Anyone seen this ring flash before? Thoughts??

JayR · 11-01-2011, 12:33 AM

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

JY-670 Macro Ring Close-UP O Flash Gun for Canon Nikon Olympus Pentax Samsung | eBay

It says LED but appears to be a standard flash as well. Have spotted a few of these on eBay lately.
Am keen to test out this kind of flash for some infill lighting when Im doing event photography at music festivals and in conjunction with other lighting when im doing more studio stuff.

I understand it isnt very powerful, but could have its uses...

**mattb123** · 11-01-2011, 08:22 AM

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any comments too. I'd love a ring flash for macro work at some point but don't want to spend a lot.

Edit to add:
I Googled for some reviews and didn't find any, but I did find it cheaper at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Viltrox-Macro-Digital-Cameras-JY670/dp/B005SSMQAG

bdery · 11-01-2011, 01:40 PM

This one seems a lot less expensive:

LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D | eBay

JayR · 11-03-2011, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by bdery

This one seems a lot less expensive:

LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D | eBay

This one looks mostly like LED only? The other one appears to have flash tubes, dunno, hard to tell.

bdery · 11-04-2011, 04:47 AM

Yep, the one I showed looks like it's LEDs only. Would that be a problem?

trco · 11-07-2011, 11:53 AM

It looks like ring lite - written on control unit.
On Viltrox homepage:
- 44 pcs LED Lights - but on the photos it looks like it is some kind of lamp behind (it's hard to see)
- Full svivel, 80 dgrees in either direction - this is interesting.
JY-670 Macro Ring Lite Specification - Products1 - Products - Viltrox

It looks like it has modeling lights on top and bottom.

**RKKS08** · 03-21-2012, 05:13 PM

I just ordered this one:

Meike FC100 LED Macro Ring Flash Light for Nikon D300 D3100 D90 D80 D7000 D5100 | eBay

It says "for NIKON", but I have answers from a chinese seller as well as a polish trader which both state that distinguishing between brands is just a marketing thing. No matter whether they are labeled as "for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax,...", they all just use the x-contact.

If you have a closer look at the specifications, this makes sense. The LED flash offers variable flash INTENSITY, the ordinary flashes offer mainly variable flash TIME. The flash time of the LED flash is fixed at 1/100 sec, which seems to be the limit of the used controller. The LEDs itselves should be able to handle shorter times.

Using pTTL (not TTL!) could enable a LED flash to control flash intensity, and maybe flash time as well. But then the flashes would need the same electronics as the "real" pTTL flashes (minus the thyristor and the high voltage capacitor). But then I think no one could offer it for GBP 21 including shipment from China to Germany.

Besides the fact that you cannot use it for fast moving objects, the only minor problem I see is that the bandwidth of colour temperature maybe much bigger than with flash tubes. Of course never as big as with natural daylight, which is a mixture of all frequencies. With bad luck, the 2 sides of the flash could offer significant different colour temperatures, which could make WB somehow difficult. If it is roughly the same on both sides, it could be checked once with a grey card, and programmed (with my K200D, I could overwrite one of the seldom used WB presets).

Last edited by RKKS08; 03-22-2012 at 12:36 PM.

bdery · 03-23-2012, 04:54 AM

Thanks RKKS08. One thing makes me wonder, however. This one seems similar,

LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D | eBay

but look at the picture of the shoe mount:

There does seem to be the full array of Pentax pins. I might contact this particular seller to ask, just to be sure.

Twarp · 03-23-2012, 05:13 AM

Would be nice to know if those pins are fake or functional. Keep us posted...

**mattb123** · 03-23-2012, 11:04 AM

Too bad it doesn't have a 49mm adapter ring since that is such a common size with Pentax.

bdery · 03-23-2012, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by mattb123

Too bad it doesn't have a 49mm adapter ring since that is such a common size with Pentax.

A step-up ring will take care of that.

**RKKS08** · 03-23-2012, 02:57 PM

@ bdery

"There does seem to be the full array of Pentax pins"
I cannot say it is impossible they offer pTTL, I just doubt it. I asked only two sellers which offered the "NIKON" version, and both said their flash is fully manual and can be used with every brand. The pictures of one of them also showed a shoe mount with just the X contact.
Of the 5 contacts you see one is the X contact (trigger), another one is a dummy one to lock the shoe on the mount, one provides the analogue "flash ready" signal introduced with the ME/ME Super (which may cause the camera to correct the exposure time, if supported), and #4 was used to signal after the shot whether lightning had been sufficient (not supported any more by Pentax, that's now all digital). #4 and #5 could indeed be related to pTTL (TTL would not make sense with a fixed flash time). Someone has to find out (probably not me, I have already ordered the all-brands manual one).

andrewb · 03-27-2012, 03:27 PM

Can anyone confirm the Meike units are a flash & not just a constant light? Can the produce a constant light (modelling) for focussing before firing the flash?

