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Ringflash and ringlight

ZDP-189

ZDP-189

New Member
I'll be using this macro ring light with the GX series. What you see is a Ring48 macro ring light, on a 46-52mm adapter, on a SpiderFire compact camera filter mount (intended for the S90/S95) and that's bolted onto a GX200. It's a perfect fit and you can shoot at about 90%-95% full wide without the ring light getting in the corners of the shot. The GX100 fits the same.

RicohGX200Ring48_01.jpg


Costs were $20 for the mount, $2 for the adapter, and probably $30 for the ring light, including battery supply and DC cable. It bolts straight on and off. It's OK for macro video too.

It's good for macro work, where the GX excels, but not for portrait work as it's dazzlingly bright. Your subject would half expect to be probed with a dental instrument. My wife says I've cauterised doughnuts into her retina. I told her they're catchlights and she believed me, but is still lying in a darkened room all the same. That's why I need to build a ring flash.

I have a RF-170 Ring Flash (a Orbis Ring Flash / Ray Flash clone for pocket change) and I think I can use the same principles to build one for the GX or maybe the GF-1 external flash. One idea is the use the GF-1 and build up an shoe extender. The other is to buy another RF-155 which has the shortest flash-to-lens distance and use a tall Canon 580 EXII Speedlite on manual mode. My favourite is to do a full epoxy or polyester resin casting of a custom mini-ring flash for the GX's own pop-up flash, but the power's not great in the first place.

If you have any ideas for commercial set ups or bodges, please let me know. Otherwise, stay tuned.
 
Very interesting, thanks!

Could you show a side view of the system, please? I think I saw a Ricoh camera behind the ring... ;-)
 
Thanks! The dogbowl beauty dish looks just the ticket. I have a doughnut shaped mongolian hotpot bowl that I bought some time ago with another project in mind.

I also still want to make an light-guide ring flash but from some experimentation tonight, I've discovered it loses quite a lot of the flash power and the pop updoesn't have any to spare.
 
OK here is the side view. The tripod is not secure and part of the setup. I plan to use the macro hand held (braced). The light can be switched between all on or left side/ right side only.

RicohGX200Ring48_02.jpg


Incidentally, I lit this image with bounce flash. I used a Ricoh GF-1 flash, Auto F/4 mode, bounced above and behind me using a flash extension cable. The camera was a GX100, in manual mode at f/4.4 1/80s ISO 200. The photo is as shot, except downsized with a Lancos-2. Why? Here it is shot with the onboard flash:

RicohGX200Ring48_03.jpg


I have since found out that the ring light makes an excellent video light for indoor daytime use. At night, in ball-room/ band-room style settings, halogen is really called for, unless I can be bothered to gel the ring.
 
Hi

Just wondered if you had anything further to add regarding the ring light/ flash. I have the gxr and am looking for something. I have seen the 12 led Hama or bower ring light and various 48 led lights on EBay. I assume I would need a 43 mm- 52 mm adaptor to use them, but wondered if you are happy with your results.
 
I am pretty happy with it for macro work. I would never use it for portraiture. If they can keep their eyes open, it'll burn their retinas.

If you need flash, I'd put a one-to-two splitter on the hot shoe and use two flashes (or kick slaves with the pop up).
 
holy cow that's what i was searching for!! where you get the O flash?

i have a grd3 do you think it will do the trick too?
 
It's been awhile since I tried it, but I seem to remember that it was not suitable for the GRD series, due to their being too wide angled. When I use the GX-100 or GX-200 for macro work, I invariably use it racked out anyway.
 
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