A few weeks ago I set out to buy the Fstoppers Flash Disc but it was out of stock on Amazon. While looking for something similar I ran across the Coco Ring Flash which looks like ExpoImaging's Ray Flash but can be had for $150 cheaper. Both are flash modifiers that take the output from a speedlight attached to your camera and distribute it to the shape of a circle or ring. Traditionally the ring fits around the lens attached to your camera which gives the subject being lit a characteristic shadow-less look (since the light is not coming from a particular direction, but directly ahead). I had seen that the Ray Flash received a good review from The Phoblographer however nothing had been published about it's cheaper counterpart. I was not even sure if it would fit my mirrorless cameras or Yongnuo flashes because it was made for a DSLR and Canon's 580EX II flash. In the end I decided to risk the small investment and purchased the unit. 

When it arrived I was surprised that my Yongnuo 560 III slid on easily and stayed snugly in place. It was basically a perfect fit. On the downside the ring flash is pretty big compared to my OMD EM5 and Panasonic GX7 and I found that it could only be used with the EM5. The hump that many complained about when this camera was released ended up being the saving grace here. When the ring flash is mounted to the speedlight on the GX7, its top half interferes with the field of view of any mounted lens. Another thing to mention is that even when using it with the EM5, none of the lenses that I tried actually "clear" the front of the ring flash. Subsequently, wider lenses are not compatible because the ring flash ends up in their field of view. The Olympus 45mm f/1.8, Sigma's 60mm f/2.8, and OM Zuiko 50mm and OM Zuiko 35mm + generic focal reducer (35mm and 25mm equivalents, respectively) all worked. In addition, the 12-50mm kit lens was also compatible at a focal length of 20mm or greater.

Performance wise, I found the ring flash did wonders for macro work. This form of photography is difficult because you generally need to stop the lens down to at least f/8 (for enough DOF). Without the use of flash you need to compensate for this by increasing the iso and decreasing the shutter speed. Motion blur then presents a problem (which means you need a tripod and ideal weather conditions) and this is further complicated if you are trying to shoot a moving subject. The ring flash essentially eliminates all of these problems. I was able to shoot stopped down (f/8-f/16) and maintain a high shutter speed (1/160 - 1/200) and low iso (200). Plus, I never had to increase my flash power above 1/64 which equaled fast recycling times and happy battery usage. Since there are no shadows cast from a uni-directional light source the output from the ring flash was very flattering for shooting anything up close. [On a side note, all of the macro photos in this post were taken with an OM Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 attached to a generic focal reducer (reviewed here) and Meike macro extension tubes (reviewed here) - for some reason this combination was magic.]

Unfortunately I did not have time to seek out a model to test the ring flash for portraiture before being called offshore for work. I shot a few self portraits but was feeling under the weather with a cold and most of the resultant photos came out pretty miserable. The self portrait session did however show me that you need to be really close to the ringflash in order for the circular catch-lights to show up (compare photo below to the one at the beginning of this post). I also noticed that a small section of the ring flash (at the top) is darker than the rest in some of the photos (see cockatiel's eye) and comes out as more of a "u" shape. Overall, I think the flash ring does work as advertised for portraits but A. I need to spend more time with it on this front to form a solid opinion and B. I have not used any other ring flash to compare the Coco version to.

Extra Macro Image Samples

In conclusion, for $50 the Coco ring flash expanded my macro horizons and has the potential to add another "look" to my portrait work (which is still in its infancy). My only gripe is that it is so large and not compatible with the GX7. I was super sad to have to leave it home after shooting with it for a week because I had a lot of fun exploring macro once again. I wish I would have thought to take pictures of the ring flash attached to the EM5 vs the GX7 to give an idea of what other mirrorless cameras may be compatible with it. I will ammend the post when I get back from offshore and hopefully will give more examples of portraits taken with the ring flash. I hope this post has at least inspired readers to go out and shoot some macro, no matter the light source : ) The micro-world is truly an amazing one.

Sam

If you live in, or are traveling to Florida and would like to schedule a photo-shoot, I am currently offering portrait services in and around Central Fl. Check out more of my work at www.samgoldphotography.com

I am far from an editorial or fashion photographer, but a review by the Phoblographer on Chris Martin's (PBCM) fashion presets made me want to give them a shot. I likes the sample images and the presets are relatively cheap ($25), so I figured it was not a huge investment risk and made the purchase. I like using presets in Lightroom and in addition to some I acquired from Shotslot, I have made several of my own that I use as a general primer for editing. I have also gotten some film emulating ones but do not use them very often. So how do Martin's Fashion presets hold up? My initial concern about them not being applicable to my photos completely evaporated after playing with these presets for a day and my conclusion after using them for a while is that they are GREAT! The Phoblographer did a good job of showing what they can do for your fashion photography so I will not go into that (plus I have no sample photos). Instead, I wanted to show some examples of how I have applied them to other types of photography. Before I go into any detail, I wanted to share my workflow before applying these presets and provide an example of what each of the filters does. This is not a typical fashion shot (see Phoblographer review if interested in that), however, I did use an off camera flash to expose Reville and was working with the MZD 45mm f/1.8, a sharp portrait lens.

