# Canon Announces the Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash



## Canon Rumors Guy (Aug 29, 2017)

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<em>New Canon EF Lenses Support a Variety of Photography Applications including Architecture, Portrait, Food and Landscape</em></p>
<p><strong>MELVILLE, N.Y., August 29, 2017 –</strong> Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens as an addition to the Company’s existing 85mm focal-range lens line-up and three new Tilt-Shift macro lenses: the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lens. Canon also announced a new Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT flash. These new products will help provide both advanced amateur and professional photographers the unique photography tools for a variety of applications and solutions including architecture, landscape, food, product and portrait photography.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Preorder: Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX RT $989: <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1358149-REG/canon_2398c002_mt_26ex_rt_macro_twin_lite.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2iDE2p0">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://mpex.com/canon-macro-twin-lite-mt-26ex-rt-flash.html?acc=3">Midwest Photo</a></strong></li>
</ul>
<p>“Creating a powerful, timeless image requires more than just a camera. It requires high-quality, well-crafted optics and flashes to capture compelling photography,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., “These new lenses along and the Macro Twin-Lite flash will continue to push the boundaries and expand the possibilities of what advanced amateur and professional photographers capture and share with the world.”</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><strong>Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM Lens</strong>

Canon EF 85mm focal-length lenses are traditionally very sought-after options for portrait photographers. With that in mind, Canon is expanding its EF 85mm line up with the introduction of the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM; the first Canon EF 85mm lens to feature image stabilization, providing up to four stops<span class="green">*</span> of shake correction for smooth and crisp imagery.</p>
<p>The EF 85mm utilizes one large diameter, high-precision molded glass aspherical lens and features an ASC coating. The large f/1.4 aperture produces shallow depth-of-field, fast shutter speeds and a bright image inside the viewfinder, allowing photographers to focus and compose their image reliably. In addition, a circular aperture with 9-blade iris allows for beautiful bokeh.</p>
<p>The New Canon EF 85mm f/1.4 L IS USM is scheduled to be available November 2017 for an estimated retail price of $1599.00<span class="green"><sup>††</sup></span>.</p>
<p><strong>New Tilt-Shift Lenses</strong>

Tilt-Shift lenses have several applications for suitable photographers because of their ability to provide enhanced creative control over perspective through the tilt function and depth-of-field through the shift function in their images. This ability can be optimal when photographing landscapes, portraits, and architecture.</p>

<p>The image quality derived from Canon Tilt-Shift lenses has evolved considerably since their first inception several years ago. Enhanced optical elements like molded aspherical glass and UD lenses are at the core of the new Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lens. These features provide users with edge-to-edge resolution, improved image quality over previous Canon TS-E lenses and minimum distortion. Canon also included two anti-reflective coatings, SubWaveLength Structure Coating (SWC) in the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses and Air-Sphere Coating (ASC), into the TS-E 50mm f/2.8L and TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lenses. SWC helps to reduce flare and ghosting, while ASC is a new technology that provides amazingly high, anti-reflective performance, particularly when alleviating incidental light that can enter a lens.</p>
<p>The new Canon Tilt-Shift lenses also offer improved operability over previous models, including larger tilt, shift-and-lock knobs, lock-release button and a new tilt-locking mechanism that firmly locks the lens in the zero-tilt position to help prevent unintended tilting to increase more precise shooting capabilities. The rotation of the tilt-shift lenses also allows users to freely change the axis of tilt movement and shift from right angles to parallel to better adapt to various shooting conditions and situations.</p>
<p>The new Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro lens and TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro lenses are scheduled to be available November 2017 for an estimated retail price of $2199.00<span class="green"><sup>††</sup></span>.</p>
<p><strong>Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash</strong>

To further enhance a photographer’s ability to shoot macro photography, the new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash can be the ideal tool. The use of a macro twin-lite allows for a more ideal lighting situation for photographers, and can be adjusted and shifted depending on the direction the photographer would like to control. Detachable macro twin lites can be rotated up to 60 degrees, and features a maximum guide number of 85.3 ft (26 m)<span class="green">**</span>.</p>
<p>The new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash inherits the ease of use and operability of Canon’s latest Speedlite EX series flashes and increased brightness of the focusing lamp compared to previous Canon Macro-Twin Lites. There is also less noise produced from the charging of the lights.</p>
<p>The new Canon Macro Twin-Lite MT-26EX-RT Flash is scheduled to be available November 2017, for an estimated retail price of $989.99<span class="green"><sup>††</sup></span>.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Preorder: Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-26EX RT $989: <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1358149-REG/canon_2398c002_mt_26ex_rt_macro_twin_lite.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://amzn.to/2iDE2p0">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://mpex.com/canon-macro-twin-lite-mt-26ex-rt-flash.html?acc=3">Midwest Photo</a></strong></li>
</ul>
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## Chaitanya (Aug 29, 2017)

Seems like this new light is being buried under the hype surrounding new lenses.


