John Fisher wrote:
Hopefully you mean the ABR800 and the 56" Moon Unit. No Moon Unit of any size will fit directly on an AB800.

Yes! That was a typo!

You're pics look GREAT!

I wanted to get the 30" also but since it's on back order, I figured I'd go ahead and get the 56" for now.

NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote:
What focal lengths are the above (how far was the camera from the subject?)

How does this work when shooting a standing figure with a 200 mm lens? FF

Are you still close enough for the light to be soft?

The shot with Jenna standing is slightly cropped from an 85mm on full frame.  I have no idea the distance.  It's however far you need to be to use an 85mm lens to do a full length shot of a 5' 2" model in 8" ballet boots.

Frank Stephens III wrote:
I think it's a no-brainer that the ABR800 and the Moonunit are a must.
I'll be putting my order in for them ASAP! :-)

Um ...  I respectfully disagree.
Learing lighting is a "must".  The light(s) itself is just a tool.
The reaseon I'm saying this is I see way too many newbies going out and wasting money on new stuff .... just because..... 

FlirtynFun Photography wrote:
I LOVE me some AB's...but there's no way I'm putting that monstrosity on my camera. I've been considering a ring flash for a while but the moon unit is just waaaaaaaaaay too gigantic to sit on a camera. Putting it on a stand, to me, I might as well just use an octobox.

THe ABR800 is a PITA compared to other lights (but worth it for that specific lighting look).  I'm sure adding another 30" or 52" doesn't improve things.

FlirtynFun Photography wrote:
I LOVE me some AB's...but there's no way I'm putting that monstrosity on my camera. I've been considering a ring flash for a while but the moon unit is just waaaaaaaaaay too gigantic to sit on a camera. Putting it on a stand, to me, I might as well just use an octobox.

You can't shoot through the center of an octobox.

exartica wrote:

You can't shoot through the center of an octobox.

.. but you can set up a large light source directly behind the photographer to get similar results.

KEKnight wrote:
Um ...  I respectfully disagree.
Learing lighting is a "must".  The light(s) itself is just a tool.
The reaseon I'm saying this is I see way too many newbies going out and wasting money on new stuff .... just because..... 

Ummmmm I'm not buying it just because.

And I've learned enough about lighting to know I need it for the type of shooting I want to get more into.

KEKnight wrote:

.. but you can set up a large light source directly behind the photographer to get similar results.

Good point, but those large modifies cost as much as and sometimes many times more than an ABR800 + Moon Unit.   It comes down to a decision between saving money and space but making shooting more cumbersome vs. more flexibility to move while shooting but needing more space and spending more money.  I am considering getting a large parabolic umbrella, but the majority of my shooting is location work, so it would often be impractical to use.

Frank Stephens III wrote:
Ummmmm I'm not buying it just because.

And I've learned enough about lighting to know I need it for the type of shooting I want to get more into.

Frank Stephens III wrote:
I think it's a no-brainer that the ABR800 and the Moonunit are a must.

I was simply disagreeing that it's a "must".  There are other ways to achieve the same (similar) effect.

exartica wrote:
Good point, but those large modifies cost as much as and sometimes many times more than an ABR800 + Moon Unit.   It comes down to a decision between saving money and space but making shooting more cumbersome vs. more flexibility to move while shooting but needing more space and spending more money.  I am considering getting a large parabolic umbrella, but the majority of my shooting is location work, so it would often be impractical to use.

All excellent points!! 
My approach would be ....
Purchase a 72x72 scrim jim (less than $300.)
Set up in studio behind photographer and backlight with 1 or 2 AB800's.
Same setup in the field.
Additionally, the scrim has many more uses in the studio and outdoors as sun screen, backdrop, reflector, etc.  Thus, IMO more bang for the buck.

just my .02 

KEKnight wrote:

Frank Stephens III wrote:
Ummmmm I'm not buying it just because.

And I've learned enough about lighting to know I need it for the type of shooting I want to get more into.

I was simply disagreeing that it's a "must".  There are other ways to achieve the same (similar) effect.

OK...point taken.

Let me rephrase that.
I don't need it.....I want it.

I know you can get the same effect other ways but I just want to get this piece and be done with it.

I'd rather the go for "The Effect" than fiddle around with a "Similar Effect".
Just my personal preference.

Frank Stephens III wrote:
I'd rather the go for "The Effect" than fiddle around with a "Similar Effect".
Just my personal preference.

I'll bet if you would "fiddle" enough you you be hard pressed to tell the difference. 
Best of luck and post some pictures of results.  =o)

KEKnight wrote:

.. but you can set up a large light source directly behind the photographer to get similar results.

agree. and I can set an octobox up and shoot directly beneath it for extremely close results. I can also purchase a REAL ring flash for even better results. The AB Ringflash is something I've never understood from PCB. He's got tons of other stuff that has better/equal functions compared to competitors. The AB ringflash is simply a monstrosity. I had a guy bring one with the octobox to a workshop and in confined spaces it was totally unuseable.

