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Ray Flash: The Ring Flash Adapter Canon and Nikon Portable Flash Units

The Ray Flash is a unique adapter for your hot-shoe flash unit designed to replicate the lighting effect produced by traditional, expensive, and heavy powered studio ring flash units.

The Ray Flash is portable and lightweight, and has been designed to take advantage of a camera’s TTL metering capabilities. Because the Ray Flash relies on the hot-shoe flash to generate its light, it contains no electronics, no flash tubes and requires no cumbersome cables. The light distribution is accomplished through a sophisticated system of internal prisms, reflectors and light-shapers designed to distribute and project the light evenly around the lens.

The Ray Flash creates a unique ring flash lighting effect: a three-dimensional shadow-wrapped look around the subject. Because ring flash light originates from a circle around the lens, it produces a virtually shadowless look on the front of your subject, while producing a soft even shadow around the edges. The versatile Ray Flash is ideally suited for fashion, wedding, portrait, journalist and macro photography as either a main or fill-in light.

Exposure control:

All TTL functions operate normally when using the Ray Flash. As with standard flash use, manual exposure control requires the use of a light meter or test-shots.

The Ray Flash is designed to fit the Canon 580EX (MKI & MKII) and Nikon SB800 flash units. Weighing only 15 oz, the Ray Flash's weight is easily supported by hot-shoe mounted flash units. The 4 1/8” internal diameter of the Ray Flash is large enough to accept almost all professional lenses from Nikon & Canon. For the model range see the chart below.

Light output:

The Ray Flash results in only one stop of light loss from your flash's standard output. The Ray Flash does not change a flash's color temperature.

How to fit the Ring Flash Adapter:

Mount the Ray Flash to the front of a portable flash unit by sliding the Ray Flash over the front of the flash unit. Then turn the lock on top of the Ray Flash to hold the Ray Flash firmly in place. The Ray Flash requires no modifications to your flash unit to mount.

The new Ray Flash design (models RAN & RAC) is designed to fit Nikon SB800, Canon 580EX and Canon 580EX Mark II flash units. It is lighter than the previous SIRC model and is one stop more powerful as well, only reducing your flash unit's output by one f-stop.

Using Flash Units Other Than Nikon SB800 and Canon 580:
At the moment, there are no plans to introduce the Ray Flash for other makes and models of flash units. However, feedback from Ray Flash owners indicates that it is possible to use the Ray Flash with other types of flash units. Please contact us to determine if your make and model of flash unit will work with Ray Flash.

Where to Buy a Ray Flash:

ExpoImaging is the exclusive U.S. distributor for Ray Flash. The Ray Flash is currently only available for purchase through ExpoImaging's web site Buy Now Online. It will be available for purchase through photo dealers nationwide by May, 2008.

Please e-mail us at ringflash@expoimaging.net with questions about the Ray Flash.

Pictures, fitting guide and prices here.