RAW

After white balance and eye enhancement and cropping

When applying Martin's presets I have found it is best practice to correct your white balance before-hand as the presets do not alter this facet of your photograph. As you can see in the RAW image, the white regions of Reville's coat had a strong blue cast to them. To fix this I simply enabled Lightroom's WB dropper tool and clicked on Reville's chest which automatically removed the blue cast. Not just for these presets, but in general, adjusting white balance is an easy way to take more control over your images. When I first ventured into post processing I often forgot this step, but have trained myself to adjust white balance as soon as I begin to edit a photo. I also cropped the photo and enhanced the eyes using Lightroom's adjustment brush. This is going to be a lot of cat, but here are the preset renderings:

Fashion POP (Neutral)

Black and White POP

Blue POP

Green POP

Magenta POP

Yellow POP

As you can see, overall the presets add a bit of contrast and clarity to your image and the Blue-Green-Magenta-Yellow varieties cast a different color tone to the photo's highlights. My favorite for this image were B&W and yellow as they were the most natural, but the others also gave neat results if you were wanting a more cross processed look. I have found the neutral preset to work great as a quick way to add some punch to everyday photos. Overall, the effects of this preset are subtle, but if your initial photo is properly exposed, you are only one click away from taking your photo from meh-RAW-land to export-me-now-awesomeness.

The sample images above were taken when I reviewed the meike extension tubes and were exposed using the EM5's diffused kit flash. The only adjustments I made to the photos before applying the neutral (or Fashion POP) preset and exporting them were to correct the white balance. The first and last of these photos were a bit overexposed and I could have fine-tuned a little further, but even "as is" results are good and in the future I will probably apply this preset to all my photos while importing them. I also like the black and white converter, but here I suggest that you go through and alter the color channels individually after conversion to fine tune your output. This is not necessarily because of the preset, it is just how I prefer to process black and white imagery and skipping this step will result in perfectly usable results.

Again, if your photo is properly exposed then Martin's black and white preset will render good results and give your photo just the right amount of punch. Unlike the neutral and B&W presets, I found more thought needed to be put into using the colored presets on my general photography. What I did learn while experimenting however, was that they are especially useful for adding a very unique touch to product photography.

Blue POP

Magenta POP

Yellow POP

Green POP

Yellow POP

Magenta POP

Blue POP

I think the colored presets work great here because in a way, product is like fashion photography but on a smaller scale. The thing to remember is if you want to have good results immediately when using these, you need to nail your exposure in camera. Also, if you refer back to the comparison images of my cat (and the photo of the Olympus body cap lens above), you can see that the Blue POP preset has the greatest impact on a photo's shadows. To salvage some of the detail in these areas after applying Blue POP simply adjust the "shadows" and or "blacks" slider in Lightroom 4 to your liking. In addition to product photography, I was surprised by how much I liked the results when presets were applied to landscapes (well... seascapes actually) and other random photos that I have recently taken around the vessel I am on. Application to these types of photos will not appeal to everyone, but if the idea of a funky photo peaks your interest then LOOK ON!!

Green POP

Yellow POP

Blue POP

Green POP

Magenta POP

Yellow POP

Magenta POP

Green POP

Yellow POP

Magenta POP

Blue POP*

Again, those concerned with preserving the fidelity of their photos are probably not going to be impressed with the use of Marin's colored presets for their landscape or general photography. If you are one of these people, you still may want to consider the package for the neutral or black and white presets which I have found to be an excellent addition to my post processing workflow. One thing that I like about presets is that they are highly customizable after you apply them. For example, in the photo above (*) I adjusted it's tone curve to give the dark areas a blue cast which I think gave the photo some additonal character on top of Blue POP. I am obviously a fan and think that for $25 Chris Martin's presets are a steal. They can easily be applied to non-fashion photography and will give your photos that retro "instagram" look on steroids. Using them has made me want to try PBCM's "Summer" preset package, however, the muted look has never been my style so I am more hesitant to purchase them. Anyhow, if you are looking to support a fellow photographer, enjoy using Lightroom presets, and like some of what I have presented, "Fashion POP" just might be something you will end up loving!!!

Sam D.