DIY DSLR Ring-Flash part 1 of 2

[lexen]

wanna sell it? mail me.... name your price :D

[robbillybobb]

surely the flash distribution is not even, have u tested the distribution?

[ymananddk]

huge!

[motleypixel]

@ymananddk size matters...really, in light diffusion and coverage...yep, size matters.

[MrPlaystationboy]

NICE looks great

[onelouderimage]

Good work... !

[dcaramia]

how did you mount the bracket to the vent reducer?

[motleypixel]

@dcaramia pop-rivets...I think it's explained in the part 2 video.

[dcaramia]

@motleypixel oh cool, same thing for flash shoe mount?

[motleypixel]

@dcaramia no I think it used a counter-sunk screw so I matched the screw size/threading and used a tap to make a threaded hole in the bracket.

[dcaramia]

@motleypixel ok thank you

[jeffgobens]

I agree with LMKM, could you quote how much for one? I am not a woman haha, but I'm still not handy with tools :P I'm in Winnipeg MB Canada

[kmwindisch]

thanks, fantastic video.

[dcaramia]

hey where did you get that tiny hot shoe adaptor thing that is between the flash and metal bracket?

[motleypixel]

@dcaramia for my build I cannibalized it from an old strobo-frame flash bracket, but you can find them on sites such as b&h photo...search for things such as flash cold shoe

[lg123xyz]

For all the time and effort, time spent learning, reading the tutorials, going to buy all the materials, time spent must've taken at least 6 hours I'm guessing? Wouldn't it be worth just getting a Ray Flash for $200?

[motleypixel]

@lg123xyz It might be...would like to take this one and the Ray Flash and compare side-by-side shots and start there, then compare other things such as size/weight/functionality/etc. I'm you seen my flickr set with shots taken with this?

[lg123xyz]

@motleypixel No but I'll take a look... it looks like a nice project to do just for fun but from watch a few it seems it takes quite a while... assuming you have all the tools necessary! You did a great job and looks quite pro, but I just came across this video of a product that does the same for $45... not sure if its as good since I havn't seen the product shots but seems like a bargain. /watch?v=DVVx7WHtWU4

[LMKMphoto]

Can you make me one...I am not the best handy woman...lol. I'll pay for time,. labor, materials, and shipping.

[motleypixel]

@LMKMphoto would love to if you lived close by to work on it for and hour here/there over the course of a few weekends.

[LMKMphoto]

@motleypixel well were are you then...lol....I'm in Alabama!

[devonmale69]

You said in video same as beauty dish, Its nothing like one also why not paint all inside white this would give a much better light I think.

[motleypixel]

@RAMXC You do have a point and I mention this drawback, but I think it's far from useless...look at all the macro shots I have taken with this in my DIY Ring Flash flickr set and it's proof that it's not useless. I use it two ways: 1. I set my 100mm at 1:1 (min focus), then I just move the camera/lens/ringflash back and forth until I see critical focus in the view finder. 2. I use AF in a very successful way with the 100mm macro lens when there's decent ambient light.

[RAMXC]

@motleypixel If you use it 1:1 it is ok!But most of the time I find that the AF of my Sigma 180mm APO Macro is slow or incorrect!

I didn't want to offence you - the light in your pictures is perfect and it is very well made, but for me it is useless without manual focus.

I am building a soft box for my flash because of the MF.

[devonmale69]

@RAMXC for macro I use a focus rail the only way to focus in macro for me

[VerySweeTea]

08:43 cessna flying over..:)

[TarquinChurchwell]

just like "such" hehe

[adonigh]

i made mine, thanks to your video, thanks alot man...

[kirkvagg]

Hey mate Nice work. I'm in the middle of making one and I'm wondering what screws you used to mount the camera and flash to the Gal. Are they from an old tripod?

[applemaster405]

Thats not known as a beauty dish, ring light and beauty dish are two completely different things. cool DIY project though.

[medous]

I built exactly the same one, but the photos came out with an.. James Bond effect.. Like with a black ring around the photo. Its cuz of the small end of the inner piece where the objective goes in. The only one i found for it in german shops was an aluminium vodka bottle carrier but i guess thats too thin... Any ideas where to get the inner part?

[svtcontour]

Awesome. I must try something like this. I just picked up the 100mm canon macro and I would love to have a proper ring flash. This is IMO quite proper :) 

[guitarpikz]

awesome..dude

[deewai03]

this DIY is great. does the autofocus works if mounted on the ring?or can you access the focus ring?

[dima9944]

Why does it have to be 5 to 4 reducer? I ask because I can't find one, anywhere, that doesn't have crimps in it. I found a 6 to 4 though.

Is there a reason I would need 5"?

[motleypixel]

@dima9944 yes and here's why...the larger end is what takes up dish room...the larger that end becomes the more reflective space is consumes. I found that only one of the major HW stores carried that size and can't recall if it was Lowes or HomeDepot.

[dima9944]

@motleypixel Yes you do say in the video that Lowes didn't have it. Home depot is fairly far from my house, so I was hoping 4x6 would be okay. Thank you so much for the reply, I'll make the drive to HD then.

