DIY RingFlash

jammy_c

jammy_c

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James
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So, i'm a bit short on funds and don't really have any use for one, but I quite like the idea of making my own DIY (free ;) ) Ring-flash. i'll put some piccies up if it works well.

At the moment it's a bit blue peter; plasti-card, cardboard, glue and aluminium tape. The centre is from a wide roll of masking tape (about 75mm x 50mm).

Have any TP'ers attempted this before?
...any Tips?
 
I tried the one that was in practical photography about a year ago. Spent ages doing it! Card board, Christmas lights (and a hole for each light!) tin foil, you knlw the score...

Got it all finished and was well proud of myself.

Plugged it in (cause it's made of Christmas lights remember) ...






















....and the lights didn't work.


No help at all, I realise that, but I bet it made you giggle!
 
Got a link to the guide you're using? :)
 
:lol: Aww Nat! Did it make a good frisbee after that?

Bet you were mad!
 
MagicMynx said:
I tried the one that was in practical photography about a year ago. Spent ages doing it! Card board, Christmas lights (and a hole for each light!) tin foil, you knlw the score...

Got it all finished and was well proud of myself.

Plugged it in (cause it's made of Christmas lights remember) ...






....and the lights didn't work.


No help at all, I realise that, but I bet it made you giggle!
Click to expand...


:'( Lol :lol:. I didn't even realise that they did one. Christmas lights sound a bit lame anyway. lol.
 
scruffy said:
Got a link to the guide you're using? :)
Click to expand...

Sorry, Scruffy. it's all in my head, and i'm making it up as i go along. however i'll make a guide on here if it does work well, making a more "professional" one along the way as this one will be thrown together to see if my principles work. :thinking:

ATM it's basically a bit of plastic sheet, cut circular about 200mm dia, and a hole in the centre which houses an empty masking tape roll, and it's all covered in reflective tape. i'm going to cut a hole in the top for the "Conduit" (for want of a better term) to carry the light from my Di622.

watch this space...
 
There used to be a great "how to" video on youtube, and the result looked very proffesional.
Dean:)
 
jammy_c said:
Sorry, Scruffy. it's all in my head, and i'm making it up as i go along. however i'll make a guide on here if it does work well, making a more "professional" one along the way as this one will be thrown together to see if my principles work. :thinking:

ATM it's basically a bit of plastic sheet, cut circular about 200mm dia, and a hole in the centre which houses an empty masking tape roll, and it's all covered in reflective tape. i'm going to cut a hole in the top for the "Conduit" (for want of a better term) to carry the light from my Di622.

watch this space...
Click to expand...

No worries matey, I had a quick Google around to get the gist of what was required. Good luck and keep us posted. :)
 
MagicMynx said:
I wasn't best impressed like. :lol:
Was a very techie frizbee lol :thumbs:
Click to expand...

Screw it to the wall outside your house, they make great nesting boxes for tits!


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Mine did!!!! :D
 
I do not believe it. out of this world circuits that would do justice to the space program. the second is the cardboard and glue brigade. I am going off this flash business as the parts required are as rare as hens teeth in this country.
 
James, I made an adapter for a normal flash... it works a treat... Basically what you are working on...

http://www.diyphotography.net/readers-projects-the-cd-spindle-ringflash

It looks like

PICT0544.jpg


And here's a sample image...

IMG_0180.jpg
 
James, I made an adapter for a normal flash... it works a treat... Basically what you are working on...
Click to expand...

Cheers John :thumbs:
that's basically what i'm going for, but with a slight difference, I need to get my hands on a DCR-250 soon to use with it :) how do you get along with yours?
 
I'll look forward to seeing how you've built it James...

As for the DCR250... Considering the cost and what it does... it does a very good job... It's damn tricky to use, so can be very frustrating... and when you get the focal length of the host lens up, the DOF can be almost too shallow for a gnats (or ladybirds) whisker... (my sample was shot at f/20 @ 250mm). The IS on my 55-250 is a real boon as well... :D...
 
jgs001 said:
I'll look forward to seeing how you've built it James...

As for the DCR250... Considering the cost and what it does... it does a very good job... It's damn tricky to use, so can be very frustrating... and when you get the focal length of the host lens up, the DOF can be almost too shallow for a gnats (or ladybirds) whisker... (my sample was shot at f/20 @ 250mm). The IS on my 55-250 is a real boon as well... :D...
Click to expand...

I was wondering if I should spec my ringflash to fit the 17-55 kit or 70-300mm tele lens? which would be better for the DCR-250?
 
the 70-300... On a crop sensor body, you'll get about 1:1 at min focus distance at 100mm (give or take...) below about 55-70mm you'll get noticable vignetting as the size of the clear lens of the raynox is actually quite narrow (about 49mm I think)...
 
jgs001 said:
the 70-300... On a crop sensor body, you'll get about 1:1 at min focus distance at 100mm (give or take...) below about 55-70mm you'll get noticable vignetting as the size of the clear lens of the raynox is actually quite narrow (about 49mm I think)...
Click to expand...

That's worth thinking about. cheers! :thumbs:

I assumed it would be atleast 52mm as it's supposed to be compatible with 52-67mm filter sizes, isn't it? my lenses are all 52mm or 67mm.
I guess the vignetting would also be worse with a CPL or UV Filter too. :thinking:
 
jammy_c said:
I guess the vignetting would also be worse with a CPL or UV Filter too. :thinking:
Click to expand...

Yes it is. Take them off!
Works fine with the Nifty Fifty though.
 
