The Orbis Ring flash is a low budget option for using portable strobes to power a ring flash. There are two big advantages to the Orbis: light & cheap. That said, the build quality is very solid and more than I was expecting.
I decided to try mine out at a friend’s housewarming. This was the result:
To shoot with, it was a breeze. My SB-24 mounted snug in the adaptor. An old sync cord linked my 5D2 to the flash and I was away. The results were impressive.
For shooting an event, such as a party or a wedding, the ring flash gives a nice fall off of light without too much in the way of highlights. For candid portraits, it was simply wow.
I’m looking forward to trying it out in a more staged environment. There are a few lighting options I’d like to try, such as using it for fill or using it from off-axis.
The Orbis team has put a few videos on YouTube, and there is a group of Flickr showing what people are doing with it.