Bower SFD14C Digital Macro Ring Flash for Canon EOS 7D, 5D, 60D, 50D, Rebel T3, T3i, T2i, T1i, XS Digital SLR Cameras

Never really used this much. It was clumsy and hard to connect to the Canon 40D I was using. It made a ring of light around the subject, but not much on it. I used external fixed light - cheap stands with full spectrum bulbs and it worked a lot better.

I've been using mine for over four years (with the Canon 10D, 40D, 7D, & 5D MkII DSLRs and the Elan 7ne E-TTL-"I" film body) and can say that it delivers portraits and close-ups with clean even light, accurate exposure, and that all-important "ring flash shadow." Some tips:* Choose a medium to dark reflectance background wall or surface (dark gray and purple look really cool with ring flash).* To create the shadow halo look, start with a camera-to-subject distance about TWICE that of your subject-to-background distance. Example: If you're 4 feet from your model, put him/her/it about 2 feet from the background.* Experiment with different distances--that's what makes ring-flash photography so frustrating (& fun)* To accentuate the shadow halo, try underexposing 1/2 to 1 stop.* If you're having problems with over-exposed frames on extreme close-ups (ECUs), try aperture-priority mode, a low ISO (50-100), AND stopping down (f/8-16). Reason: this little flash is much more powerful than it looks (a guide number of 46 at ISO 100 means that at 1 foot away, you'd need an aperture of f/46 at full power).* If you're worried about reliability, buy a used unit with a return guarantee. That's right, USED. Reason: Since some reviewers have very durable units (like me) while others got "duds," then a well-tested unit that works will likely be a "non-dud" and would seem to be the best choice (and possibly less expensive too).* If you're using an extension tube, you may need to adjust exposure, even with E-TTL (I'm not sure why, maybe my extension tubes are not "smart" enough to communicate lens settings to my cameras).Some caveats:* I agree with the reviewer who says that this unit will not create ring-shaped catchlights in a subject's eyes (unless you shoot ECU with a wide-to-normal focal-length lens). But you can definitely nail the SHADOW HALO EFFECT (which is what most of us want from a ring flash).* This unit will not produce as soft and big a shadow effect as, say, the Ray Flash Speedlight accessory. But for 75% less cost, it still gets the job done and it's WAY more portable.* Yep, it's recycle rate can be slow when shooting subjects further than 6 feet away at ISO 100. I usually shoot portraits at ISO 1600 with this unit and the Canon 5DII and 7D, so recycle times are less than 4 seconds at portrait distance, much less for macro stuff.Summary: Recommended as a portable and effective ring flash.Hope that helps, happy shooting!

Waste of money.I thought to myself, "how different could this be from a Canon brand ring flash?"Very different.This hardly works for macros of flowers and insects and completely FAILS when it comes to portraits of people. You don't get a nice ring in a person's eyes with this, just two harsh dots.

Pros:* Price point - this is a very reasonable price for a reliable macro ring flash. It is not as good as the far more expensive options, but it definitely brings a lot to the table.* The ring can be moved around for different lighting effects. Depending on the set up, I will either hand hold the ring and move it around accordingly or leave it on the lens.* Battery life is very good - I have used this heavily for four months on one set of batteries.* Perfect for macro and portrait photography. This flash is very versatile and lights the scene without making it look washed out. A number of interesting tricks and results are possible with it.Cons:* Can be a little difficult to remove from the lens. Putting it on is also a little difficult. Do not expect to do this quickly in the field as it is also a little awkward to balance while removing it.* Does add weight to the camera. For some this will be a good thing because it can help balance it, but not everyone likes heavy camera equipment.* The cord is stiff and tends to hang or stick out.Who This Is Good For:* Anyone looking to get into macro photography* Anyone who wants something more budget friendly than high end ring flashes* Someone looking for more lighting options for their photographyAdditional Notes:* The first one I purchased quit working after a few days. (stopped firing) Amazon shipped me a replacement and it works perfectly.* If you use lens caps, you will probably want to purchase a pinch cap because the flash is deep and reaching the lens to remove the cap is hard otherwise.* Spend some time getting used to the flash, because it is more advanced than a built in or clip on.* I have found it is easier to use the flash when the bottom portion of the ring (where it says "macro") is on the left or right side of the lens since it makes it easier to set down or move around on a tripod.

This was a great little flash as long as it lasted.I took it off the camera and used it as an off camera flash a lot.However its short life of a few years or so, would keep me from purchasing it ever again.

The worst purchase i have ever made after 10 shoots fails and never works fine.

I bought this flash to take dental pictures. This flash delivers enough light to do it. It fits perfectly on my Canon T3i and to my Macro 100mm flash. This appearance is not as googd as Canon MR-14EX, but who cares. I'm 100% satisfied.

I got this today, and it works just fine on my Rebel XSi and Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro lens. This is the first ring flash I have ever used, and I gave it five stars based on cost/performance. I'll update this short review later to comment on how the flash holds up over time. If it dies a young death, as some users have complained about, I'll just trash it and get the Sigma ring flash which costs several times as much. I don't think that there is any good way to mount the Canon ring flash to third-party lenses, so I didn't even consider that one.