[DNelsonPhotography]

@dima9944 a coffee can works just as well. ive made a few of these ringflashes and they can be made with anything handy. Cardboard plastic or metal. A cheaper way of getting a shade is to find an old standup office light and scavange the shade. Buying all this material can add up.

[Spaeckli]

Hey, I live in Switzerland and I really can't find such an industrial lamp shade!

so my question is, could you send me one of those? for sure I'll pay the item and the shipping charges and as a plus I'll send you some Swiss chocolate or somethin...

Hope you help me, thx

[motleypixel]

@Spaeckli Send me a youtube email...we'll work something out.

[krnetip]

@Spaeckli I found a similar lamp in Ikea

[Mrnjaou]

@Spaeckli Why don't you just buy a metal salad bowl? Or a plastic one and coat it with foil/paint?

[ExotiqBeautii]

@Spaeckli ebay has EVERYTHING!

[loupremo]

when you consider the cost of the tools. this probably cost more than buying a brand new ring flash, correct?

[motleypixel]

@loupremo well maybe...let see mt-24ex or mr-14ex averages at about $560. BOM for this is roughly $65, then add dremel ($65), cheap drill ($40), rivet gun and rivets ($30), hammer ($12), vise ($30), tin snips ($15)...am I missing anything? So that only roughly $192 in tools and if you have a Harbor Freight near-by it could be less, plus the utility of having these tools in the future good. So the grand total if you didn't have jack-crap to build this is roughly $260, but most of us have tools

[loupremo]

@motleypixel i actually went out and bought a drill. but i'm just going to buy a real beauty dish because, for me, this was harder than it looks. plus i sliced my finger trying to cut out the back of the flower pot.  im a photographer...but not a very good craftsman.

[Wauk9390]

@motleypixel This is a great video thanks for posting, I have all the tools already so this is perfect for me. You did a great job explaining in detail and your finished product looks very clean and compact. I will have to add a few extra bends because of my camera body but the general design is fantastic, thanks again.

[solarves]

@loupremo Unless you don't have friends ... it's more than likely you can borrow your friends drill. It's one of the most commonly owned tools among homeowners. But let's say you are friendless ... you can rent the dremel and drill from any tool rental place for less than about $15 for both. And a hammer ?? Well let's put it this way if you own your own house you absolutely should have a hammer and a drill.

[jaedawggy]

What a well-produced tutorial and the final product looks great. Thank you for sharing!

Before I set off for Home Depot, would you mind this question...I'd hate to build the thing and not be able to use it. I'm hoping to use for fashion & portraits (studio and location). As such, which lenses do you recommend for this build? I primarily use Nikon 50mm and 14-24mm (very wide, but I love this lens). Thanks in advance. BTW--you could sell these and make a mint...Ray Flash has nothing on you!

[motleypixel]

@jaedawggy Well first of all thanks for the comments...size is king with light sources, of course with a trade-off...size. I hate to burst your bubble but I would stick with 85mm+ focal lengths and don't forget it's impossible to manual focus or zoom, so primes at 85mm+ would work best. This being said, I did use mine with an EF-S 60mm 2.8 macro and it worked fine.

[jaedawggy]

@motleypixel Darn. Oh well, I think I'll build it anyway...it's inexpensive enough to play around with personal projects. Thanks again.

[tylerpomeroy]

What brand of primer and black finish did you use? Also where did you get it?

[motleypixel]

@tylerpomeroy I used Rustoleum brand gray primer and flat black spray paint from Home Depot or Lowes.

[Daddygoodfun]

would this work with a telephoto lens like a Sigma 70-200 and would you be willing to make one for a SB-800 flash and I can purchase it for you?

[MattTheRazzi]

Wouldn't it be easy and cheaper just to by a Ring Light!

[archedmandible]

This is a really well-made DIY video. Good job, man.

And the ring flash looks really clean too.

[motleypixel]

It depends, it could make it worse. It's all about the reflective angle to the light source. You may be better off focusing on placement of the subject in relation to the light source.

[gonrog]

Sooo... If I'd buy a canon ringflash and a beautydish for it, it would actually be cheaper and I wouldn't have to do it myself.

The 580 flash costs about as much as the ringflash, and I don't think the beautydish for it costs a whole lot...

[k9forkids]

Damn, did your wife bitch at you because you have all these power tools on HER couch? lol

Great Video

[antmartainexperience]

Very slick. Actually inspired me to put down the duct-tape and tin foil and bring out the powertools.

[motleypixel]

LOL...as Tim the Tool Man would say...arug, arug, arug, oh whatever.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[danaquino]

Would you use wireless triggers with this setup?

[motleypixel]

sure but it's really not needed and it would actually make the setup more complicated, relying on more batteries and any faults with the wireless system.

-Roy

[danaquino]

I see, reason why I ask is because already have several low profile type ebay triggers. I didn't want to have to by a hot shoe pc cord if I didn't have to. BTW which brand model are you using with this rig? Hot Shoe pc cord? Thanks!

[motleypixel]

Makes sense, but I still would use a PC Cord. I used an off-brand for a bit until it broke and now I use a Canon PC Cord and it's been doing very good.

