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A Ring-ing Endorsement
 Alien Bees has introduced their new ring light to the market place as many have mentioned recently. I was fortunate to have one sent to me in time to use on an important editorial assignment, and once I had an opportunity to play with the light, it delivered the results I'd hoped to see. First, a ring light is a strobe which is fashioned in such a way to wrap itself around the lens of your camera. Originally, these lights were small and designed for macro and medical photography. A standard flash extending up from the camera body would often be positioned in such a way that it would be impossible to properly illuminate a subject located very close to the lens. These original ring lights were small, fit only a few lenses (usually a macro 50mm), and were very lightly powered. Eventually a fashion photographer would take a picture of a model using one of these things and we would be inundated with the distinctive lighting of the ring light.  So, what is that distinctive lighting effect? First, using a ring light to do head shots creates an almost perfect beauty light. The reason for this is that the flat light going straight into the face produces virtually no shadows. Remembering that a print (or a picture on a printed page) is a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional object, you notice that we can't see depth. What we see is perspective and shadow. Eliminate shadows and you eliminate almost all common blemishes on the face, particularly lines around the mouth and eyes and creases in the forehead which disappear like magic. No shadow, no lines. Another unusual characteristic of the ring light is that it reflects most strongly the surfaces which are flat to the lens. Take the legs and arms, the center line of the arm (or leg) is flat to the lens (and therefore brighter), and as the arm curves away from the center line, it reflects less light to the camera. This gives the effect of creating a harder edge, an effect we would normally use black reflectors to create in the studio.  My thanks to Kaila Rainey who agreed to allow me to do this simple picture to demonstrate the ring light effect. Another (and frequently observed) effect created by a ring light is that any object placed close to a wall or backdrop will display a shadow on both sides! The closer the object is to the backdrop, the tighter (and harder) the shadow will appear. The further away the object is from the backdrop, the wider and less distinct the shadow will be. The resulting shadow will be similar in many ways to the drop shadow we use in type setting to highlight text and to give it depth.  Hand holding is possible. (Assuming you can leap tall buildings at a single bound!) Modern ring lights used in fashion and glamour have been around for a while, but as the power has gone up, so has the cost and the weight. The pack and head systems we normally associate with the larger ring lights frequently cost many thousands of dollars, and are difficult to use outside of a studio setting. Alien Bees are famous for their relatively inexpensive monolights which have proven to be both durable and reliable. (They may look weird, the controls a bit cheesy, but they work!) The ABR800 (the designation for Alien Bees ring light) is a mono light (no separate pack required to drive the strobe), it is relatively light (relative is a relative term as the pictures will show), and can be driven effectively in the field using the portable Vagabond power source. The Vagabond has been around for a number of years, it uses a rechargeable battery to produce 110 volts to drive the AB monolights when a wall plug is not available.  The ABR800, EOS 20D, and the 70-200L 2.8 mounted on a tripod with the Vagabond power source. Okay, now to actually using the ABR800. The first thing you notice is that assembling the light and attaching it to the camera is not something you want to do in the field until you have done it several times with different lenses on your dinner table. This becomes even more obvious when you want to put the camera on a tripod. Certain lenses (like my 70-200L 2.8 zoom) represent a real challenge, but once you have done it several times it's still a pain but the results are clearly worth the effort. I ran into a problem with certain lenses which wouldn't allow the hood to remain on the lens and still fit into the ring light. In it's current configuration, the diffuser which fits over the flash bulbs is translucent (as you would expect), but the portion which extends into the throat of the ring light is also translucent (it appears to be silver, but it is not opaque). This can (and often does) cause a problem with flare. The solution is simple, black duct tape placed on the portion of the diffuser which extends into the throat of the ring light will eliminate the flare (or jamming the hood for my 70-200 into the throat works as well!). The original mounting post on the ABR800 wasn't long enough to allow you to center lenses in the ring light if your camera had a grip attached (as both my EOS 20D and EOS 5D normally do). No biggie, just remove the grip, which has the additional