GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

I’d forgotten that part, but you’re right! Lots of standing around, waiting to be needed.
I don’t miss it, but sometimes it was interesting.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Those new powerful LED flashlights work great for focusing.

bajadreamer Loc: Baja California Sur

I would highly recommend that you purchase the e-book by Greg Basco (DeepGreenPhotography) on outdoor flash. Not only does it cover the use of flash in general, but he has an extensive chapter on the use of flash in macro photography. Also he covers equipment very thoroughly. Another UHH member, John Gerlach, also has a book on the use of outdoor flash, but I found Greg's book on macro extremely helpful. Greg also does workshops in Kansas City on flash in macro photography.

williejoha

There are all kinds of ring flash adapters. I use a CoCo CR- 580 EX. Works great.
WJH

photoman43

Any flash that will communicate with your camera will be good for macro you know how to set it and use it properly. Setting it properly is easy to say and may be difficult to achieve.

I shoot with Nikon cameras and flashes and set my Nikon flash in TTL mode not TTL BL. And most of the time I want the flash to add to existing ambient light so I set rear (second )curtain synch on the camera with flash exposure compensation set to a negative amount lime -1 or -1.7. I often use the flash off camera so I use a flash cord to connect the flash to the hot shoe on the camera. And I often use a soft box on the flash head to diffuse the light.

In addition to a flash, consider getting a LED light cube that is balanced to daylight and just use it hand held or mounted to your hot shoe. I use one made by Litra. Litra 2.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1454533-REG/litra_lt2202_torch_light_2_0.html/overview

mmcgavin

I could not agree more.
I always used an off-the-camera flash for autopsy specimens and a 105 mm lens had a long enough working distance to allow the flash to illuminate the subject. This included photographs of eyes and the 105mm lens had the advantage of a better perspective than the 55mm with less distortion from being too close.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Don't know why you have two of them, although you could rig them to be twin flashes.

You can do fine with a single flash that is directly mounted on the hot shoe for macro. What matters now is DIFFUSION. There are options.
One is a basic and inexpensive diffuser: https://www.amazon.com/Altura-Photo-Universal-Collapsible-Speedlight/dp/B01ERRQ802/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=flash+diffuser&qid=1611159733&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFZWTZRSTdVSFJIMUMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MTQ4MjAyVjM3UFgwVjVGWDg5JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA2NTM1OTgxUzg0WUhVR0JQRUdFJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==. These will give "satisfactory" but not the best results. It would be fine if you were shooting subjects like flowers.
If you want to shoot insects, then a problem of sorts is that some will have shiny parts and you will get blown out highlights with a basic diffuser. Blown out highlights are considered as kind of a negative, although admittedly I still struggle a bit with it (it can be hard to solve).

It seems the best diffusers are the ones that you make yourself, and they don't have to be complicated. Here is one that you could adapt for this flash from the great Nicky Bay: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickadel/7995825800/in/album-72157631557559867/. And just look what he does!
Here is a web site that shows various diffuser designs, and examples of what they can do.
http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2010/12/more-macro-rigs.html

Note the ones with a single flash, either mounted onto the hot shoe, or where the flash is mounted on an armature to get it closer to the subject.

THE TRICK for the better types of diffusion for shiny subjects is a big diffuser, concave, the diffuser surface is close to the subject (right off the end of the lens), and to use the flash at low power.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Here's one of the better DYI macro flash diffusers including how to make it. There are ones similar that are sold however they are in the $150 range and this can be made for less than $20...maybe at near no cost at all.

https://youtu.be/CgTwe4-RDTE

It mimics many of the ones that we see professional quality macro photographers use that adapt their camera speedlight flash for macro photography.

I highly recommend it.

uhaas2009

The godox trigger will work with some pain.....the godox have two frequencies 433hz and 2.4ghz. Your flash are 433 hz frequenting.
I don’t know much about canon some cameras may can trigger the 580 flash. Or you put one flash on camera as trigger. I would invest in a small flash to use us trigger on camera and learn first before invest in better-

gouldopfl

I have several different lights and flashes from my 680ex to led lights to my Adaptalux studio. In truth you can use a cheap light and a pringles potato chip can. In most macro you can use your flash with a cheap diffuser.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

They and other similar knock-off chinese brands do. I have a bunch for my Pentaxs. The RF triggers work fine.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

There are different models for different camera brands and models. Some camera brands may use different model triggers for different model cameras. Read closely or ask questions before ordering.

miteehigh Loc: Arizona

Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite

If you decide on using your existing flashes, this should work for you. Canon ST-E3-RT Speedlite Transmitter

I have these and they work.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Me, I like to keep it simple.
Your Canon flash will do just fine on a cord or shoe mounted. Shoe mount...make, or buy a bounce card, or use the flash's built in one. Attach it to the flash head, tilt your flash head forward a notch or two. Will cover from the front of the lens to a reasonable distance. The bounce card will lose a stop or two of light, but TTL and/or flash compensation can overcome most any problem. Off camera, cord works the same. Diffusers like a Sto-fen or Canon plastic cap diffuser, a white handkerchief...1 layer ~ a stop less light, 2 layers...2 stops, and so on. Fine tuning will get everything to where you'd like it.

Michal Waddell, a Swedish photographer, has a YouTube presentation, where he uses a sheet of white foam plastic packing material rubber banded to his light, and TTL mode, which works beautifully for him. His recommendation...ISO 200, Shutter speed 200-250 sec. f/8.
Good luck!~

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Light is light whether it is continuous light, flash, daylight, tungsten, daylight, or candlelight. Yes, there are different colour temperatures but digital cameras with white balance controls take care of that. Flash laight from a Speedlight can be difficult to control because of the absence of modelling lamps but monolights and studio units have that feature.

Whenever this subject comes up and folks discount flas usage as aesthetically poor and flat or result in artificial-looking images, all kinds of good suggestions come up in the conversation. Folks suggest many different makes and models, the employment of bounce techniques, the addition of diffusers, modifiers and gadgets both improvised and manufactured by nobody mentions the dynamics and behaviours to LIGHT.

Simply placing a Speedlight atop a camera, even if your exposure is correct, you are getting sufficient illumination but not aesthetically pleasing or realistic lighting. Just aiming at the walls or ceiling arbitrarily, placing a diffuser in form of it, or even hanging the most sophisticated modifier on it may not really improve anything. All those accessories are fine and useful but you need to know how to use them and most importantly, understand how they work.

It tells a little study of certain principles. These are the magic words- the angle of incidence, the inverse square law, reflectivity, and the light and chiaroscuro. There are theories of using lig to create ligh and shadow.

Folks that are serious about digital photography and the related equipment spen a lot of time on learning about pixels, camera formats, lens specifications, and oftentimes dive deeply into the inner workings of the camera- electrons and photons and how the camera processing light. All goof knowledge but it may not improve the aesthetics of your pictures. Artistically speaking, it may be just as important or more important to understand how light works before it gets into your camera- how it strikes your subjects.

When you master some of the basic principles, whether you use flash or not, all your work will improve because you'll have learned to SEE and utilize light.

Modern digital cameras and flas gear have taken most of the guesswork and toil out of exposure and focus. Many have incredible built-in features, however, no automation can control the aesthetics and dynamics of light.