There is a kind of Holy Grail of RingFlash lighting.
It’s a somewhat specific, shadowless light, mainly thought of as beauty light.
You are either tethered by cable to a strobe pack, like the ProFoto ring,or you are using your speedlight and a pop up, lightweight doughnut, like the Roundflash, or a hard unit like the RayFlash. Here is a look at those on a previous post.
And the hunt goes on.
The latest, and in my opinion most versatile, has come into the market.
The Flashpoint Ring Li-On.
I took this unit to ComicCon NY 2015 and it performed just like I hoped it would

Let’s talk about the features first: With the flash being a 400WS, you have some real juice.
It has 4 modes: Manual, Slave 1, Slave 2, and Repeat for stroboscopic mode.

I kept it on Manual the whole day, and used it for it’s flash capability, adjusting the power down for tight shots (it goes down to 1/128 power), and up when I needed a bigger field of view.

Using a PC connection, first time in awhile for THAT socket to be employed, it worked like charm. Every time. Recycle time is between. 05 sec- 2.8 secs. I only had to wait once in the day, after firing off a ton of full tilt flashes.
Here is one of the unique deals with this unit: As a flash i found it to work great in the flash mode, but it is also an LED Ring Light! How good is that for some sweet video lighting? Now while the flash has an incredible range of power on the wheel, the LED only has 3 positions. Still a crazy good feature.
In my test the mounting hardware all tightened great, and the camera didn’t move once in position.
You do have to rig the camera to the light in a simple to adjust way, and I’d recommend setting it up before you hit a gig. In other words, mount your camera so it’s centered through the ring, then mark that placement with colored tape, perhaps, dismount, fold up the hardware for transport.

It fit perfectly in my ThinkTank Airport backpack, the mounting hardware folded down, with the rest of my gear. Another reason I love these bags.They just work.
To be sure,the rig is not light, (sorry) and adds about 3lbs to your setup.
If doing walk around, I would not recco using a Black Rapid, or other strap, due to the weight and form factor.
I went back to an old standby Crumpler shoulder strap using 2 rings on the camera and it was fine. I now always have a cotton carrier wrist strap, and that was on it, too.

The battery is rate at 450 flashes at full power. I didn’t use it for the last 2 hours, and it had power to spare, charging up pretty fast at night for the next day.
On a true assignment using this only , I’d have 2 batteries on hand at least.
As I said the true nature of a ring flash is a pretty specific look.
The beauty here is having 400 WS in your hand and not tethered by cable.
It does have a few ways to sync you camera-wireless controller like Pocket Wizard, PC Sync, or Sync Cable.

Walking around ComicCon, even with a press pass, this lighting unit said serious. It allowed me to get shots I never would have been able to make.
The current price I just saw was $450.

Oh, one other bit of versatility here:
You can mount a umbrella in it for that ultra spread soft light, even on location.

It does have a 1/4-20 on the bottom so yo can put the whole rig on a tripod.
I didn’t. In my hands or on my shoulder the whole time.

It comes with all of this:

So, what are the downsides?
A bit heavy in the hands and transporting. Once I was set-up, it was fine, but 5 hours later I was feeling it.
The color temp has a variance of 200º +/- from 5600K, so be aware either in the camera or in your post production. This may affect you more in video.

Overall, the build feels solid after a day on a trade show floor.
Set-up and break down for transport went easy, and felt secure throughout.
At $450 dollars this is a great value and you will use it.
I know I will.

It’s a tough world out there in photo manufacturing these days.
Everyone has an iPhone, and the compact camera market has taken a huge dive.
But those who know photography know that these phones, while terrific, have severe limitations. Like depth in images, and digital file quality.
I’ll always carry both an iPhone with some Olloclip lenses, and a compact mirrorless camera in the daily bag. When there is money on the table, out comes the Nikon D810 DSLR. Every camera has wi-fi now, whether built in or via Eye-Fi. Just the way it is.

Canon now introduces their latest entries into that compact market. They’ve been strong in the category for years, and here is an interchangeable lens version, and a built-in lens model.
PowerShot G5 X and Slim & Stylish PowerShot G9

and the EOS M10, with the vari angle LCD, perfect for the selfie crowd.

I haven’t put my hands on these, so this is an announcement post only.
The official word:
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Seems like a good time to get the iPad Pro!
And get that Photoshop Fix app for free and see what you think! Modified Retouching Photoshop tools for iPad and iPhone. Access you images from the cloud (if you are on Adobe CC)

At Adobe MAX 2015, the world’s leading creativity conference, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today outlines its vision for Creative Cloud — a “connected creative canvas” where people create and share their work from anywhere. With millions of members around the world, Creative Cloud brings together essential desktop and mobile apps; a growing marketplace for content, assets and talent; and a vibrant community where creatives can showcase their work and find inspiration. Adding to Creative Cloud momentum, the company today shipped two new mobile apps, Photoshop Fix and Capture CC, enabling quick retouching and asset capture on the go and announced new Touch capabilities across Creative Cloud desktop applications including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC and Premiere Pro CC. Adobe is also highlighting its patented CreativeSync technology, which powers connections between desktop and mobile apps and the assets creatives use every day. In addition, video content is coming soon to Adobe Stock, the company’s royalty-free collection of high-quality photos, illustrations and graphics.
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When I left LA, there were 95 boxes of photo books that went into storage.
Since moving into a city where space is at a premium, my book purchases have taken a nose dive, and only a very select few make it through the front door. Yes, I’m talking about the printed books, not the ones that live on my iPad.
Today one of the finest books I’ve seen in a long while showed up in the mail.
Multitude, Solitude The Photographs of Dave Heath
Have to call this my choice for Photo Book of the Year. Rare do you find a combination of salient text, along with a full collection of a master photographers work, brilliantly printed, and the book itself, a tightly crafted item.
The size of the book is right, and no images run in the gutter, a pet peeve.
In the front of the tome, you get a history of Dave Heath that helps give you insight into the man. After a full, rich, collection of photographs, including the out of print book, “Dialogue With Solitude” you also get a an insight into the man as a photographer and artist.
And also maquettes (mocked up layouts) of book he made along the way
Do not pass this up before it goes out of print. I have only done one pass with it, and know that many more are ahead. Michael Torosian has been a maker of fine books for years, and his involvement in the is one, assured quality. It does not disappoint. If you care about photography, and want to make a discovery, buy this book.

Sure, I’ll admit that he was one of my teachers. It was after seeing him do a talk, that I decided on my college.
In looking back at his work I can see why we also connected. His vision speaks to me, and I’ll bet it speaks to you as well.
Even as just a solid book, this is a masterpiece. $52? A fantastic deal!

Now showing at Howard Greenberg Gallery in NYC.

Sure, we’re coming into the season of new gear. PhotoPlus Expo will reveal all of the new tools you’ll lust after.
As a matter of fact, I’m working on some new gear reviews of goods that you’ll find useful to add to the bag, or post-production workflow.
But… How are doing with the gear you own now? Could you use an intro to some new skills?Maybe a hands on lesson would increase the blood flow to your creative brain, or maybe add some money to wallet for your photo business.
We have to applaud camera manufacturers who put together these teaching seminars, like the new traveling series from Nikon.

They use their cameras to teach, but these are lessons that go across brands.
Find the place,and the class that works for you. Treat yourself to knowing how to get more out of what you own.
Then we’ll talk about what you need next.
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