KEKnight wrote:

.. but you can set up a large light source directly behind the photographer to get similar results.

Didn't work for me.  I kept getting in the way of the light behind me (big shadow of me on the model) unless it was quite high, which defeats the whole point.

KEKnight wrote:

I'll bet if you would "fiddle" enough you you be hard pressed to tell the difference. 
Best of luck and post some pictures of results.  =o)

agree.

Creative Image wrote:

Didn't work for me.  I kept getting in the way of the light behind me (big shadow of me on the model) unless it was quite high, which defeats the whole point.

How difficult is it? Set it at eye level and kneel down and shoot...JUST below the edge of the box. With a small octobox, it's nearly identical. If you really need a ring flash...then buy one. The AB model simply isn't as good as many of the competitor's products in my opinion.

Creative Image wrote:

Didn't work for me.  I kept getting in the way of the light behind me (big shadow of me on the model) unless it was quite high, which defeats the whole point.

It doesn't have to be high, just "large".
A 72" scrim is like a 6 ft x 6 ft light source.  I have used white muslins for an even "larger" light source. 
Works for me!!

FlirtynFun Photography wrote:
agree. and I can set an octobox up and shoot directly beneath it for extremely close results. I can also purchase a REAL ring flash for even better results. The AB Ringflash is something I've never understood from PCB. He's got tons of other stuff that has better/equal functions compared to competitors. The AB ringflash is simply a monstrosity. I had a guy bring one with the octobox to a workshop and in confined spaces it was totally unuseable.

I am confused.  An ABR800 with the larger Moon Unit is much more shallow than any other equivalent diameter modifier on a strobe.  It can certainly get unwieldy trying to move it around on camera, but you couldn't move a larger light around a small space, either. Besides, no tool is appropriate for all uses.

EDIT:  I do agree that the physical design of the ABR800 is, um, ah, mediocre even after the changes from the initial release, but the nearest competitor costs several times as much.  It will be interesting to see if he learned any lessons when the Einstein version comes out.

FlirtynFun Photography wrote:
I LOVE me some AB's...but there's no way I'm putting that monstrosity on my camera. I've been considering a ring flash for a while but the moon unit is just waaaaaaaaaay too gigantic to sit on a camera. Putting it on a stand, to me, I might as well just use an octobox.

You dont put this on your camera , you put your camera on it.
Your camera sits on a platform that is attached to the ABR and that is attached
to your stand.

NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote:
Can I shoot 45 degrees down from a high angle with the 56" unit attached? Or does it hit into things, making it hard to use in any way but level?

Would that not depend on the stand you were using? I would guess that you would need a heavy duty boom arm to do that.

WMcK wrote:

Would that not depend on the stand you were using? I would guess that you would need a heavy duty boom arm to do that.

And where would I be in relation to this?

NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote:

And where would I be in relation to this?

Yes you can use the the ABR800 on an angle. Without a boom, you won't get a 45deg angle but you can get pretty close. And with a boom stand you can easily get the right angle...

As for the "where you would be in relation to this", I don't even know what you are talking about...

As for the talk about the size and setup issues, the 56" moon unit is just as big as any softbox would be. And the ringflash itself, yes it takes a moment to setup but once you do it a couple times, it's nothing. And show me another product that can give you the same results as a ringflash in the same price range, you can't!!

Here are a few examples of the 56" moon unit - click on the images for the strobist info:












And just a couple shots using the Ringflash as a ringflash w/ the camera mounted to it.

NothingIsRealButTheGirl wrote:

And where would I be in relation to this?

That depends on what you want to do.  If you want it high up to shoot down at a 45 deg angle and you want to shoot through the center then you are probably going to be on a ladder.  If you are using it "off camera" like I did for a recent shoot, you can stand anywhere you want in relation to the light.

Creative Edge P wrote:
As for the "where you would be in relation to this", I don't even know what you are talking about...

The question is:

How do I look through the viewfinder of the camera while aiming it down at a 45 degree angle and while there is a giant 56" disc attached to the front of it?

As soon as I start to aim down isn't the disc going to be stopped dead by the lower part of my body? Or by the ladder?

Even if it's on a boom I still want to put my eye to the back of the camera. So where am I shooting from? Sprawled out on a diving board?

That is what I'm talking about.

David Dolsen wrote:

Surely I'm not the only one who dislikes how this unit makes pupils disappear.

I've used the ABR and I'm still puzzled as to why they made it 320 WS instead of 160. At ringflash ranges, the ability to turn the power down is much more valuable than the ability to turn it up.