Albinar flash...

I was looking for a small flash with low GN that I could use for Macro work. I was searching on eBay when I ran into an "Albinar" Thyristor TTL flash that can be used on Pentax, Minolta and Nikon cameras and that fit the description. I said to myself GREAT ! I have a Nikon and a Pentax camera, but not Minolta. Two out of three is not bad ! The thing is I never heard of a company called Albinar . I figured this was another one of those fly-by-night companies that jump on the band-wagon to try to make a quick buck.

 

I did a search on Google and this is what I came up with Best Products - Camera-wiki.org - The free camera encyclopedia . Apparently this company not only made flash units, but also lenses(quite a few of them), tripods, filters even camera bags. So how come I never heard of them ? Actually the parent company was called Best, they went out of business back in 1996 which is not exactly ancient history. If my memory is not playing tricks on me, I do remember seeing the "Best" sign while traveling, but never thought much of it.

 

Does anybody have any experience with Albinar photographic products ? My Albinar flash which I paid $7 for works fine. Now I'm curious about the lenses they made. Maybe there are some jewels in there ?

Edited April 3, 2021 by hjoseph7

Albinar flashes are not of good quality. $7 is OK. I wouldn't pay much for one even if they are new.

If you want a cheap macro ring-flash, the best bargains out there are sold under the Centon, Starblitz, and possibly other lesser-known names as well.

 

They all look identical to this.

 

I've now collected 3 of them under different brand names, and they're extremely useful. With just the right amount of power for close-up work up to lifesize, and providing a shadowless fill in daylight up to a few feet distance. A set of AA cells lasts for ages and the trigger voltage is a safe 5v.

 

Only downside is that they only provide a P-C connector to the camera, but a cheap hotshoe-to-coax adapter fixes that.

 

As for Albinar. Never heard of 'em. Just another badge-engineering firm I suspect.

Now I'm curious about the lenses they made. Maybe there are some jewels in there ?

My guess is that there definitely won't be.

I got one of those cheapo ring lights for about 20 bucks a few weeks ago, not sure what brand it is ? I have not used it yet, but it seems to work. The thing about ring lights is they are not very flexible. if you look at Nature usually the light is coming from the top. Sometimes from the top-right, sometimes from the top-left, you can't mimic that with a ring light, because the light surrounds your subject...

The purpose of ring lights is to provide light without shadows. So yes, not very natural. But that's what these things are for.

 

What is often done is to tape of sections, so you get more directed light.

Using opaque tape makes a ringlight very flexible, allowing to change the direction of the light at will, without having to move flash units around.

As well as I know, the ring lights now use LEDs, much cheaper to make

(and probably work better) than xenon tube rings.

 

I think I have heard of Albinar, or maybe seen them around, as the usual small and

not so expensive flash units, what might be called "brand X".

As well as I know, the ring lights now use LEDs, much cheaper to make

(and probably work better) than xenon tube rings

Work better?

Only if you want a pathetic amount of light with a cyan dip in its spectrum and not much 'stopping power'.

 

A small Xenon ringlight can give a sub-millisecond pulse of light that's ideal for freezing the motion of tiny insects, or the quiver of a flower in the breeze.

 

And, as already said, can be partly taped off to give a directional light. Not usually the case when used as daylight fill.

As yet unidentified day-flying moth.

Edited April 6, 2021 by rodeo_joe|1