Ring flash for a Nikon d40 - what are the options

I am planning a calender for 2009 and have my concepts all lain out - and plan

to use all ring flash studio-look shots with models. I've been looking at

ringflash options for the D40 and am a little confused although the answer is

probably simple. First, I've seen one Nikon brand ringflash that seems like a

dedicated ringflash. I've also seen 'slave' ringflashes, off-brand, with no

specific specs as to which cameras they will work with. One question I have is

that if the ringflash is apparently designed to operate alone for the flat

linear look of the subject, why would there be a 'slave,' ringflash which

suggests it will fire after a signal from a main flash, meaning two flashes

firing? Second, would anyone have a suggestion for a ringflash for a D40, Nikon

brand or preferably cheaper, and finally is there any way to rig a regular flash

like the sb-600 to operate as a ringflash, and if there is, will I be able to

fire it alone. I'm also assuming that the best place for the ring flash is on

the shoe-mount since its meant to be used on the same plane as the subject. And

lastly, I've seen some DIY ring lights, which are basically cut-out plywood

rigged with light sockets. Any disadvantage to this, assuming the lighting isn't

unbearably hot while shooting? Thanks.

You been watching too many CSI television shows. Get some decent portrait lights.

Forget Ring Flash.

 

A ring flash is for close up shadowless macro - the stuff a couple of cm from the lens - it is not for people.

 

Lots of uninformed are however buying it and in some time there will be a flood of a particular brand on the market - that is second hand and unwanted.

 

You need at least some "good" mono heads.

There is a few US makes these days, but I know Prophoto & Hensel.

Get a minimum of 500 joules and preferably 1000. Joules are watt/seconds. Get as large a soft box as you can or octa type things.

 

You will need at least 2, but that will be a workaround.

3 and a couple of reflectors - white - and stands plus a couple of translucent or shoot through diffusers.

 

Then you could get the Dean Collins DVD set on lighting and you will enter the real world of serious know how.

 

Peter

I'm NOT going to assume you know nothing about studio strobes, and that the use of a

ring light is a creative decision.

 

You are confusing the type of wimpy ring lights used for macro work with those often

used for fashion and some product work which are much larger and way more powerful.

For what you want to do, forget the small on-camera ones that are dedicated to a camera

brand, and forget about TTL.

 

Most lighting companies offer a large ring light among their strobe head options. I use a

Profoto Acute 2 ring light which you generally mount on a tripod and plug into a generator

box ... as well as the highly portable Hensel Carbon Fiber unit with handle that I use with a

Porty battery powered generator box for more mobile location work.

 

As far as I know, there is no self contained mono head type true ring flash like those used

for fashion photography.

 

I believe Alien Bee recently introduced a ring light that looked decent for the money. Take

a look via Google. Still needs a power source.

i have used an old Sunpak ring unit, but it is just enough to do a bust portrait, using it as

a main light. and it is rated at 8m, which is pretty powerful for a macro ring (i think there

is a new one, ttl, rated at 12m).

 

thus, i would suggest that you get yourself the Alienbees one. it is a good price. probably

a bit heavy, but you could use a monopod or something. and you can work with a dSLR

without a flashmeter, by trial and error. you may also want a monolight, but i see

absolutely no reason why you can't start with the ringlight. i started with one monolight,

and have done a hell of a lot of work with it. now, on the move, i am doing most of my

work with one Metz 45 on a stand, and can still get good results with that.

 

t

Marc

 

Any thing you can do with a ring, you can do better with a better light. Let's not confuse a ring with a real studio light for which its no substitute. I'm not sure its a creative decision, it technical.

Mr. Moravec: wrong opinion, but entertaining

 

Mr. Schnell: wrong but uninformed.

 

Mr. Williams: Great answer but IMO , the Profoto and Hensels, etc. are now way over priced and too limited in what you can do with them (see below for a better option).

 

Mr. Feltus: going in the right direction.

 

Mr. Gerstle:

 

The ring-flashes you are looking at are all designed for close up and macro work but have some limited application s in more general photography. Of these low power options the best is the Nikon R1C1 system.

 

In my opinion the best tool for what you want is found in the Zeus system from Paul C Buff, Inc. ( http://www.alienbees.com/zeus.html )

 

with the ZRM1 ring flash head ( http://www.alienbees.com/zrm1.html )

 

I've been using this system since September. It has all of the power of the Profoto Acute 2R system ring-light and the same basic light quality (and more), for much less than a similar 2400 watt-second Profoto Acute2 pack and ring-light.

