Shoe-mounted ringflash?

What is Andrea Mohin, a NYT photographer, using in this frame-grab from a <u><A

href =

http://snipurl.com/ws0o>video interview</a></u>: <p><div></div>

My guess is that she uses it as it has a larger effective light source for a shoe mount sized

flash than a a Canon 580EX or Nikon SB-800. Maybe it's a Sunpak ?

Googling, it doesn't look like any Sunpak currently sold. <p>

 

Yes, it does appear to act as a large light source -- this is what she was shooting from that video screenshot: <p>

 

<u><A href =

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/09/12/nyregion/LENS_MOHIN_SLIDESHOW_1.html

>

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/09/12/nyregion/LENS_MOHIN_SLIDESHOW_1.html

</a></u> <p>

These lower end ring lights also don't produce much output... they're really more for close-up or macro work.

Do you know if this is a lower-end ringlight? I'm just curious what it is....

Oh, sorry, I believe it's a Canon (not low quality, just low output). Here's a link. Does it look the same as your photo? It does to me: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=194480&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

 

For 450 bucks it has a whopping GN of 46. I guess that's my point. Better than the Sunpaks and what not, but fairly underpowered.

 

What I was looking at was the size. The fashion ringlights I've seen (like the Elinchrom Rangers or others) are a lot more money and a lot bigger, but have a lot of power.

Yes, that does look like it, thanks! Well, it is an interesting flash and offers oddball features like an incandescent modelling light, and it acts either as wireless slave or a master flash in a multi-flash situation.

 

How did she mount it? Is it side-mounted and she's holding the camera vertically?

That I don't know... being a Nikon guy.

yep, I was wrong. it is the Canon Canon MR-14EX TTL Ring Lite Flash

She is using it mostly as fill and beinga newspaper photojournalist shooting at a relatively

high ISO so the low output fits the way she wants to work. Not sure how she is mounting it

either, but a lot of photographers are born tinkerers. Nikon has similar products and an even

niftier, potentially more powerful and of course more expensive product out now too, the

R1C1 Kit . Wth the mounting ring on the lens you can use up to 4 SB-R200 Speedlights and

if you don't mount the attachment ring to the lens you can mount up to 8 SB-200 units on

the ring.

Seems very strange to me. Isn't the whole point of a righlight that it surrounds the lens, eliminating any shadows? Of course, the lens she's using isn't going to fit through the middle of the ringlight she's using, but it would seem that a more traditional flash with a diffuser would make more sense. Besides, this setup looks fragile to me.

 

Van

looking closely at the photo again, my conclusion is that she is using Velcro to mount the

flash head directly to either the front part of the controller or to the gri pon her camera

when

she holds the camera vertically. inotice i nthe video that sometimes it sits up higher and

sometimes lower.

 

My belief is that she uses this instead of the Canon 580EX as a light source as it produces

a much different light quality. Now i want to try it out!

 

Thanks Bailey!

I want to try it out too!

 

But I can't find anyone in NYC who'll rent it to me (on a friend's borrowed 20D)!