AlienBees ABR800 RingFlash: A Serious Look from an Insane Photographer

 Introduction

[ Note: still working on the photos.  This review will be updated as soon as they are ready. ] 

Portraits resulting from the use of ringlights always amaze me.  It would produce a flat, shadowless light with a “ring-like” catchlights on the subjects eyes.  Most righlight portraits I saw aren’t using diffused lights, so there’s a little touch of strong contrast but not as strong as the ones from on-camera flash.  Shadows is diffused and almost non-existent because the light “wraps around” the subject making the shadow fall almost exaclty behind the subject.

Outside of the astronomical prices of commercially-available ringlights, the only way to achieve the effect of a ringlight is to create one yourself from raw materials that can be bought at your local hardware store.  And I’ve seen people do a great job create one and actually use it. 

However, going the DIY route pose a few disadvantages that limits its use.  Most DIY solutions make use of off-the-shelf daylight fluorescent bulbs.  That in itself is already a limitation: you are only limited to one brightness which means you are only limited to a range of apertures for a particular subject-to-lens distance depending on the dynamic range of the medium you are using.  You may also be limited to slow shutter speeds and/or high film sensitivity (ISO) since these DIY ringlights basically act as “hot” lights.

Of course, that all changed with the introduction of the AlienBees ABR800 Ringflash.  Once again, they have created a well-made product that mere mortals can actually afford.

If you are looking to buy a ringlight and do not like the idea of creating one yourself nor the idea of selling both kidneys to finance a commercially-made one, just stop right here.  Don’t waste time spending another minute here.  Just go to AlienBees’s website and purchase one already, because there’s simply no other options out there.

Now, for the rest of you 5 readers still with me, you’re probably on the fence whether this product will meet your needs.  I’m not going to claim that this would be the definitive review for this product; I’m just one of those people who happen to have access to the “internets” to voice my own non-sensible rants and opinions.  I will try to point out its strengths and weaknesses.  After all, great as this product may be, it still has flaws.

And like all other products I review on this site, the manufacturer (AlienBees) did not pay me one cent for this endorsement.  I paid for my own ABR800 using my hard-earned 0% APR credit card.

What’s In It?

The set comes with the following:

• ABR800 ring light (with diffuser)
• 3 spare bulbs
• Instruction manual (who reads these things?)
• Umbrella mount.
• Power cord
• Camera sync cord

I was surprised it didn’t come with a travel bag. 

Does It Work?

In a word: Yes.  If you’re familiar with the AlienBees or White Lightning strobes, you should be at home with the ABR800. 

The one design I like about this ringlight is the fact you can mount it on a light stand or a tripod.  One nit is that the up-and-down adjustment rod was made longer so I can hand-hold the whole setup rather a little more easily.  

What?  Did you say “hand hold?”

I’m far from being your next-door Arnold Schwarzenegger, but despite the relatively huge size, it’s not really that heavy. 

And if you don’t want to use it as a ringlight, you can also use the (included) umbrella mount.  Remove the diffuser and attach the adapter…and voila!  You can use it now as a regular umbrella-toting studio strobe.

What’s Broken?

OK, let’s get this out of the way:  The camera mount has “cheap! cheap! cheap!” written all over it. 

First of all, it’s made of plastic; there is no excuse: it should have been made of metal.  You mount/dismount the camera from this thing multiple times.  No matter how tough the plastic the manufacturer would claim it is, it’s not going to be enough.  This is the reason why the best tripod heads are made of metal.  I can already imagine myself holding on to my camera with the ringlight attached and already cringe to the thought of this mount flexing due to its weight.  To AlienBees’s credit, they did make the part that contacts the camera rubberized.

Second, the lock to the mount itself is very flimsy.  I can break it off easily if I want to.  Why it was designed this way?  I have no idea.  The reasoning is related to what I have stated in the first one: I will be dealing with this lock as I mount/dismount my camera for the ringlight.

Third, you mount your camera using a plain-vanilla screw and a flat-head screwdriver.  No thumb screws.  Jeezuz, not even a hex screw.  The screw isn’t even attached to the mount itself.  I can already imagine several postings photography forum with the subject line “I lost my ABR800 @#$$^! ringlight mount screw again!” I swear to God I almost cried when I saw this.

Fourth, this may not be a big deal to others, but it is to me.  This mount should have been designed with the Arca-Swiss clamp system compatibility in mind.  I have a Wimberley Arca-Swiss QR clamp on order just to use on this thing. 

Anything Else?

Like all Paul Buff’s products (AlienBees and the upscale line White Lightning), you are also purchasing an unparalleled customer service.  I have yet to read anything negative about Paul Buff’s customer service.  They have 60-day satisfaction guarantee on all products, and a 2-year warranty.  They also have an easy upgrade policy (although I’m not sure it applies to this product).

And just as an FYI, Paul Buff is working on a similar product called the Zeus RingMaster.  This has just been recently announced and I have no idea how it compares to the ABR800.

It also has a an optional soft diffuser called the Moon Unit.  Honestly, though, If I want a softbox effect, I would use a real softbox, which would probably have a better result than this accessory.

Can You Sum It Up in 65,000 Words Or Less? 

I believe that the product has its glaring flaws, but that wouldn’t stop me from keeping my ABR800.  It’s the only product out there that would cater to both professional and pretend photographers (like yours truly). 

And given that this is the first version (it already went numerous design changes based on user feedback), I have nothing but unconditional confidence that Paul Buff is continuously working on improving this product.

Hold on, i think there’s dirt on my nose.  

Popularity: 30% [?]

This entry was posted on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 6:58 am and is filed under Photography, Reviews, Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.