Brando’s LED ring-light for SLR cameras is a genuinely clever take on the ring flash. And at just $58, it is also just about the cheapest solution we have ever seen.
The Circular Macro Half/Full LED Light Source fits onto the front of most lenses (adapters for common filter-thread sized are supplied) and offers the on-axis, shadowless lighting of a ring flash. But because it uses LEDs, the lighting is continuos instead of coming in a split-second burst. This has a few advantages: You can use the camera in full auto without any fancy iTTL hookups, as the camera’s meter can see the light and work out exposure normally.
It is also small, with the light itself barely larger than the front of the lens, and requires just a couple of AA batteries to power the 48 LEDs (or 24 LEDs, should you decide to use just one side or the other). The unit also comes with a mains power adapter (which doesn’t charge the batteries).
There are some disadvantages, too. The effective maximum distance is given as just 1 meter (3.3 feet), a pathetic number even when compared to the weakest flash found in a cheap point’n’shoot. For macro shooting, though, that should be all you’ll need. And did we mention that it’s cheap?
Circular Macro Half/Full LED Light Source [Brando via the Giz]
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