Lightsphere questions
divamum
Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
I find myself with a few unexpected Camera Dollars (unexpected paid shoot, and my rule is that at this point anything earned by the camera gets pumped back into photography stuff) and am considering ponying up for a Lightsphere (maybe). At any rate, trying to find out more.
I've read and read, and I am STILL confused :scratch
1. What does it do that other mobile/handholdable modifiers don't and why would I want one over the BBC, scoop, diy Fongalike (Ikea shelf-liner)?
2. Do you point the flash head up (bouncing off the ceiling) or not?
3. Which would be the model to get for general purpose use with a Canon 430ex?
4. If you have one, why do you like it? What DON'T you like about it?
I figure that so many folks use it that it can't all be hype, but I'm still baffled, and the samples I've seen just haven't clarified it to me.
Thanks in advance!
I've read and read, and I am STILL confused :scratch
1. What does it do that other mobile/handholdable modifiers don't and why would I want one over the BBC, scoop, diy Fongalike (Ikea shelf-liner)?
2. Do you point the flash head up (bouncing off the ceiling) or not?
3. Which would be the model to get for general purpose use with a Canon 430ex?
4. If you have one, why do you like it? What DON'T you like about it?
I figure that so many folks use it that it can't all be hype, but I'm still baffled, and the samples I've seen just haven't clarified it to me.
Thanks in advance!
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Most of the time the flash is pointed up...but it spreads the light out in all directions.....
They take up a HUUUUGE AMOUNT of camera bag/pack real Estate.........
I prefer the LumiQuest modifiers and have used a SoftBox for many years....folds flat (I keep my softbox pushed between the foam walls of the interior of my pack and the outer canvas wall) weighs next to nothing is held on to flash head either by a Hook & loop (velcro) cinch or velcro tabs on your flash......also the LumiQuest style modifiers will fit on any flash....if you have several flashes that are not the same model then you must have a GF LS for each flash.....as the LS's are made for specific flashes.........
Reading the HotShoe Diaries, Joe McNally recommends various LumiQuest products for various situations.......
The LightSphere (LS) products have a place but:
They are relatively expensive.
They are relatively dedicated to a particular flash head size.
They are relatively heavy, so the flash head may not stay in some orientations.
They are not collapsible, so they tend to take up a fair amount of space in a bag.
They are relatively wasteful of flash power, unless you are backed into a corner situation.
They do have 3 basic configurations:
1) Flash pointed up without the diffusion dome. This catches some of the light to send forward as fill and bounces most of the light off the ceiling, as in a bounce card.
2) Flash pointed up with the dome in place. This sends more light in every direction, somewhat similar to a bare bulb flash. It is pretty wasteful of the light in many situations, except when backed into a corner or hallway. In that case the light is very pleasing.
3) Flash pointed forward with the dome in place. The diffusion dome does present a larger emitting surface than the bare flash head, but not as large as other diffusers.
(Note that you can also remove the diffusion dome and point the flash forward. This basically removes the LS from affecting the flash output, except for very wide-angle use where most recommend you should remove the LS entirely.)
I highly recommend a combination of bounce card and a scoop modifier to cover most needs.
I use the Demb Flip-it, which I regard as much more useful than the LS products, and several DIY light scoops. The scoops in particular work very well for vaulted or dark or colored ceilings, when I don't have a flash bracket, and when I want to point the camera up or down with respect to the subject (which tends to mess up a bounce geometry).
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What I like about it is the diffuse 360 degree light reminiscent of early bare bulb flash photography. I like the soft subtly feel that it produces. Since it is allowing light to strike in every direction....yes...it sucks up more battery power than a forward shooting or singular direction bounce.....but such is life.
There is a reflective insert (sold seperately of course) that can be dropped in to force more light forward while in the upright position....Ive never used one.
I rarely use it on the shoe. It works fine there, but I have adopted the "light on a stick" method that I prefer....where I can squirt the light in directionally.....most often...but not always with the cap off.
It does take up space in the bag as it is squishable....but only to an extent. I keep it in the bag with my 50mm inside it.....or either spare batteries and memory cards.
