Ring Flash

marko400d

marko400d

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hello all

do any of your good people use a ring flash?
im thinking of investing in one and wondered if anyone had any pics or advice on them.

thanks for your help.
regards
mark
 
Yep I use one

I have use third party ring flash units on some gear before but with out any real success, no auto functions.

Then a couple of years ago a Nikon SB21A ring flash unit came up and Ebay and I got it really cheap, (this particular unit onlys works with the Nikon F3 due to the flash coupling) excellent condition and with an instruction manual.

So the F3 + 55mm Macro and the SB21 is a brillant combination and it is full auto which for me is a great help (will try and post some images later)

If I was buying new, or used again, then it would have to be one that uses the auto functions of the camera (I really struggle getting decent flash images).

They are great for getting flower, texture, insects etc etc and because they are usually low guide numbers (25GN @ ISO 100 in the case of mine) they do not blast all the detail out of your subject.
 
thanks for that knikki!
i'll look out for some pics...
 
thanks for that link Matt, it seems you need to buy a speedlite as well which i was hoping to avoid, i appreciate you digging the link out. :thumbs:
 
I've been known to use one on occasion. :)

The question is, what do you want it for?

If you want that fashion look with the distinctive shadows then one of those macro units isn't going to do the job. They aren't powerful enough and the diameter is far too small. You need to go large. ;)
 
thanks Lagoland;
i really want it for more than macro pics, kind of mixing daylight and flash but not so harsh as with built in flash, i thought as they tend to be quite low-powered it might be useful for this purpose?!
 
Mark,

I've got an MR-14EX and previously had the Sigma EM-140DG....nothing really to choose between them except the price.

Any more info needed, give me a shout.

Bob
 
I can mix daylight and ring flash quite happily with 36 to 1200 joules available.

Those macro flashes are still a bit under powered even for what you want IMHO.

And if you really want to get away from harsh onboard flash them you don't need a ring flash. Get a normal flash gun and move if off camera.. It will be cheaper. :)
 
Irritable_Rabbit said:
I've been known to use one on occasion. :)

The question is, what do you want it for?

If you want that fashion look with the distinctive shadows then one of those macro units isn't going to do the job. They aren't powerful enough and the diameter is far too small. You need to go large. ;)
Click to expand...

That's right. 'Macro' ringflashes are just that - small on-camera flashguns suitable only for closeup photography. In fact most of them aren't even ringflashes, they just have (usually) 2 flashtubes and rely on diffusion to give a faux ringflash effect.

The ringflash adapters go part way to solving the problem - you end up with a proper-size ringflash, but of course they still have only 60 Joules or so of power, which usually isn't enough, and there are serious build quality issues too.

I've tested and worked with this one which is a proper ringflash. You can see it in action in this video.
 
Agree that macro ringflashes are not powerful enough. I have one of these adaptors and to be honest, if you want full on fashion ringflash you need to buy a full sized powered ringflash as Garry suggests.

One of the best ways to work with flash without getting too much direct light is to use a bounce card or a diffuser on a flash. Lambency make a good diffuser that costs about £10 on fleabay. Much cheaper than a ringflash that is a bit underpowered and a bit soft.

Hope that helps (a bit)
 
I use the ringflash adapter Cherryrig mentions with great results.
 
thanks all for your help in this matter.
i shall have a look at your replies tomorrow, when i have more time.
i just wanted to say, once again, that i appreciate all the help you have given.

hope you are all having a good evening
regards
mark
 
oh my goodness i adore ring flash :D, i'd use it all the time if I could (no reason I can't though, lol!). I only recently was finally able to splurge on one that I'd been saving up for which turned out to be the 1500J Ranger. Haven't had much chance to put it to use though :bonk:!!
 
Oh yes, I love the ringflash adapter. Its portable and quite lightweight. I took it with me to images inside where I knew I was under an unattractive strip lilght in a narrow corridor.:shake:
The ringflash gave a soft overall appearence without the harsh shadows. Mine fits nicely on the 580EX but a colleague
of mine also adapted it for the 430EX with the help of a piece of card. They are releasing more models for different speedlites but I'm not sure which.
 
:help: Iv just got one!!!...
 
here's a shot I did the other day with the Sigma ring flash - and daylight:

AW2_2648.jpg
 
Fraggle thats the one I have, got it from DD a month or so ago.
For the money it's a really good bit of kit. The quality leaves a bit to be desired but it
does the job well. Mine has been in and out of the car boot with vigour and its as good as new. Are you bringing it tomorrow?
 
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