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## Sabaki (Aug 29, 2017)

Easily the most expensive flash unit in Canon's lineup

Still, I need this twin lite :-X


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## Talys (Aug 29, 2017)

It's RT!!!! 

Now, if I only needed it, coz damn, that's an expensive flash just to have, lol. I neeeeed it! ;D

I wonder if it will show up on cop shows... used by those super CSI coroners shooting from 15 feet away in daylight, no doubt because cops get special versions of macro lights that are much brighter than normal flashes.


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## Valvebounce (Aug 29, 2017)

Hi Talys. 
Just wait a couple of months, and you will be able to get the YN-26EX-RT for a couple hundred of your local currency units.  :
Super CSI's ;D ;D ;D ;D so true. 

Cheers, Graham. 




Talys said:


> It's RT!!!!
> 
> Now, if I only needed it, coz damn, that's an expensive flash just to have, lol. I neeeeed it! ;D
> 
> I wonder if it will show up on cop shows... used by those super CSI coroners shooting from 15 feet away in daylight, no doubt because cops get special versions of macro lights that are much brighter than normal flashes.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 29, 2017)

So...RT, slightly higher guide number, LED modeling lights, an 'official' Canon StoFen-type diffuser, and quieter recycling. 

I'll be hanging on to my MT-24EX.


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## Hector1970 (Aug 29, 2017)

I love the way on some cop programs they have Canon rangefinders when showing the view through the camera.I saw it recently in Billions when they were spying on the house. Those CSI's get a very satisfying flash sound as well. The flash is so powerful it gives off a big noise.


Valvebounce said:


> Hi Talys.
> Just wait a couple of months, and you will be able to get the YN-26EX-RT for a couple hundred of your local currency units.  :
> Super CSI's ;D ;D ;D ;D so true.
> 
> ...


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## lastcoyote (Aug 29, 2017)

neuroanatomist said:


> So...RT, slightly higher guide number, LED modeling lights, an 'official' Canon StoFen-type diffuser, and quieter recycling.
> 
> I'll be hanging on to my MT-24EX.



2 seconds faster flash recycling time too apparently. 

For sure it doesn't make the MT-24EX redundant however all the little upgrades are all things that matter to me. I like the smaller body and the modern metal hotshoe foot too.
I wonder if the dimensions of the flash heads are the same? ..with my custom made diffusers in mind.


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## midluk (Aug 29, 2017)

And ~30% more expensive. I thought the MT-24EX at slightly below 900€ was expensive, but 1249€ is a whole new level.
That's more than twice the price of the 600 EX-RT II with less than a quarter of the power.


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## lastcoyote (Aug 29, 2017)

midluk said:


> And ~30% more expensive. I thought the MT-24EX at slightly below 900€ was expensive, but 1249€ is a whole new level.
> That's more than twice the price of the 600 EX-RT II with less than a quarter of the power.



Oh it's too expensive for sure. That's a given.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 29, 2017)

midluk said:


> That's more than twice the price of the 600 EX-RT II with less than a quarter of the power.



The 300mm f/2.8L IS II is more than 5 times the price of the MP-E 65mm f/2.8, and the latter has less than a quarter of the focal length. Of course, those two lenses are intended for very different purposes. Not at all like the two flashes you're comparing. : 

Note that I'm not saying the MT-26EX RT is a good value – as I already stated, I see no point in 'upgrading' my MT-24EX. Having said that, maybe you're suggesting using a pair of 600EX-RT's and an ST-E3-RT instead of the twin lite...that could work with something like a pair of Wimberley F-2 brackets, but it's a bit unwieldy.


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## Asher (Aug 29, 2017)

> A Macro Lite Adapter is necessary when attaching to the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM (optional Macro Lite Adapter 67)



You've got to be kidding me. New $1000 macro flash, and you've still got to buy an adapter to use it with the L-series macros?


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## Talys (Aug 31, 2017)

midluk said:


> And ~30% more expensive. I thought the MT-24EX at slightly below 900€ was expensive, but 1249€ is a whole new level.
> That's more than twice the price of the 600 EX-RT II with less than a quarter of the power.
> [/quote
> 
> But the 600 EX-RT will outsell it by a factor of maybe thousands. One is a super-specialty item; the other is a best-selling, ultra-common, general purpose tool.


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## RGF (Sep 1, 2017)

neuroanatomist said:


> So...RT, slightly higher guide number, LED modeling lights, an 'official' Canon StoFen-type diffuser, and quieter recycling.
> 
> I'll be hanging on to my MT-24EX.



You forgot to mention the price went up by $160 vs current B&H price.

I agree, not worth the upgrade.


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## mrzero (Sep 5, 2017)

neuroanatomist said:


> ...maybe you're suggesting using a pair of 600EX-RT's and an ST-E3-RT instead of the twin lite...that could work with something like a pair of Wimberley F-2 brackets, but it's a bit unwieldy.



Since the 430-EX-IIIRT is an RT-master, I've thought about using two on F-2 brackets. Not as heavy as the 600's, still a little ungainly, but the cost would be the same or less than the new twin lite. No remote needed, just the cable.


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