It isn't the end all be all.....and isnt the best choice fore every situation....but aside from umbrellas, it's the only other modifyer I use. FWIW, I was sent a stoffen omnibounce with a second hand flash I bought....and can't stand it.
There is an Ebay knockoff that is much cheaper than the fong version that many folks use, but I cannot say one way or other whether it works as well as the Fong....though it seems it should.
Jeff
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The newer one besides the collapsible one is also a universal mount. I've heard that its really hard to take it off on accident.
Yes, you point it up towards the ceiling. If you watch some of the clips on gary fong's website he demonstrates how to use them properly.
I'm not sure if I agree with the comments of wasting the output of the flash. Its doing what its supposed to do... Defusing the light.
regardless of what some say, I'm going to purchase one soon hopefully.
I doubt Id want to be dragging around a 24" softbox for on the run candids....and bouncing isn't always practical.
In the examples I posted, bouncing wouldn't work. Very dark brick walls at the location for the first two examples. Dark wood walls, floors, and ceilings for the location where the third was shot.
360 degree diffusion is the most practical solution for the method I use....monopod mounted flash......as it can be swung into different positions without having to monkey with the flash head or twisting the pod to provide illumination.
As I stated...it isnt the end all be all....but works very well for that method.
Jeff
-Need help with Dgrin?; Wedding Photography Resources
-My Website - Blog - Tips for Senior Portraiture
I'll bite.
I don't agree that 360 degree diffusion is the best solution. You're only shooting a limited FOV, why waste good light? Also, IMHO your reference photos show very little "diffusion". The appearance of "diffused" or soft light results from two key factors: size of the light source, and the distance from it. In your photos there is very little light wrap, and the shadows are fairly harsh. They look more like beauty dish shots...less like shots from a truly diffused light source. Nothing wrong with that, just not very diffused/soft.
I hear you on the convenience factor though, not having to worry about the angle of the flash head is nice. That's also the source of another problem: The Lightsphere is great for wide angle to normal shots. However it's use for telephoto is limited by it's lack of directional light. You have to get that light head close to your subject...again, omni-directional light can be convenient, but it is very inefficient.
Softboxes are great for getting soft, directional, and powerful lighting. Granted, it take some time to master the technique of using them in a crowd...but it's worth it for me. In general, I don't see a huge benefit from any strobe modifier that does not significantly increase the size of the light source.
So, to make this relevant to the OP: IMHO, Lightsphere is cool for close quarters, crowd environments. For everything else, a more specialized modifier would be best.
I'm pretty sure that if you're holding a light with one hand and your camera in the other (Jeff's technique which I think is brilliant), you wont be able to use a 70-200.. unless you're also using a tripod, but in a crowd that wont work very well.
Also, like eff said, you can get a silver reflector to put inside the LS to direct the light. which would use the light more efficiently.
The LS is only advertised for close quarter shots... so it does what its supposed to do.
As for the silver reflector - how about a piece of Al foil and a couple pieces of cellophane tape? Just tape the foil to the outside of the device.
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Josh, for the record I have a bunch of other portable modifiers (mostly home-made, but they do they job), including a small softbox (about 12x10"), a diy Fongalike diffuser made out of a piece of Ikea's clear shelf-liner (has the advantage of folding flat), and a few foamie bits and pieces. I really was just thinking about the many, many 'togs I see who list the LIghtsphere as part of their gear, and started wondering if it might be something to consider.
In face, crowd environments was where I was thinking I might need one; I think there's a chance I may wind up doing some modest event gigs in the future (associated with the concert opera group), which was one of the things that got me mulling over this.
Seems I might do better to rethink, however (or maybe if I decide to do it, I'll try one of the ebay cheapies instead - tupperware is tupperware, right?!).
Or maybe I'll treat myself to the planetneil book instead
I would highly suggest this. I have the book and recently attended Neil's workshop also.
1. What does it do that other mobile/handholdable modifiers don't and why would I want one over the BBC, scoop, diy Fongalike (Ikea shelf-liner)?
