The Flashpoint 14-Inch Fluorescent Dimmable Ring Light is a budget-priced ring light that doesn’t skimp on quality.
The following review was written by Ken Hess for The Frugal Networker blog. It is re-posted here with permission.
As an avid film and digital photographer, I know that lighting is very important. There are times when flash units just won’t do the trick. Portraits, products, stop motion video, movies and many more applications require a constant, shadow free light source. Light is everything to the camera. It is your palette and your paintbrush. The Flashpoint 14″ Fluorescent Dimmable Ring Light ($124.95) from Adorama a well-built, carefully thought out piece of photographic equipment. It’s hard not to be excited when you light up your subject with it. The perfect white light, the even tones and no shadowing or weird color shifts are what photographers and filmmakers long for in their quest to create their masterpieces.
Front view showing reflective outer ring and adjustable pitch clamp.
Rear view of the light fixture showing the adjustable clamp, the light stand clamp and power cable.
The light has an adjustable dimmer/brightener on it so that you can modulate the amount of light bathing your subject. The light is very bright but not blinding to your human subjects, although they will appreciate the ability to dim and diffuse the light a bit when you place the ring close. The ring light allows you to take photographs or film through the loop or from the side. The unit as described does not ship with a light stand. Visit the Adorama Light Stand department to find an appropriate model for you.
Cropped photo through the ring light.
These photographs were taken with my Canon T3 ICAT3K, autofocus, no flash setting. Note the bright but soft lighting effect this ring light provides. The first photo is unretouched except for cropping to remove background details. It was taken through the ring light. If you look carefully, you can see the ring light in her eyes.
Uncropped photo through the rear of the ring light.
The positional clamp on the light allows you to use a variety of angles so that you can not only position your light distance-wise but also from above, below or straight on. For these photographs, I positioned the light slightly above the subject’s eyeline.
I’m impressed with the overall quality of light, adjustability and flexibility of this ring light. I find no flaws in its workmanship or use. I really enjoyed working with this lighting unit and I think that it’s a worthwhile, yet small, investment if you even slightly serious about photography or videography. I highly recommend this product. The price is good, the replacement bulb price is excellent and you receive free shipping on the Flashpoint 14″ Fluorescent Dimmable Ring Light from Adorama. What more could you want?
