RingFlash Adapter

[cargo]

Hi all.

I have this Ringflash adapter which fitted the Canon 580 ex speedlight. Many moons agao I bought the 580 off this forum, the seller thrown this adapter in with the sale.
Used it once to take some images of my Daughter, a spur of the moment thing. I really liked the image but never used it again.

Time as flown by and I have since sold my 580ex and bought a Godox speedlight V860II
I came accross the ringflash in the loft today. I remembered the photo I took of my Daughter. Which gave me the urge to have another go with it.

Course it don't fit the V860II. Not by much but I can't force it on.

This maybe a real stupid idea but I just thought I would run it by you clever folk in here. I have form for doing silly things :-(

So i'm thinking maybe if I warmed this adapter up somehow and then tried to push it on the V860ii it may mould to the flash........

Does anyone think this may work or am I going to ruin the flash ?

Gaz

 

[wiltw]

Are you wishing to shoot with ringflash for macro illumination, or are you thinking of using it to 'shoot portraits'?

The ringflash typically used 'for portraits' tends to be of much larger diameter ring, that what this unit is. IOW, I do not think it worth the effort to modify it, if 'for portraits'. I personally find donut highlights in the subject's eye to be too unconventionally distracting...ringlights were first use at some distance from the subject for fashion photography, and those catchlights were not so in-your-face as ones seen in a headshot.

 

[cargo]

Are you wishing to shoot with ringflash for macro illumination, or are you thinking of using it to 'shoot portraits'?

The ringflash typically used 'for portraits' tends to be of much larger diameter ring, that what this unit is. IOW, I do not think it worth the effort to modify it, if 'for portraits'. I personally find donut highlights in the subject's eye to be too unconventionally distracting...ringlights were first use at some distance from the subject for fashion photography, and those catchlights were not so in-your-face as ones seen in a headshot.

Thanks for the reply.

My Niece asked me to take some shots of her in a candid style. She shown me some examples which were taken with direct flash sort of fashion/messy lifstyle. Like I say I recalled the photo I took of my Daughter which I liked the effect so thought it might be worth a play.

I'm not fussed about ruining the adapter but don't want to break my flash gun.

The image of my Daughter.

Taken with the adapter.

 

[wiltw]

Ringlight for portrait use...generally straight on providing flat featureless (which deaccentuates the features of the face) unflattering illumination. Most boring kind of illumination you can use. They use it for mug shots of criminals. Discourage it, especially since it requires you to cobble up something to make it work..."Oh, terribly sorry, honey, I cannot make this bit of gear fit my equipment!"

 

[cargo]

Ringlight for portrait use...generally straight on providing flat featureless (which deaccentuates the features of the face) unflattering illumination. Most boring kind of illumination you can use. They use it for mug shots of criminals. Discourage it, especially since it requires you to cobble up something to make it work..."Oh, terribly sorry, honey, I cannot make this bit of gear fit my equipment!"

Hiya.

I'm aware of the flat feature less look you mention.

In the past I have taken many images of my Niece using various lighting placements and modifiers. To achieve various looks/moods.

As mentioned I'll be using on camera flash as that is the look & feel we are going for.
The adapter is just something I have lying around.

It's fun to try something different. We are not professionals. The photos are just for our enjoyment.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it's appreciated.

Gaz

 

[Gav.]

I've not seen one these, so I'm just talking from a engineering view, heat will soften the plastic to allow the shape to move a small amount, but it won't allow for size differance, really depends what plastic it is, some will split with no warning, others don't mind a bit of heat/force.

If the corners don't align, don't try.

 

[Phil V]

I think the answer is that unless you’re strapped for cash and might want to sell it, you should heat, cut, glue and tape to modify it to fit in any way necessary.
You’ve nowt to lose.

BTW don’t feel the need to defend its use, you clearly understand the ‘look’ it will give and that’s what you want to do. Nowt to do with pro, amateur or anything else, it’s a creative choice.

 

[wiltw]

Hiya.

I'm aware of the flat feature less look you mention.

In the past I have taken many images of my Niece using various lighting placements and modifiers. To achieve various looks/moods.

As mentioned I'll be using on camera flash as that is the look & feel we are going for.
The adapter is just something I have lying around.

It's fun to try something different. We are not professionals. The photos are just for our enjoyment.

