Sigma EM-140 Ringflash - any good?

[TomB]

Hi guys,

Despite constantly drooling over the thought of a D200, I think the next thing on my shopping list really needs to be a flash unit of some sort.

At the moment the main times I wish for a proper flash is when taking macros (especially when using a reversed lens only a few cms from the subject).

The Sigma EM-140 ring flash seems very cheap (£199 from onestop) compared to the equivalent Nikon offerings, but I can't find much information about it - does anyone here have any experience using one?

The alternative is to go down the SB600/800 route, but the lack of flash commander mode on the D50 means the 800 (also £199 - plus £35-45 for remote chord thingy) would probably be the best option (mmm, D200 :nono: ).

Is there much point in trying to use flashrings for anything other than macro work? Obviously you lose the ability to bounce flash and fire off-camera without slaves, but would it still better than the onboard flash for portait work/fill flash ect?

 

[dod]

I had a look for info on them a while ago and there's next to nothing. Here's about the only thing I could find.

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/reviews/showproduct.php/product/387

From what I can gather they're useful enough for portraiture but you can get some dodgy looking catchlights in the eyes.

 

[TomB]

Thanks dod, that it was just about the only thing google threw up for me as well!

I've had a bit of a trawl through the dpreview forums and the general consensus seems to be they're fairly good - not as well built as the canon/nikon alternatives but seem to produce pretty decent results. Although again the level of info is quite patchy.

They can also be used as master units to fire the 'normal' sigma flashgun, I forget what its called.

My main concern is that I heard a few mentions of them not being fully compatible with some of the higher level Nikon cameras - I really don't want to invest in a system that I won't be able to keep when/if I upgrade the D50. I'm not sure if this issue has been resolved or not - back to google!

 

[CT]

The trouble with ring flashes is they're none directional or (multi-directional?) and throw flat shadowless light. They were really developed for medical and scientfic photography where the artistic merits of the shot are the last thing under consideration. They're obviously great for macro although sometimes the flat light can detract from your shots. Canon make the much more expensive macro light with the double heads so that you can position each light independently or even switch one off to put some modelling back.

If you want a light for macro then get a ring flash. It's good points will outweigh it's bad ones, but as an alternative to a good hotshoe mounted flash for general photography, I wouldn't seriously consider one.

 

[Muler]

by the way, it is possible to set off the SB-800 and 600 from the D50's flash

 

[TomB]

Canon make the much more expensive macro light with the double heads so that you can position each light independently or even switch one off to put some modelling back.

If you want a light for macro then get a ring flash. It's good points will outweigh it's bad ones, but as an alternative to a good hotshoe mounted flash for general photography, I wouldn't seriously consider one.

Each side of the Sigma flash ring can be adjusted in strength or switched off also for modelling. I guess this won't be quite as strong an effect as with the double heads, but it does seem like a very adaptable unit for the price. The Modeling Flash function makes it possible to check for reflections and shadows before actually taking the flash picture - although I'm not sure how that actually works?!


If I did get the Sigma I would probably also eventually end up getting a Sigma EF-500 DG hotshoe flash as a general purpose flash, which could also be used as a slave fired by the EF-140. Is there anyhting I should know about these?

I guess the real question is, could I get comparable macro results to the ringflash using an on-shoe SB-800 with a Sigma 150mm macro in the field, or off-shoe with a reversed lens setup indoors?

 

[TomB]

by the way, it is possible to set off the SB-800 and 600 from the D50's flash

Thanks Muler I wasn't sure about that. Is that wireless or using one of the remote chord thingies?

 

[RobertP]

You can search pbase for all sorts of things

7 pages of hits for 'em-140'

Example pictures and a few comments.

 

[Muler]

Thanks Muler I wasn't sure about that. Is that wireless or using one of the remote chord thingies?

its wireless, You can't transfer TTL over it, but I don't think you can with commander mode on the d70/d70s/d80/d200 either.

Just set the SB-800? to SU-4 mode in the options, and it'll be triggered when you set the on-camera flash off. Pretty sketchy but its definately a good thing to know

 

[TomB]

Well, I've just ordered the Sigma ringflash from the bargain section of Warehouse Express for £200. Should be here on Monday, I'll report back once I've had a play with it.