 

Light quality: a bare ring-light -anybody's - is a very basic on camera light. It's makes for a very clich餠look, at least among photographers. To get your money's worth you want to be able to dress it up with different modifiers, to give yourself some options. And that is what I really like about the ZRM1. I can use it straight, or with various combinations of reflectors and deflectors, there are two softboxes (a 32" and a 54' diameter), there's a 20-degree grid, and there's an adapter to use it into an umbrella. Another thing I really like about it is that unlike every other company's ring-light, Buff has really intelligently rethought how you?d go about mounting the camera to the light and how you'd go about mounting the rig to a tripod, a light stand or might hand hold it. It?s also much less clumsy in use. Marc no doubt knows exactly what I am talking about.

 

Two other aspects I really like about it: there are working modeling lights and it is fan cooled. The fan is pretty quiet but does a good job.

 

The only other ring-light I know of off the top of my head that is fan cooled, has modeling lights and can be used with a range of modifiers is the Broncolor C (About $1850 for the head alone and another $2350 for the least expensive 2400 watt-second Broncolor pack).

 

Which brings us to price. The comparable (And make no mistake if you have the money go with Broncolor or the equally great Profoto D4 systems) the 2400 watt-second (yes those are really watt-seconds, not the bogus Photogenic effective watt-second standard) Zeus pack is $800. The ZRM1 ring-light head is $300. There is literally nothing else new with these features and even close to this price range.

 

 

Downsides of any ring-light: no high-powered ring-light is designed to be beaten to death by a high frame rate per minute at full power: none of them. I had a friend blow up two Profoto Acute2 ring-lights in an hour by really shooting fast. That's a user caused error, not a defective product problem.

 

Specific Downsides of the Zeus: the controls aren't as slick as Profoto?s) and I hate the graphics. Buff also opts to use Lexan as a case material in a lot (not all of his products. Lexan has a lot of good properties but looking and feeling expensive isn't one of them. But the flash duration is very short (with the standard Zeus head at 2400 watt-seconds the t0.1 Flash Duration (FD) is around 1/270th of a second while at 2400 watt-seconds the Profoto Acute 2R FD with their standard head is 1/70th second. These are the numbers I've measured with a Broncolor meter, not sales specs). t0.1 is the standard for FD when you want to know what the real motion stopping ability of a flash system is. The t0.5 FD standard is about three times shorter but excludes a lot of photographically significant light: read

 

http://tinyurl.com/29okrc from Broncolor for more details.

 

So anyway that's what I think you should be looking at. It's an opinion but it is an informed and researched one from someone who, like Marc Williams and T Feltus, actually uses these things.

 

having looked at Peter Schnell's portfolio now , I also seethat he is a;slso a very fine and versatile photographer: adept at location and studio lighting. I didn't intend to slight him in any way: I simply didn't know his work before a few minutes ago. His portfolio is really solid. I also realize that being in Australia he doesn't have ready access to the Zeus gear.

Ellis,

 

"I believe Alien Bee recently introduced a ring light that looked decent for the money. Take a

look via Google. Still needs a power source."

 

You confirmed the "decent" part. It seems a good solution.

Thanks all for the advice, specs, and examples. Sorry to have confused you about the ring light specs, which made it sound like I was looking to do macro photography. <b>It looks like Alien Bees wins again!!!</b>

wewll the also have the 320 watt-second ABR800 ring-light which is about 8 months older than the Zeus saystem. Same accessories.

 

I forgot to mention that you can use 2000 watt-second capable (like the 2040 & 4040 etc. ) Dyna-lite heads with the Zeus packs.

I should have added "In one way or another."

Ellis, pious response and somewhat biased.

 

First, let's not tell someone their opinion is "wrong". It's an opinion, and therefore is excluded from wrong or right. It's factious to try to control opinions.

 

Most (all?) ring flashes made for fashion work are made to be a omni-direction hard light. Something that will give an almost shadowless detail, but have contrrast. There is little doubt, that the Elinchrome, Broncolor, Profoto, Hensel, and Lumedyne are a better quality (though much more expensive) option to achieve this look.

 

Both Alien Bees and Bowens design there ring flash reflectors like a beauty dish. This will give a softer light. This will decrease your contrast and give you a flatter image.

 

Modeling lights-- not really needed for a ring flash. This is why so many top companies don't add them. Fan cooled, is a nice option, but adds weight. If Profoto is going to sell a ring flash for thousands, they are going to put in the features requested by their major demographics-- I won't guess as to what those are, but I'll not be so naive to think the power house hasn't figured out that Buff's light for 1/10 the price is a better option.

