Today I took the Orbis Ringflash (USD $199 available at B&H or http://www.orbisflash.com/) for another spin.  I had purchased the ringflash for a while now and have played with it on Commercial Fashion shoots and even just messed around with it in different occasions.  

Firstly, there are quite a number of Ringflashes available in the market.  The O-Flash, The Godox, Alienbees, Elinchrome, Profoto, just to name a few.  The reason why I decided to purchase the Orbis Ringflash was based on a few things.  Portability, Price, and Quality.  

While some flashes were of great value in price they had inconsistent results and often had uneven light falloff or that the loss of light was a bit too much for my satisfaction.

While the expensive ones (Profoto, Elinchrom, and Alienbees) were just a bit too pricy for a lightshaper(or light) that I consider as nice accessory but not necessarily a necessity for my light kit.  Also the expensive ringflash kits often required a battery pack which made it clumbsy and difficult to carry for location shoots. 

Alienbee ABR800

Profoto ProRing

Elinchrome Quadra Eco Ringflash Kit 

The orbis was one of few that really excelled in all areas.  One thing to be aware of is that although the ringflash itself is quite light but once you have a speedlight attached, the weight gain is very significant.  I was first very reluctant to purchase the Orbis Arm (A flash bracket that cost an extra $60USD)

but after using the Orbis on a fashion shoot for about 100 photos, I found it quite tiring to keep the Orbis in place.  I decided to get the Orbis Arm hoping that it would be much more pleasant to hold the ringflash during a shoot.  Unfortunately, it did not fully meet my expectations.  The Orbis Arm does help a lot but where it did not help was holding the ringflash and the speedlite together in place.  I still had to make sure I had a firm hold on the Orbis Arm and one must be careful while leaning forward, for the Orbis Ringflash could easily slip out and drop on the floor.  This is one good thing about the Orbis and that for something made of plastic, it is quite durable, and I believe it may survive a fall or two (but maybe not three).

Although the loss of light (caused by the spread of light in the inner tube and the diffusing panel) is a lot better than most inexpensive ringflashes, you still lose about 2-4 stops.  This is alright if you are using a professional flash such as the Canon 580 EX II or the Nikon SB900, but an inexpensive prosumer speedlite may not be sufficient to get the best out of the Orbis.

Here are a few photos I took today at the office.  Have a look yourself!

Conclusion, overall I think the Orbis is pretty much a good buy and it's of great value for those that own speedlites.  For those that don't own a speedlite, make sure you put the cost of purchasing one into account before deciding on to buy the Orbis (ex. a decent speedlite like the Canon 580 EX II will cost about $3400HKD @ zhaoxiangguan, and the Orbis costs about another $1700HKD = $5100), the cost of the kit with the speedlite is almost the same price of the Alienbee ABR 800 which does not rely on a speedlite and has greater power.  So please keep this into consideration when you plan to buy.

PROS

1) Great value for those that own speedlites

2) Light and durable

3) The quality of light is consistent and evenly distributed.

CONS

1) Cost of the kit can add up if you don't have speedlites and the cost of the Orbis arm is quite expensive.

2) Light Falloff is very short, making the reach not too distant.  With the Orbis you are quite restrained to shoot quite close.  This may not be of preference to studio fashion photographers that may need to use black cards or fill. 

3) Due to the power constraint and short light falloff, using the Orbis for long Macro shots may not be too suitable.  A 50mm Macro lens is probably the way to go.

4) Photographers need to be careful while using the Orbis Ringflash.  While it is sturdy in some sense, the attachment for the speedlite is not really strong in terms of it's hold.  If careless, the Orbis can fall off from the speedlite very easily.

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.  I believe most DSLR users do have speedlites and in this case spending an extra $1700HKD for a Ringflash is quite a deal.  The quality of light is more than acceptable (while it would be nice to be able to shoot more distant objects without losing it's light quality, but I am sure the people at Orbis would blame that on the speedlite rather than their design). 

Tags ( ORBIS Yongnuo 565EX Review Canon 24-70L USM II 1D Mark IV 580EX II Nikon SB900 Alienbee ABR800 Profoto ProRing Elinchrome Quadra Eco Ringflash )

Well with the recent release of new photographic equipment from various manufacturers, Spring 2012 seems to be the most exciting season for Photographers.  With the new Canon 1Dx on its way, as well as the 5D Mark III and the D800  and Nikon D4 released in March, photography enthusiasts looking for a trade in or a new camera body will have a lot to look forward to.

Along with the new line of camera bodies, their are also a few accessories that have been released that many people will be very excited to get their hands on like the new Pocket Wizard Plus III, and the Canon 600EX RT speedlite.

Now like a lot of my reviews, its never about how good these improvements are but whether I believe the switch is worth the money.  So here's my analysis on the following new items...

