Bowens International Ltd • 355-361 Old Road • Clacton-On-Sea • Essex • CO15 3RH • UK
BC-260 • Ringflash Pro • 06/08
www.bowens.co.uk
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The Ringflash Pro from Bowens is the most
versatile, high spec, user-friendly ringflash unit
available on the market today.
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Since the ringflash’s early origins, the
unique lighting effect that it offers has
grown in popularity to worldwide acclaim
among professional and amateur
photographers alike.
The Ringflash Pro from Bowens offers
photographers a sensibly priced, high-end
ringflash unit with unmatched build-quality
that can out-perform even the toughest
competitors.
The simplicity and ease of ringflash
photography means that more and more
photographers are venturing into it;
exploring the creative possibilities that are
opened up by this unique light shaping
tool.
Ringflash Pro Specifications
Ringflash Pro (230V)
Ringflash Pro (117V)
Ringflash Pro Reflector
110º Diffuser
BW-7670
BW-7670US
The versatility of ringflash photography,
and the benefits that are gained by the
effect given to different photographic
applications, means that photographers
from all fields are making room for a
ringflash in their arsenal of lighting
products.
BW-7674
BW-7675
Flash Duration (Minimum)
Flash Duration (Maximum)
1/4500 sec @ 500Ws
1/1600 sec @ 3000Ws
Guide Number @ 100 ISO
Max Power
86
4800Ws
Ringflash photography is traditionally
associated with high-end fashion shoots or
smaller, macro type photography. The
Ringflash Pro is a flash unit that has been
designed with multiple photographic
applications in mind and is suitable for
photographers from all fields ranging from
fashion, product, portraiture, studio based
photography or even location work
Cable Length
5m / 197”
Dimensions
204mm ø x 80mm
(87.5mm with baffle)
8” ø x 3” (3.4” with baffle)
Aperture
100mm ø / 3.9” ø
Weight
(inc. camera bracket & Cable)
3.43Kg / 7.5lbs
© Photo by James Brown
Styling: Cat Watson
Make-Up: Maria Watts
Hair: Ben Gregory and Dean Beavis / GregoryDean
Model: Juliet Johns from Nevs
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Chris Reeve
Before I got too excited I wanted to investigate
further to see if this new unit really was as good
as it first appeared.
Chris Reeve is one half of the highly successful and
award winning duo at ReeveBanks Photography.
Based in the idyllic Essex countryside, Chris and
business partner Clare Banks have, for many years
now been taking photographs for numerous UK
and European advertising and design agencies.
Many of their images can be found on advertising
hoardings and in various glossy magazines up and
down the country.
The initial improvements I could see straight
away were the fact that it was smaller, lighter,
and now included a soft grip handle for portable,
hand-held use. It now also only has one power
cable rather than two like the old model, and
(high on my wish list) Bowens had now included
user-replaceable modelling lamps and a fully
circular, also user-replaceable flash tube.
Chris was originally an architectural photographer,
although over the last decade has ventured into
and become known for his people and lifestyle
images. His latest commissions have been for
Coca Cola and has also submitted work for the up
and coming Essex based fashion designer, Hannah
Marshall in American Elle magazine.
On the shoots that I’d arranged to try this light
out on, I can honestly say that I was amazed at
the quality of light from it. I’d definitely say that
‘professional’ would be the right word to use. I
used it together with the Explorer1500 battery
generator and
found that the
two together
offered
me
“After using different ringflashes from various
lighting manufacturers over the years, it had
become apparent to me that all of them were, in
some way or another compromised by either their
handling or their functionality. I was quite excited
then when Bowens approached me regarding
testing their new high-end Ringflash Pro.
huge amounts
of power and
versatility; both
in and out of
the studio.
The greatest
improvement
Before I took delivery of it, I had an idea and a list
of what I’d personally like and things that I believed
needed to be rectified from the previous model.
Imagine my excitement when this small,
lightweight, rugged looking unit turned up.
to me however was how easy it handles and the
extra creativity and freedom of movement that it
offered me. Definitely a job well done to
Bowens”.
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The composition of lighting set-ups is a vital part of
constructing an image; the modelling lights on a
flash unit allow photographers to see how the final
picture will look and to determine how and where
all shadows and highlights will fall on their subject.
The Ringflash Pro includes ten 20W, user-
replaceable Halogen lamps which can be
controlled via a pack or used from a simple on/off
switch at the top of the unit.
The redesigned Ringflash Pro from Bowens is smaller,
lighter, more portable than the previous model, and
packed with plenty of new features.