[tkandme3]

CANON SUCKS

[AncaNator]

this is the best and most professional looking DIY ringflash i've seen. THANKS!!!!

[motleypixel]

The length of the reducer is 5 and 5/8ths inches. It could honestly be about 3/4" shorter or up to 2 inches longer and still work.

[n33oh]

Very cool but AF assist lamp on flash is useless now. The AF assist lamp really helps lock focus fast in dim light situations.

It's probably impossible to make a design that still retains the AF assist lamp functionality.

[motleypixel]

True, but look at 99% of all other DIY flash rigs...they almost all get in the way of the AF focus assist light. Personally, I use MF 90% of the time and when I do use AF there's normally enough light. It's a worth-while compromise IMHO.

[n33oh]

Actually, I thought of a way to retain AF Assist lamp functionality. Instead of bending the head to form an L, leave it straight.

This way the AF Assist emitter & other sensors on the head still face forward. Will need a much longer bracket and this will a bulkier configuration but I guess we can't have it all.

[GrendelPL]

1. in booth macro and studio photography, AF-assist lamp is pretty much useless anyway :D

[tricerri123]

dude! this is so great! very smart! easy, simple and it looks good! thanks 4 the video!!!

[dripgoss]

Good job!

and LOL at 7:06 - Wife made you take your project outside and off her leather couch, didn't she? :)

[motleypixel]

So after having this DIY Ring Flash for a little over a year and having the Canon MT-24EX for about 6 months. I've found that for shots greater than 1:1 magnification the MT-24EX does best, but for anything 1:1 and over I like the light from the DIY Ring-Flash. Conclusion, don't build this if you are a Canon shooter using the Canon MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X macro lens.

[ev0luti0n1988]

i can't believe there are vids like this on youtube.

DIY ring-flash? AWESOME!!

Thanks man for posting this. I have been searching for ring-flashes and here i can make it myself. Thanks again!

[hiimbong]

i dont have a pop rivet thing, is there anyway i can replace that part with something else?

[motleypixel]

You need to use some sort of hard-ware as glue won't cut it. I would say small machine screws where the head is very flat. I would use loc-tite and a star washer for the nut side.

[DjLezz]

how will you zoom in or out if the lens in enclosed in the ring flash structure?

[motleypixel]

You really can, which is why it's best to use a prime lens. But the "real" question is how would you manually focus...ah....yes you can NOT manual focus nor zoom with this setup...perhaps the #1 draw-back to this design.

[qwurky]

Very, very well done -- and a fine gesture toward the less -clever ones out here!

Thanks!

qwurky / david

[stal1ng]

Great video. Thanks!

[DIZEMANPHOTO]

There is a rotary cutting disc available for the Dremel Moto Tool that would cut out that excess aluminum in far, far less time than the sheet metal sheers and you already have the Dremel.

[g550]

Excellent video!

Thanks a lot.

You should start pumping these out, I'll buy 1!!

[N2CBiohazard]

Very nice...thanks!!

[bonemarro]

is there a chance I could buy yours since making one is down to a science for you??? I'll pay for time, labor, materials and shipping. how bout it??

[laurencepak]

the best made DIY photo gadget i have ever seen

[laurencepak]

whoa i want one!!

[renatosamba]

this is great achievement !

thanks for being so efficient and sharing it !

[tkandme3]

Canon cameras suck. Get a Nikon.

[sasktank]

tkandme3------canon cameras do not suck---canon is by far the largest camera company in the world--and its not because there cameras are shity---there cameras are excellent------canon sells more cameras by accident that nikon ever will on purpose

[CallumMclarty]

You guys have gotta be kidding :/

[toad2039]

he hasn't used a canon yet hell one day see the light (i used to think just like him before tsk tsk)

[willma88]

how about- cameras dont matter, the photographer does though.

=]

[n64roo]

@willma88 couldn't agree more

[artysmokes]

Very inspiring, but I was wincing when you were using the tin snips on that brand new light shade! :D

[wnickelson]

A beauty dish is a different animal from a ring ling, but cracking brilliant tutorial anyway.

[motleypixel]

Yep you are right...I've been schooled several times on this, thanks!

[GewoonHakkuh]

...but the infrared-system on your external flash, is worthless now.

[l33thustla]

But you probably won't need that external flash anyway

[deadvideokid]

pocket wizards man! step into the future!

[motleypixel]

Throw me some bones and I would gladly time travel with you brother!

[rustynasty143]

pro photographers dont worry about this they can always use manual flash settings.

[motleypixel]

Yep...in fact, it's worthless most of the time...so what's your point?

[kerbeg000]

Great video! They ring flash design just keeps getting better! I love your video, Mike and I, who did the flicker demo are very proud! Thanks for improving the design and making such a high quality video. Kudos!

[aquaphotoboy]

fantastic!! Thanks for sharing.

[johansec55]

Thank you so much for your thoroughness. I WILL be building one of these.

[effyleven]

You have built a good tool, but it is not known as a Beauty Dish. That's an entirely different thing.. nothing to do with mounting around the lens.

[Tesselator]

Awesome video man!!!

Thanks!