AF 140C Ring Flash wanted

Does anyone have a Pentax ring flash that they no longer require?

:

I spotted one advertised from a shop when I was reading AP on the train this morning (might have been Park Cameras) but they wanted nearly £350 for it

There were a couple on ebay in recent months but when I enquired of the seller as to their completeness . . . they weren't. All he had was 2 X flash ring + 2 X flash module.

The box is not really important, but the lens adapter rings are very important, and he didn't have them. Three rings for fitting to different filter thread sizes are included with the AF140C ring flash. Without them, or at least one of them, you can't fit the flash ring to the camera because it clips/locates onto a groove on the outside of the adapter.

If you can find an AF140C in reasonable condition, its well worth it in my opinion. I don't know that I would pay the £350 for it though. The Vivitar 6000AF is a useful alternative but not as powerful as the AF140C which also includes modelling lamps and the ability to fire either or both pair(s) of flash tubes to get some 'spacial' impression rather than the flat look from your images.

Personally, I like the flat look.

Hi

Unsure if their is a distributor of this RING light in the UK but worth checking out http://www.phoenixcorp.com/Flash/TTL_Auto_Focus_Infrared_Flash/RL-59_Series_Auto... they advertise for sale in various US camera magazines and thus might be an option as well.

Good luck, I am saving up one for their digital equipment once it comes available.

Best wishes,

John,

Don't turn your nose up at the AF080C, which may be easier to find.

It's less powerful than the 140, but it's generally powerful enough, and with a 49-58 step-up ring it can be mounted on an FA 100 2.8 macro without vignetting (on a DSLR). I presume it would also work on the A* 200 macro (same filter size), but probably not on the FA* 200 macro (if you are lucky enough to have one).

You have to use it on manual on the K10D (because, like the 140, it's not P-TTL) so the lack of Auto is not a problem.

G

That device looks suspiciously like a rebadged Vivitar 6000AF.

Many thanks for all the replies so far. Flash is not my forte and all advice is gratefully received!

If it's a ring light just for studio work, how about this..........might try it myself.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120087805895&fromMakeTrack=true

BTW: Due to my inability to stay away from that auction site I've ended up with 2 AF140C's and 2 SMC-A 100mm Macro lenses (f2.8 and f4 Dental), I had already ordered an AF140C from KEH but I got a good deal (only has a 49mm attachment ring) in an auction, so If anybody is interested in an AF140C or the SMC-A 100 f4 Dental drop me a PM.

Hmmm, I'd be a bit dubious as at least some of the 'example' photos they show haven't been taken with this ring-light - look at the shadows on the M&Ms, and frog, and I think the flower - just not right for a ringlight. Teeth might have been, but I'm not sure.

3000K seems awfully 'warm' to me for LED's too, but I may well stand corrected on that one.

And when they say "shooting distance of up to approximately 2.5cm ( 1.0 in. )", do they mean "as close as", or "not further than"?

Might be fine, but I can be a bit of a pessimist sometimes.

Dan

Daniel,
I suspect they meant 3000mcd white LEDs
And it probably is up to that distance. LED light doesn't go very far - it's certainly no substitute for a proper ringflash.

The other thing I saw this week was on ephotozine:
http://www.ephotozine.com/news/fullnews.cfm?NewsID=3732
and http://www.ringflash.cz/en_eshop.php

Sounds an interesting idea and I like the results. Has me thinking though...

Matt

Now that's what I call a ring flash - is there any way that this design could be tinkered with to work with the AF540? I've never played with the Canikon models they list - what's so special about them that allows this to work? Is it something to do with an extreme tilt head?

At £129 it's almost a cheaper option than a dedicated Pentax ringflash and if something could be cobbled to make it work you could still use your AF540/360 for normal shooting too.

Will

Will,
I think I have access to a Canon 580, so I might measure up
The other people to ask are the people who do Omnibounce - they have measurements for practically every flashgun out there...
Matt

Now the cynic's coming out in me - just looking at the ephotozine page, and the example shot there, and while I've no doubt they used one of these ringflash devices for that shot, they also used another lightsource left of camera (no shadows on left hand side of model - hips and outside edge of arm).

It just makes me think 'why?'. Just show us a straight sample, and we can make our minds up, fiddle with the lighting, and I immediately think something's up...

Of course, if the lens wasn't centralised in the ring, then that might have the same effect.

Dan

A ring flash gives very flat, even lighting, so an extra flash to one side is commonly used to add a bit of modelling.

It is however possible to achieve this 'look' with the AF140C because you can choose which of the 2 pairs of flash tubes to use.

There is a switch on the back of the ringflash to choose left, right, or both pairs of tubes. If one chooses to use only the left pair, shadows appear on the right of the subject. Ditto the other way round.