Product Review: Alien Bees ABR800 Ringflash

Operations and Controls

All controls for the ABR800 are found on the back panel of the main unit. Users of other Alien Bees monolights will immediately recognize the controls as they are nearly identical. All controls are intuitively located, feel solid and provide positive tactile feedback. The following can be adjusted from the back panel of the ringflash:

Flash Power:
Power output is continuously adjustable via a sliding switch for a range of five stops. The power can be set from 1/32 power through full with accuracy of within 1/10th of a stop. The slider is labeled with fractions of full as well as stop increments.

Model Lamp (on, track, cycle):
The behavior of the modeling lamps is controlled via three button. The on button turns the modeling lamps on or off. The track button determines whether the lamp brightness follows the power slider or remain at full power. The cycle button determines if the modeling lamps turn off when the ringflash is charging, or remain steady at all times.

Flash Test:
The flash test button allows the flash to be triggered manually. This is useful for metering or checking operation. You can also use it to dump the charge rather than waiting for the ringflash to drain itself when lowering the power setting. An indicator lamp for the flash dump (DUMP) glows amber when too much voltage is stored for the power setting. If the flash is fired while this light is amber, the output will be higher than expected. The indicator lamp turns green when the flash successfully drains itself. There is also a green indicator lamp (OK) which indicates that the flash has recycled and is ready to be discharged.

In addition to the controls for the light, the power connector, main power switch, sync connector, slave sensor, reflector lock, remote control connector and fan outlet are located on the back panel. All connectors are clearly labeled and located in logical order. The main power switch and the power cord adapter become somewhat obscured when the handle is attached. Moving the camera back on the platform provides maximum access to these features.