Canon 600 EX RT Speedlite

Pocket Wizard Plus III

Canon 24-70mm L F2.8 USM II

Canon 600EX RT

*Size wise, the new 600EX RT is slightly longer by about an inch.

*LCD screen is significantly larger with a more easier to read green background.

 Menus

The menu system has been fully re-worked. It is easier to read and understand (especially the more complex wireless menus). There is no more remembering or looking up the magic numbers of the Custom Functions. Granted, with the latter cameras, it was possible to change custom functions using in-camera menus, but trying to do it on the 580EX II flash itself was a real mind game. Both Speedlite 600EX and 600EX-RT are more intuitive to operate.

*Buttons are translucent providing easier access in low lighting conditions.

 Buttons

One of the minor issues we always had with the 580EX II flash is the fact that the controls are not backlit. Even after using the flash for years, we still find it uncomfortable not being able to see the buttons under very dim lighting conditions. Well, with the new Speedlite 600EX, it is not a problem anymore. All buttons are backlit, except for the select button on the dial, which we believe is perfectly fine.*The 600EX RT comes with a filter adapter

*The 600EX RT now has a built in radio transmitter  

Zoom Range and Power

The 580EX II flash head is capable of zooming from 24mm to 105mm. The new head design extends the range of Speedlite 600EX on both ends: 20mm to 200mm. (With the built-in wide angle panel, both flashes cover 14mm angle.)

Canon specifies Guide Numbers for their flashes at the maximum flash zoom setting. Therefore, 600EX is listed with the Guide Number of 60, whereas 580EX II is at 58. This may lead users to believe that the new flash is more powerful. In reality, if you compare the Guide Numbers at identical zoom positions, the power output of both flashes is very similar, if not identical. So, there is no extra kick to be expected from the new Speedlite 600EX or 600EX-RT.

My Conclusion

Buy it if this is your first speedlite purchase.  If you own a 580 EX II, then maybe this is a pass.  The improvements although nice, but not enough for me to fork out $5100HKD (approximate retail price).  I myself is a monolight guy and I really don't see myself using all the new fancy functions.  I had two 580 EX IIs and I really never experienced issues with them (nothing that other speedlights didn't have as well, like slow refresh, limited lightshaping options, etc...).  In terms of the new built in radio transmitters, are they compatible with Pocket Wizards??? No? then it's garbage.  Long have I left the 3 Canon Speedlite lighting setup (due to many different problematic issues), so if the wireless transmitter only works between speedlite to speedlite then I don't see how that is a big bonus for photographers.  Let's face it, if you can afford 3 600 EX RTs, I think you may own Pocket Wizards as well.  So my conclusion is, well if you have the kind of money to splash, go for it.  I don't see how this purchase will improve your photography significantly.  Event Photographers may benefit more from these improvements, but even with that said I would still think twice before trading in the 580s for the new 600EX RTs.  

Pocket Wizard Plus III 

Although, there isn't a great significant of change ot the PWIIIs, I definitely think it's now a much better buy than the PWIIs.  Firstly, the reduced price.  YES!!! REDUCED PRICE.  You can now get one here in Hong Kong for roughly 1000HKD, compared to 1400HKD.  This is a significant price drop and I can assure you that has plently to do with the recent lawsuit Pocket Wizard has filed against Phottix for copyright infringement.

In terms of channels, the PWIIIs is now an improved 32 channel wireless transmitter, compare that to the 4 Channel PWIIs, need I say more?

I haven't held the actual product on hand, but I can tell the built quality looks a lot more improved and the LCD screen makes the interface a lot cleaner and also user friendly in low light conditions.  I would recommend this purchase for new user and existing PW Plus II users (since it is PW Plus II compatible).

Canon 24-70L 2.8 USM II

According to Canon, the updated lens will feature a new combination of lens elements and coatings which supposedly will result in improved color reproduction while avoiding ghosting and image distortion. It also sports a zoom-lock switch and has seen its aperture’s old 8-blade mechanism replaced with a 9-blade mechanism which Canon claims will deliver “incredible bokeh”. It is expected to see a launch in April for $2,299USD. 

Conclusion, to be honest if these improvements were made to another lens, I would not give this review a "BUY", but it is the 24-70mm L, my favorite lens and also favorite to many fashion photographers.  What I didn't like about the present 24-70 is the probably the slow speed of the lens itself (in AF mode), and it could be sharper.  I am hoping the new lens will be as sharp as the 70-300L, if so I would definitely trade it in even with the significant price difference. 

Tags ( Pocket Wizards 5D Mark III Phottix photographers lighting 580EX II 600EX RT Pocket Wizard Plus III Canon 24-70L USM II )