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Alien Bees Ring Flash Users
Got a AB Ring Flash for Christmas and just set it up yesterday. Took a few shots and everything is as advertised -- except the darn thing is heavy. Original thought was to use the RF for location work but now thinking about using for studio work. Just curious? Do you use the Ring Flash in conjunction with softboxes, hair lights, etc.? I was thinking of using the RF center and filling-in the sides (where needed) with softboxes. How do you use your RF in a studio setting? Thanks. Steve Dec 30 06 09:19 am Link Just got mine yesterday. Same dilemma Dec 30 06 02:03 pm Link you man it....suck it up you weaklings... Dec 30 06 02:05 pm Link I've had mine for a couple weeks. I trigger everything with a pocket wizard on the camera, so I just plug the sync into the PW transmitter and then I can use it with all my lights. Typically I use it with 2 medium softboxes, set behind and 45 degrees off center to each side as kickers, since I shoot a lot of stuff against black. Look on my port for the shot of "Vixen" - the girl wearing the funky outfit with the black hat - that was shot this way. I love how the RF gets light under the hat brim. It is pretty heavy though...and the handle that attaches it directly to the camera is basically useless - it just gets in the way and makes it a pain in the ass to hold (I use it on both a Canon 5D and a 400D - each with battery grip). That cheesy ring of black paper that's in there as an apparent temporary fix for a design flaw kept falling out too, until I put some gaffer tape on it. Overall I'm satisfied with it for the price...but it's a POS compared to a real ring flash head that uses a power pack. I just got the moon light accessory but haven't tried it yet. Dec 30 06 03:31 pm Link I just got the "moonunit" soft box for the AB ring light and man is it big! I guess I wasn't really thinking about actually having to hold a 30" round soft box on my ring light. So a 5D, heavy as hell L-series lens, battery grip, ring light AND 30" soft box.. yikes! Looks like it's time to hit the gym! (like I didn't need to anyway...but that's another story..) Apparently it's lighter than the other light rings out there. I'm sure the plastic helps keep the weight down a little bit.. but man I can't help feeling like I could snap any of the plastic parts with little effort or just by setting it down at the wrong angle. IMHO the plastic "grip" is a nightmare of a design.. I love my white-lightning equipment (I have a ton of it) but I'm not sure what they were thinking with that plastic grip. I'm actually reworking the ring light to mount onto another company's padded grip flash bracket. When I come up with something that works really well, I'll share it with ya. I haven't shot anything to post yet (sorry). Dec 30 06 04:29 pm Link Clique7 Studios wrote: Stop being a baby! Art is pain my friend. Dec 30 06 05:38 pm Link I've have a unit for a little bit now. Still havenât shot with it but had a good chance to play around. My biggest problem with the unit is the connecting hardware and the logistics of a shoot. I tend to move around a bit and switch lens frequently. Not to mention changing lighting setups for a given look. It is quite cumbersome given the hardware. I have added a left grip bracket to replace the grip. Iâve also added a quick release to allow me the ability to quickly remove the camera. This of course adds more weight to already heavy Mark II. It is fairly difficult to secure the flash tight enough where it does not give some play under its own weight in the vertical position. I have been thinking about some additionally ways to secure it. I like this flash a lot. It adds a lot of versatility but it is turning out to be a DIY project in the making. That is something I did not expect. Now what was the question? Oh yes, add a couple of rim lights and you are good. Dec 30 06 06:26 pm Link I thought it was a lot lighter than I was expecting. Dec 30 06 06:46 pm Link Clique7 Studios wrote: I have the profoto ring which I use with a d2x and I rent a hassi at times...with the soft light attachment it can be a wieght issue but I just work out heavier that day or I pull a mono pod it it is going to be long day of shooting ...I use it in studio as a fill at times or a strong hair light from the side...if it is heavy I say the effect out weighs the burden... Dec 30 06 07:17 pm Link I agree the hardware is crap. I can handhold it fairly well with the bulk of a D200 with additional battery grip and I LOVE the results, especially for the price. I am thinking about buying the new softbox for it. If someone can post a shot with and without the softbox , I would be very interested in seeing it. Dec 30 06 07:24 pm Link I got a AB Ringflash for christmas as well.. It really has helped my photos! I use is both as a ring and as a strobe. I put a nut at the end of the screw that the camera screws into and used my tripod to mont the flash (i only have one light holder and i needed it to hold the reflector.) I pointed the flash at the reflector and go this shot:  I'm going to get a remote trigger next so I can use my 580ex as well (this will put more light on the background correct?) Kevin www.theshutterclick.com Dec 30 06 10:25 pm Link ajwhitephoto wrote: I will try to get a shot for you. Probably make my daughter pose for a shot. Dec 30 06 10:29 pm Link I use mine both with and without the moon unit. The weigh is not the worst thing to me, the moon unit is to big to see around so I am looking for the model with the viewfinder when I use my 70-300 on it. The 50 prime that I shot with when using the ABRF does well. Otherwise it is just another studio strobe. For location work it is great when used with a Vagabond. I fire mine with a Pocket Wizard so on location I can use it as a Ring or a Reg strobe. Othewise, it is just another tool in the toolbox. Dec 30 06 10:34 pm Link Ken Erickson