**RKKS08** · 03-28-2012, 07:58 AM

@ andrewb

I ordered it 1 1/2 weeks ago, so I expect it to arrive earliest end of this week. But it could easily be 4 weeks more, specially if German customs get involved. So I can only repeat what the specifications tell:

1. The Meike can be switched between modelling light and flash.
2. In both modes, light intensity can be set to any of 7 levels.
3. In both modes, one half of the LEDs can be switched off.
4. In flash mode, the flash time is fixed at approximately 1/100 sec.
5. In flash mode, the GN max. is 15, so it can offer slightly more light than the built-in flash of the Pentax DSLRs.

This means, in flash mode, with today's cameras, you are restricted to exposure times of 1/60 sec or longer.
Whether synchronisation with the special 1/100 sec x-flash exposure time of many older film bodies is good enough, must be tried out; it will depend on the camera as well as on the LED flash.

**mgvh** · 04-13-2012, 09:12 PM

@RKKS08
I was looking at the Meike FC100 myself, so I am anxious to hear your review.
I did find one that indicated it was for Pentax...

11-01-2011, 12:33 AM	#1
JayR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Adelaide, SA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 273	Anyone seen this ring flash before? Thoughts?? Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. JY-670 Macro Ring Close-UP O Flash Gun for Canon Nikon Olympus Pentax Samsung \| eBay It says LED but appears to be a standard flash as well. Have spotted a few of these on eBay lately. Am keen to test out this kind of flash for some infill lighting when Im doing event photography at music festivals and in conjunction with other lighting when im doing more studio stuff. I understand it isnt very powerful, but could have its uses...

11-07-2011, 11:53 AM	#6
trco Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Kidričevo, Slovenia Posts: 47	It looks like ring lite - written on control unit. On Viltrox homepage: - 44 pcs LED Lights - but on the photos it looks like it is some kind of lamp behind (it's hard to see) - Full svivel, 80 dgrees in either direction - this is interesting. JY-670 Macro Ring Lite Specification - Products1 - Products - Viltrox It looks like it has modeling lights on top and bottom. Last edited by trco; 11-07-2011 at 11:55 AM. Reason: Forgot data ;)

03-21-2012, 05:13 PM	#7
RKKS08 Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 1,241	Meike FC100 LED Macro Ring Flash Light for £21 including shipment worldwide I just ordered this one: Meike FC100 LED Macro Ring Flash Light for Nikon D300 D3100 D90 D80 D7000 D5100 \| eBay It says "for NIKON", but I have answers from a chinese seller as well as a polish trader which both state that distinguishing between brands is just a marketing thing. No matter whether they are labeled as "for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax,...", they all just use the x-contact. If you have a closer look at the specifications, this makes sense. The LED flash offers variable flash INTENSITY, the ordinary flashes offer mainly variable flash TIME. The flash time of the LED flash is fixed at 1/100 sec, which seems to be the limit of the used controller. The LEDs itselves should be able to handle shorter times. Using pTTL (not TTL!) could enable a LED flash to control flash intensity, and maybe flash time as well. But then the flashes would need the same electronics as the "real" pTTL flashes (minus the thyristor and the high voltage capacitor). But then I think no one could offer it for GBP 21 including shipment from China to Germany. Besides the fact that you cannot use it for fast moving objects, the only minor problem I see is that the bandwidth of colour temperature maybe much bigger than with flash tubes. Of course never as big as with natural daylight, which is a mixture of all frequencies. With bad luck, the 2 sides of the flash could offer significant different colour temperatures, which could make WB somehow difficult. If it is roughly the same on both sides, it could be checked once with a grey card, and programmed (with my K200D, I could overwrite one of the seldom used WB presets). Last edited by RKKS08; 03-22-2012 at 12:36 PM.

03-27-2012, 03:27 PM	#13
andrewb Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Victoria Posts: 6	Confirm meike unit is a flash & not just a light? Can anyone confirm the Meike units are a flash & not just a constant light? Can the produce a constant light (modelling) for focussing before firing the flash?