 

Alan, this may be the option for you, based on price. Though it won't give you the end results that other vendors will, it'll save you a bundle.

Nope I'm not biased except towards tools that work.

 

And yes people can be wrong in their opinions. I'm not tryingto control anyone, just

pointing out the error i ntheir assumption.

 

I use Profoto as wel lthe Zeus units , have used and owned Elinchron, Comet, Dyna-lite

Speedotron, Balcar (just my Balcars recently), and when needed rent Broncolor.

 

Balcar had modeling light equipped ring-lights and ring-light type modifiers long before

any of the other company's started even making them. I'll presume that

nm=manufacturers don't have modeling lights and fans becasue they don't work with their

case designs. Broncolor, like Buff, rethought , reengineered and improved ring-lights: its

that simple.

 

About fans adding weight: Weight: The Buff ZRM1 head weighs 1.5 lbs. The Profoto Ring

for the Acute 2R and D4 systems weighs3.9 pounds

What will be interstign to seeif Profoto, Elinchrom, and Hensel, et. al l decide that some of

the features i nthe Broncolor Ringlight C and Zeus ZRM1 need top be added to their older

designs to make them competitive. I'd like to see that happen.

Im beggining to sound repetitive but RENT. Profoto is widely avalibe to rent across the US. Find a local shop or dealer and see what they have to offer, whether it be Profoto or whatever.

renting is a great idea.

A discussion on the Buff ring light (if photo.net will let me link to it?)

<br><br>

<a href="http://modelmayhem.com/p.php?thread_id=217556&page=1">http://modelmayhem.com/p.php?thread_id=217556&page=1</a>

mostly what is discussed there is the ABR800 which is the monolight version.

Ellis, I think the Profoto Acute 2 Ring light weighs 5 lbs. The Hensel is 4 lbs, but to date is

the easiest to work with in a mobile situation due to the integrated handle.

 

Not sure what features you are referring to that need to be added. There are all kinds of

optional reflectors for the Profoto, like the soft light dish & macro dish that makes it more

versatile in use. I've even wrapped a copper mesh around the inner baffle to create

warmer skin tones.

 

The Hensel Porty ring flash has a slightly diffused light due to the enclosure, but could use

a few more add-ons to make it more versatile ... probably a mute point with this specific

head since it's designed for mobile location work.

 

I'd say for this project of Alan's just rent whatever is available near him.

About hte weight of the Profoto ring-light and the Zeus ZRM1, those numbers come from

Profotos website. I suspect that the weight of the cable is not included in either number.

 

Things I'd like to see changed in a potential update of the Profoto/Hensel/Elincrom ring-

light:

 

1.) redesigned mount for camera to light, to tripod to light stand.

 

2.) attachment points for softboxes and other modifiers, like umbrellas and other rflectors

 

3.) modeling lights.

 

4.) thermostatically controlled fan cooling

1) Huh? Profoto, Elincrom, and Hensel mount to the camera using a standard bracket system-- that bracket comes w/ a standard tripod mount. As the effect of a ring flash only happens when the camera is mounted to it, it makes sense that you'd mount it to a tripod. Though these brackets support both 1/4" and 3/8" screws, which means they'll attach to my lightstands w/ a $15 adapter.

 

2) I see Hensel has an umbrella modifier for theirs, which looks cumbersome to use. If it catches on, maybe they'll be others-- I just think it'll take away from the thing that ring flashes do best. I've yet to see an umbrella for a fresnel spot; the ring light is a similar element in the fact it has a very specific use.

 

3) Not really needed, it would be like having a flash light attached to your camera. Besides, modeling lights are to see how the shadows lay, and ring flashes produce a high contrast almost shadowless image that an underpowered modeling lamp can't duplicate. I'd expect that more ring flashes will start adding these, b/c you still have the option to turn them off. Profoto's ProRing 2 has both the modeling lamps and is fan cooled.

 

4) I support fan cooling for all lights.

 

 

What I'd like to see from AB's ring light

 

A) Get rid of the beauty dish like reflector, and keep the light source direct. More metal in the construction for a longer life.

"Get rid of the beauty dish like reflector"

 

it comes off quite easily already.

Ellis, w/o the reflector, it doesn't look like there is any light control-- there's no spill protection on the outside nor inside ring of the device, is there?

for the inside of the ring yes there is. For the outside you are right I'ts essentially a bare bulb effect. that is also essentially true of other ring-lights as well