Hi - has anyone tried the Aputure Amaran Halo led ring flash.

I saw the ad on UK photodistro, £49.00

I was wondering if it was ok for portraits as well as macro.

I have never used one and was wanting to do more macro photography and was wondering if it was worth getting.

Regards

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I can't speak to the specific product or its quality, but I can attest to the fact that LED ring lights are not powerful enough to use for portraiture. The distance from the ring to the face is great enough to introduce significant fall-off. About the only thing it may be able to do with a portrait is introduce the ring pattern in the eyes. Because the light is meant for macro work, the size of the ring is too small to wrap a face in bright light, and you end up with a dark forehead and shadows under the chin.

Alternatives for portraiture are popular on DIY sites and Paul Bluff makes a reasonably priced ring-flash for portraiture for $400.00 US. Other than brand-specific quality control issues, I see a lot of photogs praising the LED ring light for use in macro work.

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Thank you very much.

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Hi all.

Received mine yesterday and tried it out briefly. Seems like it will work fine for its intended purpose which is macro-photography. A little easier to set up than my Nikon R-1 closeup flash system.

Some reviews said they broke easily but mine has no problems nor can I detect anything which is likely to break with reasonable care.

I found one for $39.00 with no shipping cost or tax. Hard to beat at the price. Will report back after I use it some.

JIM