying a used light? Do they have a specific "life"?

Also, can you use this external on a stand or position it away from the camera?

 

[icassell]

Absolutely. You need the Canon off-camera cord, but I use it off camera all the time. There are hot-shoe adapters for light-stands. I use one of those too (with both of my flashes).

 

[tjones8611]

What about ring flashes, such as the Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX? Are the ring flashes better than the Speedlites for macro? I think there is also sometype of converter for the speedlite to somewhat convert it to a ring flash.

 

[Hardrock]

I use my 430 with lumiquest softbox for macro and love it, but I think it's a bit over your budget.

+1 Works great, but the lumiquest softbox is a pain to keep intact. Unless you use the velcro to hold it on. But I didnt want to get sticky crap all over my speedlight so I use a rubberband.

 

[Overread]

I use a 580EX2 and a lumiquest softbox for all my macro lighting at present so a 430 would certainly do the job well for you. It's also very versatile for other uses as well, so it is well worth investing in a proper speedlite flash.

On the macro front the "best" macro flash lighting are the twin positinal macro flash setup, but its way beyond the OP's budget (infact its way beyond most peoples budget....). Ringflashes are good, but they can give rather flat lighting to the scene, though the better ring flashes will let you have one side stronger/weaker than the other so that you do get some shadows and a less flat looking light. They are also weaker than a speedlite flash and thus more limited when used for othe purposes (mostly outside of macro they are stuck as portrait flashes).