Well here's another thought... I made a very similar one for about £5 from some plastic tupperwear and silverfoil from the cheap shop...

i have done good with my Orbis.

here is a ringflash vs rayflash demo.  Doesn't really give much info about the coco flash but it can give an idea bout the rayflash

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wW6HmpeHaU&amp;feature=player_embedded" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wW6HmpeHaU&amp;feature=player_embedded</a>

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Let me get this straight:

For the record: I have never shot with a ring flash before and I have the following question.

When you take the set-up like in the youtube video posted by Leaf above and you're approx. 12-15 feet away from the model using a flash that has a 15 inch diameter with a hole in the middle, don't you always get nearly the same result as shooting with a regular flash?

My point is, that at this distance, how is it possible for the light (being such a "small" light source) to illumante the model any different than using a speed light mounted on the top of the camera?

Of course the speed light is even a smaller light source but that could be compensated with some MacGyver tricks or using one of those inflatable "softboxes" for the speedlight in order to diffuse it some more/create a larger light source.

I originally though that a ring flash only really shows its characteristics when shooting close-ups and where you can actually see that distinct ring reflection in the eyes or (sun)glasses of the model.

Other than that I wonder how the ring flash makes this shoot or this kind of lighting so special when we consider the distance to the model and the relative size of the light source.

Can anyone chime in on this?

Let me get this straight:

For the record: I have never shot with a ring flash before and I have the following question.

When you take the set-up like in the youtube video posted by Leaf above and you're approx. 12-15 feet away from the model using a flash that has a 15 inch diameter with a hole in the middle, don't you always get nearly the same result as shooting with a regular flash?

My point is, that at this distance, how is it possible for the light (being such a "small" light source) to illumante the model any different than using a speed light mounted on the top of the camera?

Of course the speed light is even a smaller light source but that could be compensated with some MacGyver tricks or using one of those inflatable "softboxes" for the speedlight in order to diffuse it some more/create a larger light source.

I originally though that a ring flash only really shows its characteristics when shooting close-ups and where you can actually see that distinct ring reflection in the eyes or (sun)glasses of the model.

Other than that I wonder how the ring flash makes this shoot or this kind of lighting so special when we consider the distance to the model and the relative size of the light source.

Can anyone chime in on this?

There is a difference, especially between built-in flash and this ring flash adapter. There is a slight difference between my SB 800 and this kind of ring adapter too, but it's not so significant. Ring flash still IS bigger and makes softer shadows than regular flash, if regular flash is pointed directly to the subject. (I'm talking about flash without softbox)

Let me get this straight:

For the record: I have never shot with a ring flash before and I have the following question.

When you take the set-up like in the youtube video posted by Leaf above and you're approx. 12-15 feet away from the model using a flash that has a 15 inch diameter with a hole in the middle, don't you always get nearly the same result as shooting with a regular flash?

My point is, that at this distance, how is it possible for the light (being such a "small" light source) to illumante the model any different than using a speed light mounted on the top of the camera?

Of course the speed light is even a smaller light source but that could be compensated with some MacGyver tricks or using one of those inflatable "softboxes" for the speedlight in order to diffuse it some more/create a larger light source.

I originally though that a ring flash only really shows its characteristics when shooting close-ups and where you can actually see that distinct ring reflection in the eyes or (sun)glasses of the model.

Other than that I wonder how the ring flash makes this shoot or this kind of lighting so special when we consider the distance to the model and the relative size of the light source.

Can anyone chime in on this?

The main thing to keep in mind about this vid is that this guy is making a comparison of a strong light source unit vs. a weak light modifier being bumped to a ridiculous ISO .. kinda a stupid comparison IMO. He's also using the ringflash in the "new trendy" way of using it .. I'm a fashion photographer who stands over a dozen feet back from my client and makes comments about needing to be able to fire a shot every 2 seconds (lame) .. at least he did mention the fact of using it as a fill for full length fashion portraiture because that's the only time it makes sense to use one in that situation. And yeah you're right it makes much more sense to use them in macro work .. after all they were designed specifically for dentists to be able to produce evenly lit flat light images of their patients chompers. You also nailed it on it being used to create the catchlight.

All stock aside ... Ring lighting for portrait clients is much more profitable if done using a continuous light source for maybe 1-3% of the session. A couple fast headshots to show off the catchlights then move on to other things. You can assume a guaranteed sale on a ringlight shot 95% of the time .. but normally only on 1 pose .. so you make it a headshot, fire a couple off and continue on to other things that will produce more sales.

I just don't get why this guy decided to compare this type of flash from such a big distance

Just look at the guys portfolio .. he primarily takes snapshots of celebrities. LOL ... A good lesson that backs up the fact that modern photography is about marketing & location ... everything photography comes in a distant 2nd .. or 3rd .. or hell who knows anymore.

Thanks for your responses.

No surprise that in this day and age it doesn't necessarily mean that you know what you're talking about just because you can upload a video on youtube...

Off topic: Why did the woman speak Spanish all the time in between? And what does she say? Was her appearance only supposed to keep the attention of the audience? Weird stuff...

Let me get this straight:

For the record: I have never shot with a ring flash before and I have the following question.

When you take the set-up like in the youtube video posted by Leaf above and you're approx. 12-15 feet away from the model using a flash that has a 15 inch diameter with a hole in the middle, don't you always get nearly the same result as shooting with a regular flash?

My point is, that at this distance, how is it possible for the light (being such a "small" light source) to illumante the model any different than using a speed light mounted on the top of the camera?

Of course the speed light is even a smaller light source but that could be compensated with some MacGyver tricks or using one of those inflatable "softboxes" for the speedlight in order to diffuse it some more/create a larger light source.

I originally though that a ring flash only really shows its characteristics when shooting close-ups and where you can actually see that distinct ring reflection in the eyes or (sun)glasses of the model.

Other than that I wonder how the ring flash makes this shoot or this kind of lighting so special when we consider the distance to the model and the relative size of the light source.

Can anyone chime in on this?

The reason the ring flash creates a different look than a speedlight or on camera flash is because it is all around the lens.  A speedlight creates a very hard dark shadow on one the side of the object which is not flattering.  A ringflash would also create this hard dark shadow because of it's small size, but there is light on every side of the lens so it fills in the shadow with more flash.  It creates shadows and fills in the shadow on all sides.