Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Product Description
The orbis ring flash uses your existing flash/strobe to create the same beautiful, characteristic ring flash look that has previously only been possible with expensive studio systems. Ring flash has long been recognised as characteristic of high-end portrait and fashion photography. The preserve of the upper end of the market, studio ring flash systems cast beautiful shadowless light yet are bulky, fragile, unwieldy and costly. Conceived by a full time professional photographer and developed by top optical designers, the orbis ring flash is made from durable ABS plastics, weighs around 500g and is totally portable. The patent-pending light-tunnel' redirects the light from your flash/strobe transforming it into an incredibly effective ring flash. A patent-pending 'one-size-fits-most' dock means that the orbis works with a huge range of flash/strobes with no need for add-ons. The orbis enables you to take photographs with shadowless quality ring flash light - without the high costs associated with buying or renting a bulky studio ring flash. All you need is a standard flash/strobe unit and an off-camera cord (or other remote triggering method). the orbis is handheld so neither impedes your camera system's functionality nor relies on the fragile hotshoe connection. The orbis arm, is a simple kit enabling you to fix your orbis to your camera. The orbis was designed to give serious photogr aphers an edge; by enabling you to quickly and
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By goomyz
I purchased the orbis because I like the "shadowless" look of ring flashes and the centered specular highlight and edge falloff these kinds of lights produce. It's also an excellent type of light for fill flash. Finally, the orbis can be used off axis/off camera just as any other light source, and because of its size, creates softer shadows than the bare speedlight when used close to the subject.
The orbis ring flash is a great idea that unfortunately falls short in a major way, holding it back from being completely usable.
There has been a lot of talk about how the orbis will not hold your speedlight securely. Since that topic has been covered I will only mention that it is a big concern and great care must be taken to avoid an accident.
For me there are two glaring issues with this product. Although you can learn to hold the orbis and the speedlight in such a way as it won't slip and fall, the fact that you're holding them with your focus/zoom hand is a problem...for focusing and zooming. Enter the orbis arm product.
The solidly constructed orbis arm aims to free up the photographer's left hand returning it to it's rightful place of zooming or manually focusing. The arm is attached to the camera and the flash (with orbis) is attached to the arm by way of a TTL hotshoe extension cord. Finally, the TTL hotshoe is attached to the bottom platform of the arm. (Optionally, some camera and flash combos can use the manufacturer's wireless flash option rather than the corded method, but I did not experiment Nikon's CLS with the orbis). The arm can be adjusted vertically so the ring lines up with the lens.
While the arm itself is solid, any forward or side to side tilting of the shot puts a lot of force on the TTL hotshoe and the lower part of the speedlight, both of which are made mostly of plastic! There is quite a bit of play at the orbis end of the "tower" (TTL, speedlight, orbis) and when tilting the camera down or sideways the ring moves enough that it's way off-center to the lens, in fact causing it to rest against the lens barrel...not something I want. (An important aspect to a ringflash's look of not casting visible shadows on the subject is that the light is centered and emitted equally from all sides of the lens. Move the light slightly to one side, above or below and shadows begin to be more visible.) But the real concern for me is that putting all that weight on the TTL connection might cause the plastic to snap, potentially sending the orbis and my speedlight to the floor unexpectedly. Even if you could get through a shoot without tilting at all (right), just moving around like a typical shooter does makes whole attachment wobble and could eventually give. If you are in a crowded environment, like a wedding reception or club event, just the right bump could spell disaster. This problem was a deal-breaker for me and my shooting style, and I ended up returning it straight away for a refund. If orbis can resolve this major issue without increasing the cost I would consider it again.
The orbis ring flash is a great idea that unfortunately falls short in a major way, holding it back from being completely usable.
There has been a lot of talk about how the orbis will not hold your speedlight securely. Since that topic has been covered I will only mention that it is a big concern and great care must be taken to avoid an accident.
For me there are two glaring issues with this product. Although you can learn to hold the orbis and the speedlight in such a way as it won't slip and fall, the fact that you're holding them with your focus/zoom hand is a problem...for focusing and zooming. Enter the orbis arm product.
The solidly constructed orbis arm aims to free up the photographer's left hand returning it to it's rightful place of zooming or manually focusing. The arm is attached to the camera and the flash (with orbis) is attached to the arm by way of a TTL hotshoe extension cord. Finally, the TTL hotshoe is attached to the bottom platform of the arm. (Optionally, some camera and flash combos can use the manufacturer's wireless flash option rather than the corded method, but I did not experiment Nikon's CLS with the orbis). The arm can be adjusted vertically so the ring lines up with the lens.
While the arm itself is solid, any forward or side to side tilting of the shot puts a lot of force on the TTL hotshoe and the lower part of the speedlight, both of which are made mostly of plastic! There is quite a bit of play at the orbis end of the "tower" (TTL, speedlight, orbis) and when tilting the camera down or sideways the ring moves enough that it's way off-center to the lens, in fact causing it to rest against the lens barrel...not something I want. (An important aspect to a ringflash's look of not casting visible shadows on the subject is that the light is centered and emitted equally from all sides of the lens. Move the light slightly to one side, above or below and shadows begin to be more visible.) But the real concern for me is that putting all that weight on the TTL connection might cause the plastic to snap, potentially sending the orbis and my speedlight to the floor unexpectedly. Even if you could get through a shoot without tilting at all (right), just moving around like a typical shooter does makes whole attachment wobble and could eventually give. If you are in a crowded environment, like a wedding reception or club event, just the right bump could spell disaster. This problem was a deal-breaker for me and my shooting style, and I ended up returning it straight away for a refund. If orbis can resolve this major issue without increasing the cost I would consider it again.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By CT
Amazon Verified Purchase
I just got my Orbis Ring Flash and haven't worked with it more than a few hours. So far, it has performed as described. I can't give it five stars because the way the system attaches to the camera causes it to flop around just a bit on the lens. One way to minimize this is to use a lens hood and put the rubber bumper (comes with the ring flash) on the inside of the ring flash head. I works as a good addition to my travel bag when I don't have access to strobes or other lighting options. The "Pros" of the system are that it is portable, gives nice soft even lighting, works with most any strobe unit and gives you options when you are on location and only have a flash. The attachable arm is a must. It would be very cumbersome to work with the ring flash without it. Spend the extra and get the bracket, it is worth it. The arm also attaches to a tripod or monopod. I have used with a monopod with great results. Depending on the type of photography you do, this could be a very useful tool. I know I will get a lot of use out it. The price is right also. It is an inexpensive, portable ring flash. The "Cons" are that is is bulky and needs a small bag or carrying case and not the best ring flash to use with extreme macro work. It is also a bit awkward on the camera, but once you get used to it, it isn't a big deal.
I am very happy with my purchase.
I am very happy with my purchase.
