Polariod 48 Ring Flash

<p>Hello all,</p>

<p> I have been offered a Polaroid 48 Ring Flash at a very good price. However, I'm interested in portrait photography. Will this unit be good for close-up portraits? Thanks much!</p>

<p>Some people use ring flashes for a very specific look in portrait photography, really more in fashion photography than traditional portraits probably. But it's not what you would use for day-to-day, bread-and-butter portraits. Portraits are generally shot with umbrellas or softboxes.</p>

<p>Craig Shearman -- thanks for the useful response. My sense is that ring flashes are often used for pretty tight portrait work, which is what interests me. It might have been a good idea for me to have been more specific in my post. I think ring flashes for portraits usually have a 12" diameter, and this unit is smaller...so I wondered, would it be any good at all?</p>

<p>Plenty of people have used ring light for flash. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ring+flash+portraits&es_sm=91&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GS5uVYiiJ5a6ogT9iIKgBg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1509&bih=1145#imgrc=_">This page</a> shows quite a few. The look is different and can work well with the right subject.</p>

<p>The Polaroid (or the same flash under other brand names) can be picked up for around $30 so it doesn't cost much to try it out. I would want a bigger ring for portraits, but this depends on how close you shoot. </p>

<p>Thanks, Jeff. That "up close" stuff is the look I'm interested in but I think I'll look around for something a little bigger than the Polaroid 48.</p>

<p>The Alien Bee ring flash can be used for more than just the ring flash trademark fashion look, ie shadow around edge of subject and donut catchlight. It can also be used for pure on camera axis fill either attached to the camera or on a stand, used with a grid as a background light, shot through an umbrella, or bounced. It's only a one trick pony if you only have one trick. </p>

<p>A few months ago, I bought one of these LED ringlights: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/913459-REG/stellar_lighting_systems_stl_232r_rig_light_led.html. While the output wasn't bad for an LED unit, its color temperature was so horrible, I immediately returned it. A few years ago, I bought a cheaper LED ringlight from Samy's Camera for $60 (which I still have), and its color output is pretty flawed as well.</p>

<p>Based on my experiences, I doubt you'll find an LED ringlight with decent color output unless buying from a major-brand lighting company (e.g., LitePanel's LED ringlight [about $2,000], or KinoFlo's fluorescent-based Kamio ringlight [about $1,000]). I think a better alternative to any of the import-brand LED units is the RayFlash Speedlight adapter, which turns your existing Nikon or Canon Speedlight into a ringlight. These are cool since you also retain all of your Speedlight's TTL capability.</p>

<p>For a true ringlight, AlienBees' ABR800 is a quality, 320-Watt second strobe unit that's reasonably priced at only $399. This unit has a lot of fans and is capable of producing some excellent images. Their unique "Moon Unit" attachments produce some of the nicest ringlight images I've seen. It's AC-powered, so you'll need access to 120VAC house-power, or an AC-inverter like the Paul C. Buff (PCB) Vagabond Mini-Lithium (VML). Personally, I haven't had good experiences with the PCB VML Li-ion batteries (I've had two die on me so far and have since switched to other systems).</p>

<p>One of the best portable DC-powered ringlights is the Elinchrom 400-Watt second, Ranger Quadra ECO ringlight. They're extremely lightweight, and pack a lot of punch. These were on sale only a few days ago for only $399 at B+H (head only-no battery pack), but have apparently just gone back up. Now, a complete system will set you back about $2,000, since it needs to be powered by Elinchrom's pricey Ranger Quadra battery pack (these systems were also on sale a few weeks ago at Adorama, but unfortunately have also since gone back up).</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/images/ringLED-9C.jpg" alt="" /><br>

Stellar Lighting Systems' Webstar LED ringlight ($49.99).</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/images/ringflashex-12C.jpg" alt="" /><br>

ExpoImaging's RayFlash Speedlight ringflash adapter ($139.90).</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/images/ringflashex-2C.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="467" /><br>

Elinchrom 400Ws Ranger Quadra Hybrid Li-ion ECO ringflash ($2,189.99).</p>