advantage of reducing the over all weight of the light and camera assembly. A bigger problem is if you have an EOS 1 series camera which has a built in grip which is not removable. Alien Bees does have a mounting post extender available, and is now shipping all units with the extender as part of the initial package. The last problem I ran into is that the basic mounting assembly is designed in such a way that it can be used for hand holding the camera and light (which I prefer), or to mount the camera and light on a tripod, and finally to mount the light off camera on a separate light stand (where it works much like a beauty dish!). The problem is that you have to add or remove a lot of parts as you move from one configuration to another. In particular, the mounting hardware for the light stand consists of a number of small parts (including a number of different sized washers) which can easily be dropped and lost. The answer is to have at least two mounting brackets, one for the light stand which can be left fully assembled and a separate one for hand holding or using a tripod. I believe this will become part of the final package as AB sorts out all the reports from the field trials of this new unit. Given the complexity of producing a powerful, light weight, and reasonably inexpensive ring light, with the legendary reliability of the Alien Bees monolight system, I believe AB has hit a home run with this new product. Currently the light is available for $399(!), or a fraction of the cost of similar units from other vendors. The product is not advertised on their website when I checked last, but if you are interested (and have an adventurous side!) contact them by phone and they should be able to put you on the list to receive one as they are assembled.  The model has appeared on the cover of virtually every major fashion magazine, and has done many of the big collections. I paid for overnight shipping just to make sure I had the ABR800 in time to take this shot. As a disclaimer, I have been speaking to AB for two a years about the market for this light. However, I am not part of Alien Bees and pay full retail for all their equipment I use. (I'm not particularly proud of this fact. As all who know me will attest, I invented cheap and prefer free.) John -- John Fisher 900 West Avenue, Suite 423 Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305 534-9322 http://www.johnfisher.com Oct 12 06 12:22 pm Link Thanks john for the info....Nice job with the new toy Oct 12 06 09:53 pm Link But do they make them in pink? (I'd actually consider one if it was. I'd just love to be the guy who shoots with a pink ringflash.) Oct 12 06 09:57 pm Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: I just think those little bees are super cute. Oct 12 06 10:01 pm Link cool, thanks for taking the time to write this. Oct 12 06 10:05 pm Link Got mine Tuesday. Sample shot in my port. Not great shot but not bad. Light drop off was added post production. The ringlight is light, powerful and has a super fast recycle time from the Vagabond portable power supply. Oct 13 06 12:32 am Link goodness. is it possible that thang is bigger and heavier than the profoto and hensel? Oct 13 06 01:05 am Link Self-contained monoblock, with its own cooling fan? (And a modelling lamp, too! For all the good that does...) Yeah, I'd say it probably is. But it's cheap enough that if you drop it in the salty brine you won't cry. Except of course that it's attached to your flashy new DSLR. D'oh! Oct 13 06 04:13 am Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: Marko, Oct 13 06 04:31 am Link Ringflash actually DOES model your subjects quite a bit. It's not just a question of direction, it's a question of intensity/quality. It may be frontal, but it's not flat. It's got a certain texture to it. That's actually how you can tell a ringflash without the obvious halo shadow and the ring catchlights. You can even see that quality when it's used as fill. Oct 13 06 04:36 am Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: Marko, Oct 13 06 05:09 am Link First, thanks to all who took the time to read and respond to my post, it is appreciated. Now, on to questions! First understand that the ABR800 is a work in progress. Making a ring light compared to a standard studio strobe is like comparing going to the moon to flying a glider. First, the ring light is a system, the light really must work in combination with the camera and lens. Yes, you can put the light on a stand and use it like a regular strobe, but that defeats the purpose. Now, from a design standpoint, the designers must take into account all the cameras and all the lenses that every whack photographer is likely to attach to the ring light. This adds a layer of complexity that would simply drive most away from the project in the first place. If I'm going to make a specialty light and sell it for a bazillion dollars, the problem is simplified by the fact that the photographers likely to buy the light use a class of cameras and lenses which are of a more limited size range. (An EOS 1 series camera and the Nikon pro cameras may be different, but they and the lenses used with them are almost exactly the same