Click to Enlarge The hottest thing in lighting this year is, well, just about anything that can be taken on location. In particular, innovative multi-function devices are giving traditional location lighting gear some of the qualities and flexibility of studio light, while preserving the automated or dedicated operation that makes that gear so useful on the fly. For example, a number of this year's Editor's Choice winners work in combination with hotshoe-mount flashes to create softer, more flattering light yet let the strobe continue to function as a dedicated TTL unit -- and also perform its wireless tricks.
Lighting Product of the Year:
ExpoImaging Ray Flash Ring Flash Adapter
A sophisticated, solidly-built adapter that slides over the front-facing head of a hotshoe-mount flash -- for now, only the Canon 580EX II, Nikon SB-800, and some of those lines' lesser and/or older units -- this ingenious product gives photographs the crisp, electric look of a studio ring flash at a fraction of its cost. Unlike most studio-level ring flashes, the portable Ray Flash works without a powerpack, is lightweight, and, at under $300, is probably the most affordable way to get the distinctive look of large-scale (non-macro) ring flash so loved by fashion photographers.
What's unique about the Ray Flash is that it gives you the power needed to light subjects at portrait distances (provided, of course, by the flash it's attached to) with the automatic TTL operation of the dedicated macro ring flash units sold by SLR makers (which typically don't have the power to light subjects at a distance). The one-pound device uses internal prisms, baffles, and reflectors to evenly project the flash's light down and forward through a ring-shaped head that encircles the camera's lens. (It can accommodate lenses up to four inches in diameter, which means fast zooms can be used.) Because the ring's beam is on-axis with the lens, and perfectly frontal, it creates no visible shadow on the subject. It does, however, outline the subject with a pale, aura-like shadow if the background is close behind.
The Ray Flash really does produce a convincing ring light effect. We had great success, and fun, with the unit, though we did rely on Photoshop to play up the light's quality. It reduces the flash's output, but only by a reasonable stop or so, and changing the zoom head setting on our Canon 580EX II Speedlite didn't seem to make any difference with this. (We just set it manually to 50mm to squelch the sound of the head's zooming.) We're hoping that the clever Ray Flash will be made available to fit other brands of dedicated shoe-mount flash units.
Other Top Lighting Products
Elinchrom Skyport Radio Remotes
Arguably the most comprehensive radio slave system for wireless firing of AC- and battery-powered flash systems, these tiny units are available in two basic configurations. One is for virtually any strobe system that's ordinarily connected with a conventional PC cord; the other is specifically for the Elinchrom RX strobe line. Either version operates at distances of up to 390 feet between lights and camera, and the Elinchrom-dedicated Skyport Remote provides a high degree of lighting control from the camera position.
The Skyport kits' transmitters simply slide into your camera's hotshoe, and are powered by rechargeable lithium batteries that provide up to 50,000 flash firings per charge, depending on conditions. Also lithium battery-powered, the Skyport Universal Receiver plugs into the PC socket of most commonly available studio and location strobe units, and operates for up to 30 hours per charge.
The more advanced Elinchrom RX Skyport receiver requires no battery, drawing its power from an RX head's multi-pin socket. This closed-loop Elinchrom system lets you control RX strobe and modeling light output in 1/10-stop increments from your camera, using toggle switches located on the shoe-mounted transmitter. You can also get a USB Transceiver for the RX system: It plugs into a USB port on a Mac or Windows PC, and works with supplied EL-Skyport Software to automatically locate a nearby Skyport RX Receiver -- thus providing full control of strobe output from the computer. Under $200.
Westcott's Rick Sammon On-Location Light Control Kit
How-to expert Rick Sammon, the author of dozens of books and DVDs on photographic topics, recently turned his talents to location lighting. The result is this light-modification toolkit, a single product that will satisfy many photographers' location light-modifying needs. The kit's 12-inch circular tote holds a collapsible, 30-inch-square diffuser (with rounded corners) for softening direct light; a collapsible, 30-inch-square two-sided reflector (silver on one side and light-warming gold on the other) for bouncing light into the shadows to improve their detail; and Westcott's Micro Apollo softbox, which can be mounted on most shoe-mount flashes to tone down the harsh light often produced by direct, on-camera strobe. (It also reduces or eliminates red-eye.) The whole kit weighs only two pounds, for easy transport. About $115.
Best Buy: JTL Mobilight 301 AC/DC Strobe with Battery
A self-contained strobe that operates on AC or DC power, JTL's new monolight is among the most affordable yet full-featured studio and location lighting options out there. For under $350 you get a 300 watt-second head that runs off wall current or a lightweight NiMH rechargeable battery, the latter delivering up to 120 full-power pops per charge. As a high-capacity alternative, JTL also offers a three-pound lithium battery version (shown here, about $750) that promises 1000 full-power pops per charge, and can power more than one Mobilight.
The 301 Mobilight accepts any of JTL's lighting accessories, including softboxes, wireless radio and infrared remotes, and oversized digital readout screens that help users set power output from across the studio. It features continuously adjustable output down to 1/8th power; a built-in optical slave; a thermostat to prevent overheating; a car lighter adapter for battery recharging on the road; and a proprietary, integral sliding arm for positioning the head on a light stand to counterbalance the weight of large light-modifying attachments. $350 and $750.
Photoflex Starlite Dual Spectrum Kit
The ability offered by digital SLRs to pre-set or fine-tune white balance has revolutionized location photography, allowing shooters to easily mix and match color temperatures for creative or realistic effect. Few lighting products take advantage of this flexibility like the Photoflex Starlite Dual Spectrum Kit. The Dual Spectrum Kit lets you quickly switch from continuous, cool-operating daylight-balanced fluorescents (DBFs) to bright, tungsten-balanced hot lights.
Even better, the Photoflex DBFs (called CoolStar 150s) are among the brightest such bulbs available, their output comparable to that of a 500-watt tungsten bulb.
The Dual Spectrum kit includes a Starlite QL head with a swiveling light stand adapter; one 5600K CoolStar 150 bulb, with carrying case; a 1000-watt quartz-halogen tungsten bulb; and a midsized softbox, lightstand, and carrying case. About $800.
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