Make a ring light from a plastic cake lid

I was saying to myself the other day, "you know I'm gonna get down on it and make a ring light sometime here..." or something like that. Well despite how I thought it to myself, I did get around to making a ring light. Its almost finished, just need some transparent white stuff to cover the ring.


Components.
- A type of plastic lid. I used a cake dish lid from some grocery store bakery cake.
-Exacto knife
-something tubular or cylindrical to block the flash from the lens
-white spray paint (flat)
-Reflective duct tape
-some white transparent material to soften the flash
-duct tape
-White trash bag or something of similar properties that will diffuse the light
To build:
Firstly I spray painted the inside of the lid white.

I used a almost finished roll of gray duct tape to trace out the center circle that the lens will protrude into. I just marked the center of the dish, then eyeballed (guessed) where it was centered. I used the almost finished duct tape roll for tracing the outline.

Originally I cut the flash hole in the back of the dish, but I changed that location to the lip of the lid so that there is more light dispersion. I taped the bottom and half of the lip with reflective duct tape.
For the center hole, I just grabbed two disposable cups and cut them (to make two pieces)so that they were cylindrical like then taped them into the lens whole.

At this point its nearly finished, you could modify it here for your liking.

All the photos in this post were shot with the lens through the center of the ring flash, except for the one that' devoid of color and the flash is off to the side.

EDIT: So I topped all this off by covering the ring light recessed area with a white trash bag, and finally I taped off some of the inside diameter of the ring, effectively narrowing the area that the light will come through. At this point I think the project is finished. There are other DIY ring light projects out there, so if this doesn't seem your bag, fret not.

Ring Light finished, non human example. Unedited pic.

Ring Light finished

Ring light finished, taped off diameter

Luna Ring light

Myself ring light almost finished

Ragnar Ring light almost finished

Ring Light close to completion

Pentax-M SMC 28mm F-2.8 Lens

So I was out taking some photos of the Tower Bridge one night, and my 50mm wasn't cutting it. I could only get like 3/4s of the bridge in the shot. So I decided it was time I got a dedicated 28mm lens. In my hasty resolve to acquire this new lens I bought the Pentax-M 28mm f-2.8. After using it for around a week, actually at like 3 days, I had decided that the sharpness of the lens would not work for me.So I put it on the shelf for a while.
     I've been using it on my Pentax *ist DL and just using it for close up work and surprisingly it does fine for that sort of thing, the building shots that I took with it about a month ago, were totally unimpressive and that is when I kinda just decided that it wasn't what I wanted. I also noticed a lot of chromatic Abberation, so minus a few more points there.

I began using the lens with a Light Ring that is still a work in progress and it does fairly well for that sort of thing. The subjects aren't that far away and it doesn't degrade the detail. I took some cat pictures this morning with the *ist DL, and they came out pretty decent, acceptable at least.

My opinion of this lens is that it SUCKS for building or landscape shots, especially concerning anything with a large amount of detail. Close up is this lens main fulfillment in life.

These are some building shots I took with the 28mm, they are pretty decent but the detail is shitty. the close ups of myself and the cats are like I said more than acceptalbe. Comparatively to say the SMC 50 DA f1.8 or even the *ist DL kit lens.

Me looking super great, with DIY (work in progress) Ring Light

Ragnar, as always looking displeased about the camera.

Rambo, enjoying some plants.

Remington, ever alert.

Hotel Downtown.