Today, ExpoImaging announced the Ray Flash: The Ring Flash Adapter, which purportedly replicates the lighting effect given off by more expensive studio ring flashes. The Ray Flash slides into the hot shoe and because of its circular design creates a 3D shadow that wraps around your subject. In other words, it sort of evens out the burst of light so one section of your photo isn’t washed out.
Some guy who knows stuff about this had this to say,
“The Ray Flash is one very cool piece of gear,” said lighting expert David Hobby in his review of Ray Flash on Strobist.com. “It’s small, lightweight, maintains all of the flash’s TTL functions. Best yet, [the latest Ray Flash design] loses only one stop of light as compared to direct flash. That last bit alone puts it head and shoulders above any [Do It Yourself] versions I have seen or tried. With that kind of output, it is even usable outside during the daylight at modest portrait distances.”
It weights a mere 16-ounces and retails for $299. It currently only works with Canon 580EX (MKI and MKII) and Nikon SB800 flash units. The internal diameter is 4 1/8” so it accommodates most, if not all, Nikon and Canon lenses.