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it's appreciated.

Gaz

Well, with eyes wide open and consciously making the choice of lighting, you know what you want, and it is your creative choice.
There are thermoset injection-molded plastics and thermoplastics. If you have hope of altering shape, it would be hopeful that your ringlight is engineered thermoplastic and not thermoset plastic...thermoset cannot be heated to be reshaped.

 

[cargo]

@Gav. Thanks Gav. You confirmed my gut feeling. It's not worth the mither. I'll either break something or burn myself in the process
@Phil V
Thanks Phil. Heat cut and glue sounds like trouble to me. I'm grateful for the advice and in the right hands,it maybe possible.
Thanks for the confidence boost too.
Only dawned on me this morning, I sold my 580 ex's to a friend. He will still have them. So I may cadge one back for these photos.
I'm assuming the 580 will work on the R6. I used to have the 6d when I owned the 580.
@wiltw
Thanks for the info. It's unanimous I won't be trying to manipulate this to fit.

Thanks everyone.

The lighting section is still the best on the forum. Imo ;-)



 Gaz

 

[Phil V]

@Gav. Thanks Gav. You confirmed my gut feeling. It's not worth the mither. I'll either break something or burn myself in the process
@Phil V
Thanks Phil. Heat cut and glue sounds like trouble to me. I'm grateful for the advice and in the right hands,it maybe possible.
Thanks for the confidence boost too.
Only dawned on me this morning, I sold my 580 ex's to a friend. He will still have them. So I may cadge one back for these photos.
I'm assuming the 580 will work on the R6. I used to have the 6d when I owned the 580.
@wiltw
Thanks for the info. It's unanimous I won't be trying to manipulate this to fit.

Thanks everyone.

The lighting section is still the best on the forum. Imo ;-)



 Gaz

The 580 will work fine on the R6

 

[Garry Edwards]

Are you wishing to shoot with ringflash for macro illumination, or are you thinking of using it to 'shoot portraits'?

The ringflash typically used 'for portraits' tends to be of much larger diameter ring, that what this unit is. IOW, I do not think it worth the effort to modify it, if 'for portraits'. I personally find donut highlights in the subject's eye to be too unconventionally distracting...ringlights were first use at some distance from the subject for fashion photography, and those catchlights were not so in-your-face as ones seen in a headshot.

Ringlight for portrait use...generally straight on providing flat featureless (which deaccentuates the features of the face) unflattering illumination. Most boring kind of illumination you can use. They use it for mug shots of criminals. Discourage it, especially since it requires you to cobble up something to make it work..."Oh, terribly sorry, honey, I cannot make this bit of gear fit my equipment!"

The ringflash was invented by a dentist, for taking work photos of teeth, and apparently worked very well. The use then spread to other very small, close-up subjects, and again worked well.
Much larger ones, around 23 - 25cm diameter, then appeared on the market for a different fashion look, and were briefly popular. This was around 15-20 years ago. The results were interesting and different, and small flashgun versions then appeared, together with adapters, marketed as being ideal for fashion photography - which they weren't because the illumination was uneven and they were physically too small for the light to subject distances involved.

So yes, the results are usually horrible, outwardly radiating shadows very rarely work when photographing faces (or for anything except teeth).

I think the answer is that unless you’re strapped for cash and might want to sell it, you should heat, cut, glue and tape to modify it to fit in any way necessary.
You’ve nowt to lose.

BTW don’t feel the need to defend its use, you clearly understand the ‘look’ it will give and that’s what you want to do. Nowt to do with pro, amateur or anything else, it’s a creative choice.

Agreed, we all need to try things out for ourselves, and we all need to experiment.

 

[cargo]

@Phil V
Thanks
@Garry Edwards
Thanks Garry.
Very informative.

 

[wiltw]

The ringflash was invented by a dentist, for taking work photos of teeth, and apparently worked very well. The use then spread to other very small, close-up subjects, and again worked well.

Tokyo Shizaisha offered the Yashica rangfinder-based Oral-Eye, which was followed by three versions of the Yashica Dental Eye based on a Yashica SLR.whose lens was limited to close focus distances.

A Yashica sold under the Tokyo Shizaisha label - Oral-Eye | Yashica Forum

This is the Oral-Eye dental camera - forerunner to Yashica's own Dental-Eye series.

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