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I've been reading a lot about them lately and can't figure out the appeal/value of a ring flash over a traditional on-camera or shoe-mount model. I get that it is better for macro or in cases where the lens causes a shadow due to size or wide angle.

Beyond that is there another reason they seem to be all the rage right now (or at least getting a lot of press)??

Really? They are all the rage? Damn, Santa better give me one then! :p

Well, I guess not just true macro, but closeup work can benefit.

For me, I just use a hotshoe cable for my regular Canon flash, and a Gary Fong diffuser. Those tools alone can do so much already.

They're popular in portrait lighting because they provide a nice even light that wraps around the subject. When you're close to a background, they can create an interesting "all-around" shadow effect, as demonstrated on my daughter's stuffed monkey :D :

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/5...5b5d74b3_m.jpg

This is one that I DIY'd to mount on a regular old Nikon speedlight.

For portraits, won't a ring in the reflection of the eye become distracting?

You need them when the subject is too close to the lens, especially if you are using a big lens.

I've got a shot around somewhere of a bird in flight. While the bird was high enough in the frame to be exposed (actually an aiming error!) a good chunk of the frame is in shadow from the lens. It was something that I had never thought of until I saw that print.

The newer macro lights for Nikons DSLR are the R1/R1C1 with multiple flash mounted on a ring fitted to the lens. These have better flexibility than fixed ring flash.

I have the most basic SL-1 ring light (not flash) for the Coolpix series and do use it on occasion. But the LEDs can leave an ugly reflection unless I am careful.

The best results I found is by using multiple remote flash units. This is done in the Nikon system by wired remote or the newer CLS wireless components. Almost all modern Nikon DSLR can use these remote components. There are older flash which works fine as slave unit and literally can cost $20 to $30 each today.

Here is an example taken with three flash units.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...8/DSCN9129.jpg

This subject is about 2.5 inch tall.

Yup. Multiple remote flashes do just about everything a ring flash does and more. The only case where they wouldn't do is if you need to be able to take the shot quickly without being able to set up--not a common situation.

Yes -- portraits taken with a ring flash give the models that "dead-chicken-look" in the eyes. Fashion-shots with a ring-flash enhances the natural "Dead-chicken-look" of the models to perfection..... ;)

I've got my ring-flash quasi-permanently mounted on my macro-gear, and haven't (other than the occasional testing) found an use for it other than macro ;)

I think it's worth pointing out there's two types of ring flash:

Ones for macro use are intended for close up work where a normal flash would be obscured by the lens. They're normally low power as they don't need to throw light a long way.

Ring flashes for portrait use are much higher power, intended to light a much bigger area. Both intend to give even, shadowless light, but portrait ring flashes use a bigger light source to try and soften the light. Recently a couple of clip-on solutions for standard flashes have become available. The established one at the moment is the Ray Flash ringflash adaptor.

Try and mix and match and you'd struggle to get good results.

Welcome to FlyerTalk!!

And thanks for the info.

I suggest that you don't shoot family portraits with a ringlight or your family will hate you. Save the ringlight for closeups of dental procedures. ;)

It's not about flashes (more about machine vision), but here's some useful info on lighting:
http://www.edmundoptics.com/techSupp...?articleid=264

IMO the fascination comes from people watching CSI. They think that they look cool.

I was going to say that a ring flash is great for taking pictures of the surgical field.

like F-stop junkie mentioned there are two different styles of ring lights. I dont do enough macro photography on land to make it justifable to get one, (UW is a different story, but i use a 3 strobe setup for that).

Now when if comes to using a ring light for portraits(not the family style either, but more glamour and high fashion) thats a different story its because im going for a shadowless look in the image to go along with flawless skin and/or high detail make up work (IE fantasy,etc). I have used a few brands of ringlights including several very expensive european brands but I use a Alienbees ringlight and various modifiers from bare bulb to 50" softbox attached.

In general a ring light is of limited use to the average shooter when compared to a hotshoe mounted using on or off camera techniques for portraits.