wrote: Ken, Dec 30 06 11:25 pm Link Double Eagle Studios wrote: How do you like the moon unit? Any examples? Dec 30 06 11:40 pm Link Clique7 Studios wrote: I use my ABR800 in conjunction with softbox example !st pic in my profile was shot with softbox model right and ring behind with pw Dec 30 06 11:52 pm Link I am going to get the AB RF for my birthday in March, but I also wonder how well it works compared to other brands, and what are the benefits of using it compared to using another soft box. Also, how does it compare to the beauty dish? I would like to see examples of shots that show what the RF does that a soft box cannot. Yes, the big octogon is a pain to hold in the wind, so is this the advantage of the RF? Thanks for all the help. Paul Jan 08 07 09:42 pm Link I have it as well and love it. Typically in the past though people used the ring light in fashion shoots to create a high key photo and get that nice shadow on the background. If you were to use the moonunit, it kind of defeats the purpose of the ring flash. You could get the same effect with a regular light with a soft box right over the camera. I don't want to tell people what they can do or not with it but to me personally, shooting through the light with a softbox on it kinda defeats the purpose of it. What the soft box is good for is when you use it like a regular light off to the side or something. Right now then person who seems to be using the ringlight the most right now is Jill Greenberg. A ringlight with two lights on each side bounced off a silver umbrella. As for the equipment, they are supposed to be sending out better hardware on Jan. 22nd. The main problem I have is adjusting the zoom on the lense when it is mounted through the light. Edit: Here is an image I shot of myself when I first got it. It's not the best, just playing around, but you can see the shadow it creates in the background. http://www.gregbrophy.com/meringflash.jpg Greg Jan 08 07 10:02 pm Link Wow, I was orginally going to get one too, but Im really turned off by the responses here.. Do you AB RF owners advise a girl to handle the weight with the d200? Jan 08 07 10:29 pm Link I don't find the weight of the RF and camera to be too much. I am an old fart and don't have an issue with it. I've shot 2-3 half day shoots with it and never thought about the weight till I saw this post. Jan 08 07 10:34 pm Link Well for me I usually mount it on a tripod, but no. It is the lightest one out there for what it is. The main problem would be changing your camera settings because you need two hands to use it. One to hold the camera and one to hold the light. I personally like it allot. It also double well as a beauty dish. Greg Jan 09 07 01:30 am Link I've actually never taken a photo without the moon box so I don't know what it looks like. The two photos in my port in red were taken with the moonbox attachment. Believe it or not, the box adds more weight to me. maybe because of it's size. I'm shooting with a D2h and a 28-70 2.8. Not light to begin with then adding those 2. Needless to say my first two shoots, my shoulders were hurting. I'm getting used to it now though. I love that flash though. Jan 09 07 07:53 am Link Josie Artography wrote: I tried it last night for the first time (with a D200), Josie. I'd recommend putting it on a tripod, particularly if your shoot is going to be very lengthy. Jan 09 07 12:04 pm Link Heavy???? Trying using the Broncolor ring light. Its got to to be at least twice the weight. Jan 09 07 12:09 pm Link Clique7 Studios wrote: I missed the "heavy" part. If you find it heavy and hard to control, put your setup on a monopod. Jan 09 07 12:15 pm Link Try mounting the ring flash with a Canon 40D with a 24-70 L glass and hand hold it. Be a man! Apr 18 12 10:50 pm Link I regularly handhold the ABR800 with a gripped body and 70-200 f/2.8L IS II. http://www.ocabj.net/?p=1716 It gets heavy after about 15 minutes of shooting, but it's manageable. I weighed a 5DMKII + BG-E6 + 70-200 + ABR800 at a UPS Store and it was 10.48 lbs. That weighs far less than my competition rifle and I have to shoot that in the standing position (unsupported), 22 rounds in 22 minutes. So I'm used to handling that kind of weight very steadily. I have a couple of the plates for the ABR800 rigged up for use with RC2 and Arca-Swiss plates, too. I have a Black Rapid Fastnr-T1 on an RC2 plate for the 70-200, but then I have L-plate for the 5D Mark II (waiting for the 5D Mark III L-plate).  Apr 18 12 11:02 pm Link Holy Zombie Thread Batman! That said the info is still current so here goes: I use mine many different ways, but mostly like a "beauty" dish, off axis on a light stand. Since it comes with a grid, I can really focus the light in one spot. I can also use the moon unit, which effectively turns the RB into a octobox (as for my avatar for example). It can also be used outdoors and balance the sun at max power without any modifier. But then also, it can be used like a conventional ring flash  Examples: As main light, off axis, with moon unit:  As main light, off axis, with grid:  Apr 18 12 11:25 pm Link Anyone notice that this thread was brought back to life from 5 years ago? I miss getting one of these RF's used for for $150 last month by a few hours. me sad Apr 19 12 01:24 am Link This light is pretty much a staple in almost all of my studio work, usually as the key light(more infrequently as a fill) with the 30" moon unit(great catch lights), mounted on c-stand and positioned according to the model's own postion. Soft enough,but with some punch! Apr 19 12 12:11 pm Link Jonathan Ocab wrote: I did pretty much the same exact thing with mine... I want to actually make an adapter to use a RRS rail in place of the crappy mount it comes with... Apr 19 12 12:56 pm Link Yup just pick it up and deal with it.   Cool effect if you like that kind of thing:   And I use it on location too:  (Model's boyfriend as sherpa.) Apr 19 12 02:08 pm Link |