The Ringflash Pro is compatible with a vast range of
Bowens generators and power-packs that use the
20-pin Quad connectors including the QuadX, the
Quad 2400 and the Explorer 1500 Battery Generator;
as well as older Bowens Duo generators.
Able to take up to 4800Ws of flash power, the
Ringflash Pro is a powerful light shaping tool that
allows photographers the opportunity to get creative
and take full advantage of huge flash outputs from a
studio set-up with various generators like the QuadX,
or up to 1500Ws on location using the Explorer 1500
Battery Generator.
“packed with plenty of
new features...”
To ensure heat is not an issue, two internal cooling
fans have been incorporated either side of the
Ringflash Pro to make sure that it can perform on
even the longest shoots.
“unparrelled creative
opportunities...”
The camera support bracket can be mounted to
the Ringflash Pro in either a landscape, or a portrait
position for ease of use in different applications.
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Capable of super-fast flash durations up to 1/4500
sec with a single user-replaceable, UV corrected
flash-tube and a large comfort grip handle; the
Ringflash Pro from Bowens sets the standard in
ringflash photography.
For different creative opportunities, the Ringflash
Pro has two light modifiers available; the Ringflash
Reflector, which can be used to increase the size
and intensity of the flash output or the 110º
Ringflash Diffuser, for reducing the contrast and to
create a soft light which is ideal for portraiture
shots.
Whether its high-end fashion shoots or stop-action
photography, the Ringflash Pro offers photographers
from all fields unparrelled creative opportunities.
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Shoot 1. Sweet Composite shot.
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“The work I do is quite varied and I love to create original
composite pieces merging camera stills with creative software
packages like Photoshop. I wanted to explore the true creative
potential of the Ringflash Pro and answer some question’s I
had about the use of ringflash photography outside of the usual
fashion and beauty arena. So, to make the stakes even higher,
I removed all of the mainstream accessories and the usual fully
loaded studio and got ready to shoot.
Gareth Gatrell
.
From an early age Gareth’s initial interest in the creative
arts led him to study ‘Photography and Arts’ at college
before moving onto university to further his education in
‘Three Dimensional Studies’.
After studying for many years Gareth spent time
travelling abroad before finally settling in Sydney,
Australia. During this period in his career Gareth
cultivated a fusion of still photography and post
production, establishing himself among the top tier of
Sydney’s brand marketing agencies.
The Quad 2400 provided endless power on demand and with
only one directional light to think of, metering was not the usual
time consuming problem. The light quality produced by the
Ringflash was of such a pure tonal nature that every shot looked
immaculate. Sometimes the simple set-ups are the best; the
Ringflash Pro combined with the Quad 2400’s fast recycling
times enabled a somewhat complicated set of captures to be
shot with precision, speed, and enjoyment”.
Returning to the United Kingdom in 2006, Gareth’s
creative abilities were quickly recognised by London’s
highly competitive marketing and PR agencies; today
Gareth provides images to an ever increasing client list.
As well as building his client base in the corporate
sector, Gareth has also been working in the music and
fashion industry as well as with various interior
designers. Recently Gareth has been creating images
with a cinematic strength, while exploring the bizarre for
campaign and art pieces. This has seen him working
with creative director Phil Lyndon, selecting appropriate
stylists / hair and make-up artists to project the seeds
of imagination to his final images.
Shoot 2. Nightclub shot.
“This venue provided me with many unique backdrops for a
shoot and with such poorly lit surroundings, everything from
the make-up to the styling had to be strong and prominent to
compliment the nature of the light produced by the Ringflash
Pro. With this in mind I put together my usual creative team
and invited a new face to model for me for the day.
Once again I choose to shoot freehand giving greater freedom
and fluidity in both composition and lighting. This constant
work flow was made possible through Bowens slick design of
the Ringflash Pro and allowed the day to develop seamlessly;
with many of the images almost coming to life. Again, the
Ringflash Pro combined with Bowens Quad 2400 pack made
this shoot enjoyable and look amazing.
“Having been invited by Bowens to use the soon to be
released toy of toys, the Ringflash Pro; I quickly set
about organising two very different shoots. Each
challenging the diversity of this well constructed and
versatile kit with a worthy test”.
© Photo & Post Production by Gareth Gatrell
Creative assistant - Phil Lyndon
Stylist: Chantelle Znideric @ topstylista
© Photo & Post Production
by Gareth Gatrell
Creative assistant - Phil Lyndon
Hair & Make-up: Nadine Suddady
Model: Laura Penfold
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For photographers who want to be extra creative
with their lighting set-ups the QuadX also
incorporates four flash head outlets, giving
photographers the option of using multiple light
sources in their ringflash set-up.
