Best ring flash for my Nikon D3100?

What I'm after is a ring flash that will do me for close up macro type stuff as well as general purpose such as portraits or just snapping at party's and the likes, I've not long had my camera so I'm fairly new to photography so I'm after something that's portable and versatile
So if your in the know or have experience with ring flashes help me out and if you are quoting prices I'm I'm the uk so GBP please thanks peeps

There are three possible GOOD flashes that will work for you:

1. The Nikon R1C1 which is around $800 US (you'll have to figure out the exchange rate). This model includes the SU-800 which is required for remote controlling the Nikon flash heads as your camera lacks this capability. Do not use the R1 as that system does not include the SU-800.

http://www.amazon.com/...000C0L50C/

2. Metz MecaBlitz M15. Around $400 US (again you'll have to figure out the exchange rate). This also either requires the SU-800 if you wan to do iTTL (automatic mode), or a Nikon AS-15 and remote cable if you use slave mode. The SU-800 is about $250 US and the AS-15 about $35 US. If you use slave mode, you must use the flash manually as well as put the camera into manual exposure mode.

http://www.amazon.com/...001MYLCO6/

3. Sigma EM-140 DG for Nikon. At around $400 US, it is perhaps the least expensive good macro flash, as it does iTTL for automatic flash control.

http://www.amazon.com/...00064XR64/

All of the other ring lights and flashes - at least those that will work with your camera - are pretty much junk. Avoid those at all costs. Either they won't output enough light, or their failure rates are very high (sometimes under 100 flashes and they break).

Macro done correctly is not cheap.

For reference; I use a Nikon R1 macro flash on my Nikon D90. I started out with the Metz 15, but the one I obtained was broken from the factory. They were out of stock with a 3 month delay to get a replacement, so I bought the Nikon R1 as a replacement. Too bad though, as I really did like the Metz macro flash.

Thee D90 can use the Nikon R1 as the D90 is remote flash master capable. Since your D3100 isn't remote flash commander capable, you would need a SU-800 for that (The R1C1 is the same as the R1 except it includes the SU-800).

Cheap but fairly decent Alternative:

I also tried to get by on the cheap before buying a good flash. I attempted to use two Morris Mini Slave lights, with a PhotoPro dual flash holder. It required the two flashes to be slaved from the camera, and of course everything in manual.

One of the flashes either had to be wired to the camera with a flash cable and a Nikon AS-15, with the other flash slaved from that, or both flashes slaved from the camera's internal flash (either will work). The main issue is that the unit was hard to hold on to (so you would have to use a tripod). Also the knuckles on the holder were a bit weak, so the flashes would not stay put (even though they were not very heavy).

Here are the flashes:

http://www.amazon.com/...000B75VVA/

Here is the flash holder I used:

http://www.amazon.com/...002WDUKP8/

Other types of macro flash holders will work as well, but realize that the Morris Mini Slave has a 1/4-20 thread on the units for mounting. So you might have to buy a couple of hot-shoe to 1/4-20 adapters.

http://www.amazon.com/...004QWIYRY/

http://www.amazon.com/...001D2CW2I/

Also, there are some clones to the Morris, but some of those lack the remote flash sync cord, which is required on one flash if you want to use a wired slave cable from your camera.

So for around $100, you can come up with a fairly decent unit. It worked well enough for awhile, but I soon dumped it and bought the Metz, then the Nikon R1, which I now use.

If you want to get by for $100, I would try this approach rather than those Bower or other junk units.