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Alien bee ringflash
Anyone shoot with it? Thoughts? Any examples? Considering this because I can't afford a hensel. Thanks a million Feb 26 13 09:21 am Link I had a 'professional' ringlight in my studio for several years . . . It cost about $3,000.oo It weighed a ton It didn't have a lot of power It had batteries that had to be charged every 300 shots, and no modeling light. It was bulky It was such a pain in the ass that I would find every excuse to not use it. Then I bought the ABR800 . . . . and life changed ! Seriously . . . if it gets destroyed, I can buy 7 more for the same price as the other unit I switched from It's powerful . . . I've yet to use it on full power and I'm getting f.11 in the studio. The modeling light is bright enough to actually see what I'm getting. It's lightweight enough that I can handhold it if needed I've found the light quality to be very consistent. I knocked over the tripod by accident one day, and the unit broke. It was repaired in a matter of days and I never missed a single shoot with it. For $400.oo, how can anyone not want one to play with ? ? KM  Feb 26 13 09:25 am Link You know, i just got the Orbis and LOVE IT!!! Feb 26 13 09:35 am Link Feb 26 13 09:38 am Link Thanks for the responses. Nice shot Ken! Any orbis example shots? I've heard of that, it just seemed kinda cheapo to me or like it wouldn't have much power.. Feb 26 13 09:40 am Link I have used it a lot. It is a very versatile light. My one big complaint is that it is made plastic and more fragile than most of my other gear. I will say Alienbees have the best customer service.  EmilyJoDerderian37101809 by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  Ring Flash by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  GlamShoot335122108 by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  Ringlight by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  DSC_0099 by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  Boots by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  GlamShoot28121608 by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr  GlamGroup by FullMetalPhotographer, on Flickr Feb 26 13 09:48 am Link Feb 26 13 09:59 am Link I shoot with it all the time it is very good. The only issue is that when the camera is right up against the back of it it covers the slave sensor. You have to buy a pocket wizard or equivalent radio slave to trigger it and there is no way to attach it to the ring flash casing. I had to tape mine on top. They need to have one with the radio receiver built in. Feb 26 13 10:07 am Link Good to know thanks Feb 26 13 10:10 am Link I owned it. Sold it. Dont get me wrong, for the price it's a really good deal. I ended upgrading to a Profoto because I wanted more Power and I wanted it to be metal than plastic as I want to use it as a light option when I travel. It has all sorts of modifiers, etc. I actually still have those, and you can buy a bag too. It's ok... i just found it cheaply made and was worried it will get destroyed when i travel. Feb 26 13 10:12 am Link   Feb 26 13 10:12 am Link One more thing to note is that it is a little tight to use with pro bodies and f/2.8 lenses. Which is what I shoot, so it can be a hassle to manual focus on occasion. Feb 26 13 10:14 am Link For the price of it, I don't think there's a much better choide, get it and use it in every imaginable way, it's so versatile! Feb 26 13 10:20 am Link Orbis with SB900 at 200mm and 1/1, shot at 1/160 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 from 4m:  I recently added the ABR800 in my carry-on instead. Feb 26 13 10:23 am Link I use mine all the time, indoors and out. D200 with a battery grip and 17-55 2.8 lens fits fine. I trigger it with the short sync cord that came with it. A little awkward to hand hold but you get used to it. Great value for the price. Feb 26 13 10:32 am Link I have used one on more than one occasion, and for the money, it is hard to beat it. But there are realities that you have to come to grips with; fullmetalphotographer wrote: +1 on this. By professional standards, they are not well made. The bracket used to mount the light to the camera is awful. It breaks way to easy and isn't at all secure. sultanphotography wrote: If you look at this image: fullmetalphotographer wrote: This too is an issue. It is very difficult to get your hand into zoom the lens, even with a mid-sized body. Red Sky Photography wrote: Something else to consider is that it is large and unwieldy to handle as compared to the much smaller lights, such as a pro-foto. You get used to it, but it is not a delicate device meaning that you are moving a lot of mass. Feb 26 13 10:44 am Link It feels like a piece of tupperware. Yet... I use it more than just about anything else. Feb 26 13 11:00 am Link gl-amour wrote: very nice image but without knowing what the ambient was like its hard to tell if this is truly powerful enough. Feb 26 13 01:18 pm Link I use mine a ton for daylight / location fashion stories as a fill - I hand hold mine - no probs. Very powerful - using a direct PC cord between my Nikon D800 or D3x and the AB800R I get reliable synch at 1/400 which is a benefit when using for fill in bright light.... I love the black grid for this - not so sure yet about the "moon unit" oh and btw - it makes a great off axis light as well as far as images on MM here's an example....  Feb 26 13 01:25 pm Link 