03-28-2012, 07:58 AM	#14
RKKS08 Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 1,241	@ andrewb I ordered it 1 1/2 weeks ago, so I expect it to arrive earliest end of this week. But it could easily be 4 weeks more, specially if German customs get involved. So I can only repeat what the specifications tell: 1. The Meike can be switched between modelling light and flash. 2. In both modes, light intensity can be set to any of 7 levels. 3. In both modes, one half of the LEDs can be switched off. 4. In flash mode, the flash time is fixed at approximately 1/100 sec. 5. In flash mode, the GN max. is 15, so it can offer slightly more light than the built-in flash of the Pentax DSLRs. This means, in flash mode, with today's cameras, you are restricted to exposure times of 1/60 sec or longer. Whether synchronisation with the special 1/100 sec x-flash exposure time of many older film bodies is good enough, must be tried out; it will depend on the camera as well as on the LED flash. Last edited by RKKS08; 03-28-2012 at 09:12 AM.

11-01-2011, 08:22 AM	#2
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any comments too. I'd love a ring flash for macro work at some point but don't want to spend a lot. Edit to add: I Googled for some reviews and didn't find any, but I did find it cheaper at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Viltrox-Macro-Digital-Cameras-JY670/dp/B005SSMQAG

11-01-2011, 01:40 PM	#3
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	This one seems a lot less expensive: LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D \| eBay

11-03-2011, 04:46 PM	#4
JayR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Adelaide, SA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 273 Original Poster	Originally posted by bdery This one seems a lot less expensive: LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D \| eBay This one looks mostly like LED only? The other one appears to have flash tubes, dunno, hard to tell.

11-04-2011, 04:47 AM	#5
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Yep, the one I showed looks like it's LEDs only. Would that be a problem?

03-23-2012, 04:54 AM	#8
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Thanks RKKS08. One thing makes me wonder, however. This one seems similar, LED Marco Ring Flash For Pentax PK k-r kx k-5 k7 645D \| eBay but look at the picture of the shoe mount: There does seem to be the full array of Pentax pins. I might contact this particular seller to ask, just to be sure.

03-23-2012, 05:13 AM	#9
Twarp Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 77	Would be nice to know if those pins are fake or functional. Keep us posted...

03-23-2012, 11:04 AM	#10
mattb123 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado High Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,873	Too bad it doesn't have a 49mm adapter ring since that is such a common size with Pentax.

03-23-2012, 01:12 PM	#11
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Originally posted by mattb123 Too bad it doesn't have a 49mm adapter ring since that is such a common size with Pentax. A step-up ring will take care of that.

03-23-2012, 02:57 PM	#12
RKKS08 Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Frankfurt am Main Posts: 1,241	@ bdery "There does seem to be the full array of Pentax pins" I cannot say it is impossible they offer pTTL, I just doubt it. I asked only two sellers which offered the "NIKON" version, and both said their flash is fully manual and can be used with every brand. The pictures of one of them also showed a shoe mount with just the X contact. Of the 5 contacts you see one is the X contact (trigger), another one is a dummy one to lock the shoe on the mount, one provides the analogue "flash ready" signal introduced with the ME/ME Super (which may cause the camera to correct the exposure time, if supported), and #4 was used to signal after the shot whether lightning had been sufficient (not supported any more by Pentax, that's now all digital). #4 and #5 could indeed be related to pTTL (TTL would not make sense with a fixed flash time). Someone has to find out (probably not me, I have already ordered the all-brands manual one).

04-13-2012, 09:12 PM	#15
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,033	@RKKS08 I was looking at the Meike FC100 myself, so I am anxious to hear your review. I did find one that indicated it was for Pentax...

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
For Sale - Sold: AF280T Bounce Flash w/adaptors & AF080C Ring Flash (US/UK/CAN/AUS)	MJL	Sold Items	3	02-07-2011 10:19 PM
Thoughts on Metz 50 flash	bwDraco	Flashes, Lighting, and Studio	3	01-03-2011 11:52 AM
Alien Bee Flash Unit or Ring Flash	Hey Elwood	Photographic Technique	2	06-24-2010 07:37 AM
Ring flash / ring light for macro	tcom	Flashes, Lighting, and Studio	5	07-28-2007 10:26 AM
Opinions: Ring light or Ring Flash	Peter Zack	Flashes, Lighting, and Studio	8	07-14-2007 07:44 PM