One of the many innovative and useful features
of the Ringflash Pro is the bracket system. The
bracket can be mounted to the main unit so the
comfort-grip handle is in either a portrait (for
traditional hand held shooting) or in a landscape
position; which is used when mounting the
Ringflash Pro to a tripod to allow for complete
freedom of movement when positioning the
unit.
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Ringflash photography is generally associated
with indoor, or studio based shoots. Thanks to
the Explorer 1500, you no longer have to be
chained to your studio when you want to shoot
with a high-end pro ringflash; the Ringflash Pro
when used on location with an Explorer 1500
offers photographers unrivalled artistic freedom
away from the restraints of mains power.
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Compatible with a wide range of Bowens
generators and power packs for work both in
and out of the studio, the Ringflash Pro is a truly
versatile, professional lighting system. For
studio based photography the Ringflash Pro
can be used with either the QuadX or the
Quad2400. When used with the QuadX, the
Ringflash Pro offers a massive 3000Ws of flash
power for lighting huge areas, all the way down
to only 31Ws of flash power for small, macro or
product type photography.
“offers photographers
unrivalled artistic freedom...”
Thanks to the many advanced features of the
Explorer 1500 battery generator like auto-
bracketing, a built-in Pulsar radio trigger and
various special effects mode, like multiple
flashes, delayed flash and sequence flashes; the
Ringflash Pro combined with the Explorer 1500 is
one of the most powerful, versatile and feature
packed location systems available anywhere.
Another great feature of the Ringflash Pro
coupled with the QuadX are the super-fast flash
durations of 1/4500 sec, for capturing stop-
action photography or when shooting high-end
fashion.
Not only does the Explorer have two separately
controlled Quad sockets, but it also incorporates
two Gemini sockets, offering photographers the
option of controlling up to four light sources on a
location set-up from one battery source.
Other advantages of using the Ringflash Pro
with the QuadX system are the many built-in
features of the QuadX, like auto-bracketing with
up to three interval stops from 1/10 to 9/10-stop;
and a built-in Infra-Red control system which
allows photographers full control over many of
the packs features.
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James Brown
The location of the shoot was a Georgian town
house in Central London which provided me with the
perfect backdrop for the style I wanted; so, with the
location sorted and my usual collaboration of hair
and make-up artists, stylists and art director together
we were ready for the long day ahead of us.
Having been a photographer for over ten years,
James initially started out in press photography
applying his trade on all types of news stories while
learning the skills needed to become a top
professional.
As we were going to be moving from shot to shot
and from room to room quite quickly, I wanted to use
the Ringflash Pro with the Explorer 1500 Battery
Generator which allowed me total freedom of
movement; I didn’t have to worry about if or where
there was a mains connection available to me on the
next set-up. We just picked it all up and moved to
the next shot; easy.
After working hands-on and gaining the knowledge
needed to move forward with his career, James
ventured to London to push his creative and
technical abilities further afield than news stories.
James’ creative abilities and keen interest in fashion
led him to assist the renowned Jon Gray ABIPP,
before making his mark while assisting the world
famous Rankin.
When I first used the Ringflash Pro I was amazed at
the amount of light it was capable of producing; I
was able to light up an entire room from the one light
source.
Working on various high-profile shoots for the likes
of Vogue and other top fashion houses has helped
James to develop his own unique style as a top
professional.
The quality of the light produced by the Ringflash Pro
and it’s usability is second to none; the new foam
handle is a great addition too as it allows for move
free-flowing, fluid movements when you’re shooting.
I also found the Ringflash Pro was great to use as a
more traditional side light when shooting off-axis;
again the quality of the light produced was fantastic
and added that extra spark to make the images really
stand out. The thing I was most impressed with from
the Ringflash Pro was it’s continual high-quality light
output which produced some amazing shadows,
and gave all the models perfect, pure skin tones”.
Currently working all around the world for an
impressive list of high profile clients, James says his
work is constantly changing and developing thanks
to his passion for high quality images.
“To test the Ringflash Pro I decided to use it on a
shoot that I already had planned as I thought the
ringflash effect would lend itself very well to some
of the images I was going to shoot.
© Photo by James Brown
Styling: Cat Watson
© Photo by James Brown
Styling: Cat Watson
Make-Up: Maria Watts
Hair: Ben Gregory and Dean Beavis / GregoryDean
Model: Juliet Johns from Nevs
Make-Up: Maria Watts
Hair: Ben Gregory and Dean Beavis / GregoryDean
Model: Juliet Johns from Nevs
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