My DIY RingFlash

jammy_c

jammy_c

Suspended / Banned
Messages
991
Name
James
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey Guys!
It's been a long time in the coming, but i've eventually got the "build" pictures up of my DIY ringflash.

This one was a bit "blue peter", but i wanted to make sure the principle were about right, so it probably took a a couple of hours all-in-all.

The results were pretty good IMHO, so i'm planning on making a better quality one soon!

I used the following:

Tools:
Scissors
Rule
Stanley Knife
Superglue

Materials:
Plasti-card
Aluminium Tape
Gaffer (black fabric) Tape
Sellotape (clear)
an empty masking tape reel
Transparent film (similar to tracing paper)

(Please Click Thumbnails to Enlarge):

I cut some pieces of plasti-card to right size. one large square one for the main circular housing, a much longer thinner piece for the outer ridge:
all need covering in silver tape to have better reflective properties.


I then marked out a circle on the square piece to form the basis for the main section, i put an empty masking tape roll in the centre and cut out the inner section of plasticard in order for the lens to poke through.
I then ran a bead of superglue around the outside. whilst this was drying, i added the long strip that i had cut to the outer circumerence of the plasticard. this was superglued, taped from the rear, then alu-taped from the inside to give a nice smooth reflective finish:



Next, i started work on the mounting to the flashgun. I have a Nissin Di622, but the method should be the same for most guns.
I cut another rectangular piece of plasticard and folded it around the flash, then removed, covered in alu-tape and creased properly with the metal rule.
this was then folded up properly and taped tight. the result is an extension to the flashgun which will slide on and off with a bit of force, but not too loose so that it won't drop off.




Another one of these was made in the same way, then a a hole cut in the top of the main circular section, and it was inserted, glued, trimmed and taped. a lot of external taping was needed to keep it in place, and internal taping to ensure no light-loss.


This was then cut to size, and another strip was added (covered with alu-tape) to form a 90° radius for the light to be reflected to the main section. a section was also removed from the bottom edge of the "tunnel" to allow it to fit on the other section
 
Thanks for that bud! Great tutorial! Keep saying I will have a go at one of these, now I have no excuse! Have most of the materials to hand, so will have a go this weekend!
 
the two pieces were then joined at right-angles. Again, plenty of tape needed.

make sure that you have the camera, relevant lens and flash available, as this will be the tailor-made bit, you will need to almost assemble the flash on the camera to make sure everything is where you want it.




And, hey presto, there it is!



The Hard work is not done yet though,

Cut another 2 strips of plasticard, cover in silver tape and join, then add to the main body adjacent to where the light will be exiting the tunnel. I also cut out a rectangle in the centre so i didn't end up with a dark triangle when it flashes.




next you need to locate a diffuser material to spread the light output evenly. I used a form of plastic-coated printable tracing paper, used for engineering and CAD drawings. I imagine white grease-proof paper would do a similar job.

cut this to size (don't forget to cut the centre out for the lens though!
I used clear sellotape to adhere to the main body:

 
Next, give it a good check round to any light-gaps and add extra reflective tape where necessary. mine is a bit heavier than i really wanted, but it has also worked out a lot bigger diameter than I really need. so i think it'll go for a much more streamline one next!

fit on the camera and start playing around!


You'll find that TTL will give you some dark images, so you are better with manual flash power settings!



 
Can I sugest a material for the diffuser? Don't throw your old shower curtain away (plain white type) Just cut the top part off, (this is usually kept cleanest!) I have used it for a simple light tent, background, FG diffuser with lacky band, you get the picture! This makes great diffuser material.
 
Nicely made James that's a very clean looking bit of kit. Far more elegant than my attempt.
 
Here are some of my sample shots with it.

I still need to play around with it, as you can see.

the real reason I made it is for Macro, but i'm still waiting on my Raynox DCR250. :-)

Again, Click for big pic:











 
wontolla said:
Can I sugest a material for the diffuser? Don't throw your old shower curtain away (plain white type) Just cut the top part off, (this is usually kept cleanest!) I have used it for a simple light tent, background, FG diffuser with lacky band, you get the picture! This makes great diffuser material.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea! :) i'll have to give that a try next time. :clap:
 
jgs001 said:
Nicely made James that's a very clean looking bit of kit. Far more elegant than my attempt.
Click to expand...

Cheers, John. it was very rushed though and i managed to stretch about 2 hrs of actual labour over about 4 weeks. :lol:

the next one that i come up with will be better quality I think. this one was a learning curve. It was good fun. ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top