Yes it is. Take them off!
Works fine with the Nifty Fifty though.
Click to expand...

hmm, the nifty is on the shopping list along with the Raynox at the mo. lol :(
 
James, the lens clip will attach to filter threads of those size. But the actual lens piece itself screws into the holder and has 49mm threads I think... :thinking: As the FOV reduces the vignetting disappears.

it does work well with the Nifty and if you want to cut the DOF of f/1.8 of the nifty (which is already really narrow) down to nothing :lol: it works a treat.
 
jgs001 said:
But the actual lens piece itself screws into the holder and has 49mm threads I think...
Click to expand...


43mm Threads, Very norty of them really as I would love to get a 43mm -28mm reduction ring! They don't seem to make them!!
 
thanks.. i'm going to have a play at 1 of these'
 
jammy

try a search on flickr, loads of ideas and different styles on there

In particular the DIY equipment group
 
This was mine:

2385148843_479e684afa.jpg


The centre is a CD/DVD storage tube, the rest cardboard and electrical tape, with a disposable plastic table cloth stretched to make a diffuser. Looks rubbish but works better than my Rayflash adapter.

I had the flash shoot directly ino the ring and didn't try to bounce it round a corner. This meant I had to hold the flash in my left hand but a better DIYer could no doubt rig a support.

This was my first shot taken with it:

2313394510_8994a42ff1.jpg
 
I like it! :) nice and simple but very effective!
Did you line the main ring with a reflective material or leave it white?
 
You were very lucky there. The flash was almost into your specs,a bit lower down and your eyes would have gone into a blinding flash.
 
I based my ringflash on a DIY design on the discussion threads at Strobist.

It is basically a 99p Wilkinson's 12" diameter plastic salad bowl with the interior spray painted white and the exterior sprayed black; a hole at the base for the lens; and a hole in the side near the front edge for the head of my Canon 540 flash.

There is an inner made from two plastic tumblers glued over the lens hole, inside sprayed black, outside sprayed white.

Between this inner and the salad bowl, I attached diffusion material layered in thickness 3-2-1 moving away from the flash to try and even out the intensity of the light.

I used plastic because I haven't the tools or skills to cut metal and it is lighter.

I attached a meccano-like frame (various bits from the local DIY store screwed together) to the bowl to firmly seat the flash and provide a hand hold so I can hold the ringflash with one hand and my camera in the other.

I fire the flash with an ebay poverty wireless trigger.

I use my 50mm 1.8 prime lens as I'm shooting close to the model and there is no way I could use the zoom on a zoom lens with it stuck in the ringflash.

I shoot on ISO200 and usually set the flash to 1/64 power and shoot around f3.2. Saves battery power and blurs out the background nicely.

The circular white "vignette" :-) that intrudes on some of the pictures is totally accidental and due to the "play", because the camera and ringflash are not on one mount, between the lens and the inner of the ringflash but I think it sometimes adds a nice "feel".

There are some examples in my Gallery

Paul
 
paulhuk said:
I based my ringflash on a DIY design on the discussion threads at Strobist.

It is basically a 99p Wilkinson's 12" diameter plastic salad bowl with the interior spray painted white and the exterior sprayed black; a hole at the base for the lens; and a hole in the side near the front edge for the head of my Canon 540 flash.

There is an inner made from two plastic tumblers glued over the lens hole, inside sprayed black, outside sprayed white.

Between this inner and the salad bowl, I attached diffusion material layered in thickness 3-2-1 moving away from the flash to try and even out the intensity of the light.

I used plastic because I haven't the tools or skills to cut metal and it is lighter.

I attached a meccano-like frame (various bits from the local DIY store screwed together) to the bowl to firmly seat the flash and provide a hand hold so I can hold the ringflash with one hand and my camera in the other.

I fire the flash with an ebay poverty wireless trigger.

I use my 50mm 1.8 prime lens as I'm shooting close to the model and there is no way I could use the zoom on a zoom lens with it stuck in the ringflash.

I shoot on ISO200 and usually set the flash to 1/64 power and shoot around f3.2. Saves battery power and blurs out the background nicely.

The circular white "vignette" :-) that intrudes on some of the pictures is totally accidental and due to the "play", because the camera and ringflash are not on one mount, between the lens and the inner of the ringflash but I think it sometimes adds a nice "feel".

There are some examples in my Gallery

Paul
Click to expand...

Cheers, Paul! :) that sounds like a good bit of kit. have you got any photos of the contraption itself?
 
I lined mine with silver baking foil (glued to the cardboard). It seems pretty efficient in that there isn't much light-loss but the quality of light could no doubt be improved. Without the foil, and just relying on the white cardboard, light wasn't gettin g round the ring so I had a donut effect. Foil really helped.

The diffuser on the front is probably key to getting decent light. Obviously you need something that won't give a colour cast or eat up too much light, or diffuse it too much.
 
ianmarsh said:
I lined mine with silver baking foil (glued to the cardboard). It seems pretty efficient in that there isn't much light-loss but the quality of light could no doubt be improved. Without the foil, and just relying on the white cardboard, light wasn't gettin g round the ring so I had a donut effect. Foil really helped.

The diffuser on the front is probably key to getting decent light. Obviously you need something that won't give a colour cast or eat up too much light, or diffuse it too much.
Click to expand...

cool, I dont think that should be too much of a problem, I have several thickness pieces of plasti-card and a type of plastic-coated trcing paper which you can print on. either should work quite well I think. may have to experiment a bit.

I've gone for the aluminium tape approach as you tend to get a smoother finish ;) the only problem is that it's not as reflective as the foil. I'd ideally like to find a small mirror to go in the 90° elbow as that's where most of the light-loss will occur.
 
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