The fong sphere is different then all the other modifiers in that it throws light all the way around instead of just forward. Thus the light tends to be a bit more even then other modifiers.
2. Do you point the flash head up (bouncing off the ceiling) or not?
yes, though it comes with some accessories to trap the light and push it more forward if the ceiling isn't conducive to bounce.
3. Which would be the model to get for general purpose use with a Canon 430ex?
The cloudsphere.
4. If you have one, why do you like it? What DON'T you like about it?
I like it because it provides good even, no thought involved, lighting in variety of situations. I don't think their is better modifier for true on the go candid event photography.
It is not the most efficient lighting and may not work well in telephoto range as mentioned. It is bulky as well. I don't like it because it provides nice even lighting...ie your directional lighting is more limited. It is probably not the best choice for more artistic posed shots where you want some dramatic lighting.
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
I use a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro on my 550EX or 420EX flashes and a Joe demb Flip-It Junior on my 270EX....
http://www.dembflashproducts.com/
The Demb flash diffusers are versatile, lightweight, easily packed and are very versatile. Above all, they produce beautiful lighting.
That said, I have recently purchased a brand-new, still in the package, Chinese Knock-Off of the Gary Fong Whale Tail at a garage sale for ten bucks. I have not tested it out fully but, it seems like it has some good attributes including colored filters for balancing the flash with tungsten and fluorescent light and a chrome reflector to increase the efficiency of the unit.
Although, I have not fully tested this unit, initial tests are quite favorable. I don't think, however, that this unit would be worth the King's Ransom that Gary Fong charges for his Whale Tail. However, for ten bucks, it is worth a chance that I will like it.
The Whale Tail knock-off is not as convenient to store but, if I were traveling by air, I would fill it with spare socks and pack it in my checked on bag.
I was also unsure what the results were if I pointed the dome up or forward, so I did a little experimenting during. I'd say point up unless there is a real pressing reason you have to direct forward. I watched GF's video in the dvd included and he showed that you can get studio-like portrait lighting with it forward, but when the ball was rolling and everyone was vying for a candid and there were 3-5 year old kids running underfoot, I found that having it pointing up was the easiest and provided the most reliable lighting for me.
Pointing up:
Pointing forward:
Although I believe this was pointing forward and I liked the slight hardness of the light here:
I hope that helps, Diva.
Houston Portrait Photographer
Children's Illustrator
Pretty much anything can be used to diffuse the light, providing it doesn't change the color temp - airline barf bags, coffee filters, clear film cannisters, etc. Most of us are just concerned about "perception" while we're out on our paid gigs. What will the guests at this wedding think of me having a coffee filter on the end of my flash ? When all that really matters is the results and our personality while interacting with those same guests......
Just a thought.
Cheers,
Blake
PS - I have both the GF cloud and Omnibounce for my 580's. The GF is heavy and bulky, but does a good job, especially when dialing up the flash compensation for those really dark wedding receptions.
Blake
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
I had the lid on the whole time. I remembered after, when I was driving home, that I should have had the lid off when pointing up, or at least tried to shoot without it on some. For next time, then. I had some really hard light with the lid on and pointing forward, but it's more to do with me forgetting that the FEC was dialed up when I moved to a different location. I shot ETTL the whole time, camera on manual.
Houston Portrait Photographer
Children's Illustrator
Not when someone has a patent. And, Gary Fong just released a new Lightsphere that is collapsible.
Amazing to me that those who deal in intellectual property (photographers with copyrighted images) are so willing to go out and purchase something that clearly trounces on someone else's intellectual property (patents for inventions).
The first problem is they are much more heavier than my little box I would attach to my flash, also they take up more room in my bag than a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. Finally the size on top of my flash makes the camera feel very weak, if I was shooting at a party or car show, there's no way I would trust this while walking around. It's bound to get hit and break my hot shoe right off.
Exactly...why a lot of PRO's swear by Lumiquest Modifiers, Honl Modifiers and Strobies kits................
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