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The Alienbees ABR800 Ring
Flash can be used literally out of the box without much fuzz. The
instruction manual is very straightforward and in no time you'll be
shooting with it. The flash is composed of 2 semi-circular 6'' flash
tubes and 8 small halogen lamps that will work as modeling lights.
Life span under normal conditions is from 250,000 to 1,000,000 on the
6'' main flash tubes and 300 to 2,500 hours on the modeling lights at
$13.00 per set of 8 lights (not bad).
The flash
goes from 1/32 to 1/1 full power with its 300 watts (picture #!).
Yes, don't let the model number fool you into thinking that is an 800
watts unit. A very clever idea with a piece of plastic allow us to
use the flash as a strobe with an umbrella as seen on picture #2. The
flash arrives pre-asembled with minor things to put together. If you
click on picture # 2, you will see what's in the box. The yellow
envelope has the optional set of gels filters (ABRW/DF6). The set is
priced at $29.95 and my suggestion is, place the order for it along
with the ring flash. It won't add that much to your shipping and
eventually you'll want them. The gel filter add a very pleasant touch
to your subjects skin tones, enlarge picture #7 below for a better
look. The system works on a har plastic rail that kind of reminds me
a macro focusing rail. It can acomodate from a modest DSLR to a big
bulky Nikon D200 with its vertical grip attached to it as seen on
picture #4.
Although
this flash as seen on these pictures is big, it weights around 2.5
lbs and can be used hand held. The pictures shown here where done
actually hand held. Another feature this flash has is the ability to
work as a slave triggered by another flash, or wireless thru the
remote input as seen on picture 1. It has room enough for those big
F/2.8 zoom lenses like the 24-70 or 17-55.
The flash can be used virtually with any DSLR as it has a safe
triggering voltage of 5.5 volts. All you need is a PC socket on your
camera. If your camera does not have a PC socket usually on modests
DSLR, a special hot show to PC adapter can be purchased from Paul C
Buff for around $14.95 USD. Along with the flash is included a 12''
PC to 1/8 plug cord.
This
baby is powered by a 15' 120v AC power cord. A 25' fot version is
available optional at around $14.95. If you need power on the go,
this unit can be used with the Vagabond Power Pack from Paul C
Buff for around 100 shots at full power per charge.
Would
I recommend this flash to a friend? I definetly would. Considering
the output of a dedicated macro flash and its price, considering the
cost of a Nikon SB-800 or the new SB-900. The Alienbees system is a
steal for $399.99. Along with that price comes a great customer
service with 2 years of warranty. Even if the modeling or main lamps
fail under normal condition, the guys at Alienbees will replace them.
That's how confident they are about their product.
Yes, I
would recommend it to a friend!
*If you
have questions or if you'd like to discuss about this system,
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