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Lighting

Field Review: ExpoImaging Ray Flash (Day 1)

Chris Gampat
No Comments
12/25/2010
3 Mins read

Last Updated on 08/30/2011 by Sander-Martijn

We previously reviewed the Orbis, which was a terrific all-in-one ring flash and softbox. But now we’ve got our fondling fingers on the ExpoImaging Ray Flash. Though it has a much different design, the unit is still proving so far to be very capable in tests (which are still on-going at the time of writing this posting.)

What is a Ring Flash?

Originally developed for dentists needing to illuminate areas forâ€Ĥdental workâ€Ĥring flashes were curved light tubes that went around the lens of a camera to evenly light dark area. However, photographers got a hold of the units and loved the effect. And so, the ring flash came into use.

Ring flashes are used often in portraiture, events, at weddings, in fashion, etc. Perhaps most notable is their uses in macro work.

Modern day ring flashes come in various different types. Canon for example has the MR-14EX TTL and the more powerful MT-24 EX. These units have a commander area that goes into the hot shoe of the camera with the lights going around the lens. The former only works with Macro lenses unfortunately. Nikon’s SU-800 also tends to be quite a bit more advanced with wireless control of the unit.

Then you’ve got the Orbis. The Orbis is literally a giant ring that utilizes your current flashes and turn them into a ring flash. The giant hole in the middle is for the photographer to place their lens into. Users can hand hold the flashes or use a bracket like pictured above. I’ve used both as the Canon 7Dhas wireless flash control. The Orbis can come by itselfor you can purchase the arm bracketor get them together in a special package(which you would probably prefer anyway.)

Now, you’ve got the Ray Flashwhich is different in different ways. It still modifies light from your speedlite and bends it into a ring shape. But it is designed for on-camera use. The Orbis needs to be used off-camera. That doesn’t mean that you can’t use the Ray Flash off-camera though: it makes a decent softbox. However, so far in the testing the Orbis has been seen as a better softbox because of the larger surface area it covers. Harken back to the rule that the larger the surface area is in relation to the subject, the softer your light will be.

With the Ray Flash, you only lose one stop of light. With the Orbis, you lose about two stops. Do whatever you’d like to with that information: sometimes I actually prefer two stops underpower if I’m using the unit as a softbox. But if I’m directly in front of my subject, I’m so far liking the one stop loss of light. To be fair, I find myself controlling the output of my flashes no matter what unit I’m using.

James, the creator of the Orbis, calls it the look of these units, “Million Dollar Ring Flash” look. And in all honesty, he’s right. The two companies have created some fantastic products.

How is the Ray Flash Used?

That video will explain and show it all to you.

Early Quirks

There are some weird things about this flash modifier. For example, you need to buy the one that is specifically designed for your flash. While that isn’t a bad thing necessarily, it means that I had to request the Ray Flash for the 580 EX II from ExpoImaging (which I get to keep by the way, thank you guys!) But when I want to stick my 430 EX II in there, I need to put these little wedges in to secure it and then screw down this clamp on top. It’s a bit of a pain at times, but it’s bearable.

Also, the shape is a bit weird. However, I totally understand why it was created this way. There seems to have been a lot of ultrasonic welding in the construction of the unit, which makes it tough. Once again though, it’s a very weird shape.

More will come in future tests.

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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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