Photographer Posts: 4288 Amundsen-Scott - permanent station of the US, Unclaimed Sector, Antarctica I had considered starting a thread on a ring flash but saw this and figured I would ask here. I do like the look of a ring flash. I have always used natural light when I shoot outdoors and occasionally use a reflector or shoot in bright shade if it's really sunny (or in the middle of the day). So... how would a ring flash serve me? Outdoors, black & white stuff. EDIT: forgot to add this: the reason I thought I would post here is that a friend of mine has AlienBees stuff and really likes it. Feb 26 13 01:36 pm Link Ive borrowed an AB ring flash a few times and I love it. I actually use it more off camera as a mini beauty dish more than as intended. Feb 26 13 03:57 pm Link Fotografica Gregor wrote: syncing at 1/400th? I would like to see that if you're not using it bright light where it may be hiding your black bar of shutter Feb 26 13 04:03 pm Link Sentimental-SINtimental wrote: Nope - when using it for strongly backlit fill still no black bar - I've actually tested it in studio on the cyc wall to be sure.... but this works only with a short pc cord between the camera and the AB400R Feb 26 13 04:05 pm Link  Feb 26 13 04:06 pm Link Fotografica Gregor wrote: I'm asking about where there is no other strong light filling it... a strong backlight can fill in that bar... try using it as your main with no other lights Feb 26 13 04:14 pm Link https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/29513562 'Borrowed" ABR400. Camera not 'in' ring. ABR400 on a stand. Feb 26 13 11:37 pm Link Use it - like it for some shots:  Outside also:  Used handheld:   Feb 27 13 06:31 am Link Robert Jewett wrote: Haha well alright then Feb 27 13 06:38 am Link Thanks for all of the detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated. Feb 27 13 06:39 am Link AVD AlphaDuctions wrote: Shot at 1600 iso...I doubt it! Feb 27 13 07:11 am Link The orbis acts as a nice fill for the ambient sunrise. My tests estimate around 3 stops of light loss. It is more suitable with a 24-120 f/4 or 24-70 f/2.8, than the 70-300 used in my example. Feb 27 13 08:06 am Link My 2 cents... It works & a good investment. Image says the rest ;-D  Feb 28 13 09:12 pm Link I tried the Orbis that has been mentioned and after using the AB it SUCKED. Not enough power for anything except indoors. The AB's only problem is the crappy mount. Great light though. And More than enough power for what I do. I routinely run mine down around 1/32nd power and rarely go above 1/16 even outside. But I use a lot of wide angles. I've also used it as a fill off camera outside. Great all purpose light for me. My favorite is this shot (18+) with a 12-24mm Lens on the D300. I'm actually photographing the inside of the unit to get the vignette https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/5932563 This is it as a fill flash https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/30035016 Feb 28 13 09:33 pm Link They both produce light but that's where the differences start. Profoto: better build More power Consistent output Easy to install on stands Has awesome reflector I use Aliebee : really affordable Had modeling light Remember that the AB will cost you a few hundred dollars The profoto will cost you at least $3000 with a starter power pack I had the AB as a starter and sold it and got the Profoto. Mar 01 13 05:47 am Link ^ what powerpack did you order with yours? Am interested in the elinchrom ringflash but would prefer profoto depending how much of a difference there is in price. Mar 01 13 05:59 am Link I primarily use mine handheld as on-axis fill. As others have noted, the construction is somewhat flimsy and it can be a pain to make adjustments. A small price to pay for the small price I paid, and I've been very satisfied with the results. https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/29393121 (18+) https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/31755700 (18+) Mar 01 13 10:13 am Link well personally I hate it. I don't like this type of lighting to begin with so take my words with a grain of salt. The construction is very cheap, the way the modifiers mount to the unit is a pain in the ass and also a chore, lets just say in general the unit does not inspire confidence... I mean granted, yeah its $400! Cheap! And you get what you pay for! As mentioned the camera bracket is very cheaply made (mine already broke), the sync jack is no longer working, it has never been dropped or anything, modeling lights are flickery, etc... its miles apart from my B800s as far as quality goes. The output is consistent and it does its job, but I ended up not liking it. Also as mentioned the hole is a bit tight so don't expect to manual focus anything. Mar 01 13 06:28 pm Link Here's another example of the Alien Bee ringflash. It's done a good job for me over the years.  Mar 02 13 12:18 am Link ABR800 with Moon Unit:  Mar 02 13 01:15 pm Link Dan Brady wrote: I have the 1200. Works amazingly. Powerful enough to do this: Mar 02 13 01:22 pm Link |