physical size). In addition, wide angle lenses are all over the map in physical size. Both Nikon and Canon make specialty wide angle lenses which are designed for the smaller foot print you get when the recording chip is smaller than a strip of 35 mm film. Canon also makes several digital cameras which are full frame, and those lenses don't work on that class of camera. The wide angle lenses are the ones which are going to give the engineers headaches because where the end of the lens is physically located on the mounting bracket for the ring light will determine whether you get flare or vignetting. Given all of this, I believe Alien Bee did the right thing. Do the best you can, get the light out into the market with a limited number of photographers who understand what they are getting into, and resolve the issues as they arise in the field. The reason many of us were pushing AB to develop a ring light is that the company (and it's parent, the Paul Buff companies) have been on the cutting edge of using the latest technologies to produce high powered, reliable and inexpensive studio strobes. If anyone could figure this out, it would be Paul Buff. The down side for AB is that everyone will want one, and most consumers have no idea how complicated these lights have to be (and I suspect designing the light itself was probably the easiest part of the problem). I have used the ring lights made by Profoto and they are amazing. In the studio you can get wonderful results, and in the field as long as you have a couple of sturdy assistants and the budget for generators and production vehicles you can also produce fantastic images. But if you want a ring light that works, is designed for use in the field, and will not force you to sell the Ferrari to own, then the Bee is a great choice. This picture of Brandi was taken with an EOS 20D, using my 70-200 2.8L, with the camera and ring light mounted on a tripod. The ABR800 was powered using the Vagabond portable 110v power source (designed and sold by Alien Bees). The shot was done at ISO 100, f 5.6, and 1/200 of a second. We were outside on the big deck at sundown (you probably recognize Shaquille O'Neal's house in the background). Metering is always a challenge because when you move, the output from the ring light must be adjusted. Fortunately when using a zoom on a tripod, you are able to frame the picture differently without moving very much.  Flare? No flare if you jam the hood down the throat of the ring light! (Don't try this at home, I'm a professional!) Fish -- John Fisher 900 West Avenue, Suite 423 Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305 534-9322 http://www.johnfisher.com Oct 13 06 06:41 am Link But where's the picture of the girl outdoors in the swimsuit? Oct 13 06 10:22 am Link I ordered mine last week.. I'm gonna love it.. I'm sure!! Oct 13 06 10:24 am Link Do all Alien Bees come with this guy? Cause if they're heavy enough to make someone this size look strained, I can't imagine how quickly they would give me a heart attack. Oct 13 06 10:28 am Link John Fisher wrote: I'm wondering how come the catchlight in this models eyes doesn't resemble anything else that I've seen a ringlight distribute meaning, the catchlight in her eyes looks normal and not like that of a ring? Oct 13 06 10:29 am Link EMG STUDIOS wrote: Itâs because the ring is so small. ABâs has a moon unit coming out to add the ring in the eye effect. Read this one EMG Oct 13 06 10:37 am Link Hi John, I spoke to Glenda, at AB yesterday, and ordered mine. (I should have it in the next 10 days to 2 weeks). Thanks for such a cool review and for your words of wisdom. I'm curious to see what this baby will do when I get my hands on it. I've been planning to get the Vagabond too and it looks like this is a must have - to get the full benefit of the ABR800. Thanks again Ken Oct 13 06 10:39 am Link EMG STUDIOS wrote: He took this photograph with 70-200 zoom, which means he was kinda far from the Model. the only time you get the "telltale" ring reflection in the models eyes is if you are rather close when the shot is taken. This I don't suggest you do often because ringlights are terribly bright. Oct 13 06 10:45 am Link I see you have it attached with your 70-200L 2.8. I am not familiar with the dimensions of that particular lens and I was wondering if it will fit my 28-300L 3.5. They look to be about the same size in diameter. Do you think I might have a problem. Here is a quick pic I took of my lens so you can get an idea...  Thanks, Michael Oct 13 06 11:42 am Link How much does a Vegabond weigh? Oct 13 06 12:11 pm Link I just got my AB ringlight and must say I was impressed. I was expecting a lot less by things I read on here. But it just goes to show you that you need to test somethgin out for yourself. I am going to be using it for a few shots this weekend with my shoot with Jeska. I have a feeling the shots will be exactly what I want Thomas Oct 13 06 01:31 pm Link Well if we are talking battery operated location ringflash... I'm gonna say that a profoto ringflash plus the the 7b pack is not much heavier than the vagabond plus this thing and the new acute battery plus acute ringflash would be much lighter and in studio, who really cares about the weight that much.. of course I am not a heavy ringflash user, so it wouldn't be for me anyway. Have fun! -Daniel Oct 13 06 01:46 pm Link Michael Kirst wrote: My guess is all the stats on canon's lenses can be found on their website. Oct 13 06 01:47 pm Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: It does have a cartoon of a bee with pink wings on it. Oct 13 06 01:52 pm Link FYI a D2X with the Nikon 28-70 or 70-200 will fit on the mounting pole without having to use the extention. There's about 1/8" left sticking out. Now I just need a victim, er model to test it out on.  