Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Lighting => Topic started by: kevs on April 25, 2016, 09:45:23 pm

Title: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on April 25, 2016, 09:45:23 pm

I have four Profoto D1s. They are great, except with Profoto one cannot use their Ringlight with the system. To sync you have to then buy and Acute Pack and then the Rignlight.

Is there a 3rd party solution to this?

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: Christoph B. on April 26, 2016, 12:25:02 pm

There are a lot of 3rd party ring flashes available and if your set your D1 into slave mode they will trigger.

I don't know whether it makes a difference but you can also use the Profoto D4 1200/2400 for the ring light...

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on April 26, 2016, 12:37:35 pm

Thanks C.
Well I have a 10 year old Sunpack ringlight that is battery powered. Will that sync with all my D1s in slave mode? Does the Sunpack need a slave on it? I don't think it has one.

D4, you mean if I spend 7k on a new pack, then I'm ok...? That's the point of the question, to not have to do that. Pity the D1 cannot power a Profoto ringlight.

If you have any one you want to recommend please do. I got the Paul Buff link so far....

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: Christoph B. on April 26, 2016, 02:07:36 pm

Well the D1s have a built-in Photocell/IR-slave, so they should trigger when a flash is fired - regardless what source the flash comes from.

But I don't know if the Sunpak can be used as a slave device - it can certainly be the master flash and trigger the D1s.


Honestly I'm not sure if it's feasible though, the sunpak ring flash won't be very powerful, especially as large distances. These speedlight-types are for close-up and macro work and lose their efficiency quickly over a bigger distance. So most likely your Profoto heads will be way too powerful, depends on what you have in mind....

I have worked with a ring-flash head on the Elinchrom Ranger RX 1100Ws but I never mixed it with other heads or with profoto for that matter..

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on April 26, 2016, 02:11:19 pm

Thanks C good point. I've used the Sunpak for mostly very tight/ head and shoulder portraits, but not for 3/4 portraits which I'm thinking now. Though I am thinking of it as a fill light, still you are probably correct.

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: Christoph B. on April 26, 2016, 04:47:47 pm

I'd say go for it. Try it and if it doesn't work just use a D1 head close to the camera, at that distance it should produce a similar effect - after all the ring is very very small and would only appear as a bright dot in the eye of your model.

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on April 26, 2016, 06:07:37 pm

C ringlight, I have a cheap Sunpack for years, creates a very otherwordly effect, I don't think a D1 head could do...

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: Christoph B. on April 26, 2016, 06:35:00 pm

Well as I said - from a distance (and 3/4 portraits are rather far away) a D1 without modifier will come pretty close to the effect of a ringflash - just get it as close to your lens as possible :)

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on April 26, 2016, 10:56:56 pm

Thanks C, actually I shot a pasty young white guy the other week, and I used the Magnum reflector and I thought is had a bit of that shimmering vibe of the ringlight and it was close to camera, not that close...

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: dergiman on May 11, 2016, 04:39:36 am

I have a feeling that Profoto will introduce a ring light for the B2 soon.

Title: Re: Ringlight sync for the Profoto D1?
Post by: kevs on May 11, 2016, 01:13:21 pm

Thanks D, I only have D1, but concept is same? There is no power pack. I was just on phone with Pro photo rep, and he implied nothing in the works to make a ringflash work with D1.. You need a power pack no?