YAY! Alienbees!

My ringflash shipped today. I will try to give a semi intelligent review of it when i get it.

That's great Steve, and please post some pictures.

cool! i want to see some photos when you get it. i really like the effect a ringlight can give.

Steve Beck wrote in post #2584013
My ringflash shipped today. I will try to give a semi intelligent review of it when i get it.

This is the "review" I wrote on mine in a posting on the PDN site:

I've been very disappointed with my ABR800 ringflash ever since I got it. In fact the basic design is so bad that Alien Bee has set up a recall to fix or replace problem areas.

I can start with the AC power supply cord. It is positioned on the back of the flash such that it blocks the camera from sliding forward. Then in order to shoot - without vignetting - you'd have to use something like an 85mm or 100mm lens on a full frame camera. My 50mm on a Canon 5D does vignette.

Part of the recall is to replace the back of the flash with a repositioned AC receptor, and possibly a right angle AC cord.

Then there's the camera platform. It is a multi use device that works well as long as you are using the flash as strobe, not a ringlight. When it's configured as a camera platform it is just about useless. There's a little slug that attaches the camera from below. At the bottom of the slug is a female receptor that would screw into the tripod. Tightening this slug so that nothing slips is an issue all by itself, but once it is all assembled you can't move the camera forward or backwards on the platform. To move the camera requires removing EVERYTHING from the tripod. This makes it difficult to change lenses, tweek the camera position, and would make the workflow with this setup just horrible.

AB is replacing the camera platform with one of a better design, and I can only hope that this is true because without one this flash - as a ring light - is a disaster. There is a hand held mount that I just haven't gotten too, and it may work well, although I would think that the AC position messes that up as well.

There was an umbrella bracket promised with the flash but that was back ordered, at least "sorta". If AB's techie is to believed it really was never in production since he said (a month ago) that he had "seen the prototype". But it's still on the AB site as part of the stuff that is shipped with the flash.

I also wish that there was a way to dim the modelling lights, while still using full power. You can turn the modelling lights off completely, but if you leave them on they are proportional to the power setting. The problem is that on full power the modeliing lights are so bright that a subject squints!

Now American purchasers of the ABR800 will pay to ship their flash to AB, and AB will do the conversion and send all the new bits without charge. Canadian purchasers (which I am) will be required to pay the shipping charge to a Canadian repair centre PLUS $40 to get the work done. Thank you AB.

What AB has done is that they've sold me a beta version, of what at this stage is a flawed product. Then the great unwashed (me) try to use the thing and point out the flaws. Based on what I've seen I can't imagine ANY real world design testing was done before it was shipped. I saw that AC plug in problem within seconds, and the camera platform defies common sense! Did no one else actually try this flash? And I really resent that $40 fee!

In AB's defence they are making an attempt to fix the problems but at additional unplanned costs to purchasers. Yes I could return mine for a full refund, but with shipping both ways and Canadian brokerage fees, I'd be out about $150, so that isn't an option. I'm better off keeping it as an overpriced AB800 than having nothing.

AB announced a week or two ago that they would not be shipping any ABR800's for a while, and although they don't mention it it's to get the new ones up to spec. That's good news, but I'd wait until someone reviewed the new camera platform, back design, and the unseen umbrella bracket. Just because AB SAYS that the problems are fixed is nothing I would hold in high regard right at the moment.

Now the Canadian repair facility has my name and address and I just have to wait until they get the parts. Then I have to hope that AB really does have the fix in hand and isn't blowing smoke up my wazoo. We will see.