Oct 14 06 10:27 am Link I just got mine yesterday. I have to say it is much lighter than I expected. Handheld is no problem, But I can't see myself ever using the handle. I just like holding it normal. Oct 14 06 10:36 am Link Studio Yeah-Yeah wrote: When in dark situations such as a studio, there's a trick. You shine a photoflood or similar light source over the photographer's shoulder into the model's face. This closes down their pupil's, reducing red-eye, and reducing the discomfort from the intensity of the ringflash. Oct 14 06 03:58 pm Link  Mounted on a light stand, the ABR 800 is just another monolight, available for studio or location work. This is something that occured to me while I was doing some pictures of the ABR800 for a followup post. I was going to buy a second AB 800 (a regular Alien Bees monolight) for location work (Christian has had it up to here with my whining about borrowing one of his, and I'm tired of packing the Speedo 2403 with the heads around). The ABR800 mounted on a light stand IS that second light (you can mount softboxes and other light modifiers on the ABR 800). So the real cost to me to have a functioning ring light in my kit was $399.95 MINUS the cost of an AB 800 ($279.95), or about 120 bucks. That, my friends, made this purchase a no brainer. Basically, you buy a studio mono light which you use every day and can also be used on location, and as a throw in, you wind up with a very effective ring light. I'm not sure any of the more expensive ring lights would be as useful.  This is the softbox designed for the ABR800, Alien Bees refers to this as the Moon Unit Is the the ABR 800 perfect? No. But in my opinion the ABR 800 represents a tremendous value compared to competitive units costing five to ten times as much. John -- John Fisher 900 West Avenue, Suite 423 Miami Beach, Florida 33139 305 534-9322 http://www.johnfisher.com Oct 15 06 06:03 pm Link As usual - a great informative post by my good friend John Fisher!!! I just got back from a shoot in Jamaica and used the new ABR800 and loved it! I already broke it as they will have some bugs to work out. The plastic mounting hardware is not strong enough and has cracked completely. Hand holding the unit is a bit challenging and will build your muscles with a 5D+ grip and a 70-200 lens. I will post a few shots later this week from the shoot and call AB with some bugs that need to be fixed. Happy Shooting! Sam www.SamTang.com Oct 15 06 08:53 pm Link no offense John, but long lenses and ring flashes are a recipe for red eye. Not only that, the further you get away from a subject, the less the ring effect acts on subjects. It's simple geometery. From a distance, the effect of a ring flash is virtually no different than an on-camera flash. It seems like there will be a rush on ring flashes among web photographers. Use with care. Oct 15 06 08:55 pm Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: I hear ya about the comfort. I've heard models complain---A LOT!! about the ringlight after effects. Worrisome. Thanks for tip--I'll try it. I think we photogrphers really never understand what it is like with strobes constantly popping in our faces!! Oct 16 06 03:02 pm Link Daniel Norton wrote: Actually, Daniel, the Alien Bees ABR800 ring flash/studio strobe with the Vagabond is much, much heavier than the Profoto ring flash with the 7b or acute battery when you take into consideration that you are still carrying around $5000 or more in cash which you didn't have to spend on the Profoto stuff! Oct 18 06 09:52 am Link LOL true, very true That's why I need to sleep on couches when I travel.. no money belt here  Oct 18 06 08:22 pm Link Daniel Norton wrote: As always my friend, mi casa, su casa ...but you knew that! Oct 18 06 09:43 pm Link Gaylord Hill wrote: the abr800 has built in modeling lights so additional lighting to reduce pupils is not necessary. Oct 18 06 10:47 pm Link Thanks to the man with the money belt for the product review and photos of the ringlight in use.  Does the power cord get in the way a lot? Nov 01 06 02:40 am Link JM Dean wrote: It wil do just the opposite. It will put a large round catchligh not the regular ringlight catchlight. the moon unit will be essentially a portable softbox about 42" size from a 30" accessory. Nov 01 06 03:06 am Link robert christopher wrote: I've mainly shot with the ABR800 on location with the Vagabond, so I turn modeling lights off or they use up all of the power! Nov 01 06 03:10 am Link Gaylord Hill wrote: Thats what I'm hoping. A large ring Catchlight Nov 01 06 03:50 am Link |
