How to gel a pop-up flash

Tanuki

Thought I'd share my method for attaching a gel to a pop-up flash. Surely I've re-invented the wheel here, but I had to figure it out on my own since I couldn't find anything written about it on the net. Most gel tutorials are naturally focused on external flashes. The only methods I could find for pop-up flashes was with magnets and superglue. Call me squeamish, but I don't like using magnets or superglue on my camera.

In hindsight it all looks very obvious, but it actually took me about an hour to work out a secure way to attach it. I was initially stuck in the mindset of velcro and tape, but thankfully someone (on different photography website forum) suggested a rubber band and after some time I discovered the trick of using top/bottom tabs rather than side tabs. The result is much more secure than with side tabs.

My only disappointment is that I can't put the flash up and down while the gel is attached. I think I could fix this by going with very small side tabs (instead of top and bottom tabs) and attaching with very small pieces of tape (cut in a triangle shape to match the sides of the flash). The only problem is that it wouldn't be very easy to install. I'll stick with the rubber band solution for now.

Mike

pathfinder

Neat concept.

Can I ask what gel you are using and where you obtained it??

My interest is a gel over the front of a Better Beamer to help match flash to ambient at sunrise or sunset.

Art Scott

Mike, if there is a theatrical supply near you get a roll of spike tape...this is gaffers tape (similar to cloth duct tape....just similar in looks and tearability...comes in a range of colors also) in a very narrow roll (approx 3/8" wide) it tears very easy and leaves no residue when removed from what it is attached too....May seem a tad pricey but it is well worth the price.


Pathfinder....you need to visit a theatrical supply also and get a sample swatch book for Rosco Gels (ROSCO LUX).... these are usually free and have all the getls listed by number and name....for your sunrise and set options it will most likely be one of the several amber gels...they come in everything from a straw to a very very orange....a 20" X 24" will make tons of filters over the years and runs less than $5 per sheet (I usuall pay 4.50 here in wichita....)

here is a link to the Rosco ROSCOLUX FILTER page.....the colors (to me ) do not look correct on a monitor....

Tanuki

Art Scott wrote:

Mike, if there is a theatrical supply near you get a roll of spike tape...this is gaffers tape (similar to cloth duct tape....just similar in looks and tearability...comes in a range of colors also) in a very narrow roll (approx 3/8" wide) it tears very easy and leaves no residue when removed from what it is attached too....May seem a tad pricey but it is well worth the price.

Thanks for the tip!

pathfinder

Thanks Art.

B&H carries Rosco gels - I even ordered one I thought I could use, but I think it is too light. Apparently, they are not coded with wratten numbers or some such like lens filters. I'll keep at it.

Tanuki

pathfinder wrote:

Neat concept.

Can I ask what gel you are using and where you obtained it??

My interest is a gel over the front of a Better Beamer to help match flash to ambient at sunrise or sunset.

I wish I could tell you what gel I was using. It's a Japanese brand, and there isn't a word of English on it. I had to get the salesperson at Yodobashi Camera to figure out which color to buy for converting daylight to tungsten balance. He sold me one that converts 5500K to 3200K, and is probably pretty similar to Rosco Cinegel #3411.

Last time I checked the sun was not made of tungsten , so you may want to do some further research into the best color for matching flash to ambient at sunrise and sunset. Unless someone with vast experience has a good suggestion, I would follow Art's suggestion to get a Rosco swatchbook so you try them all and see which color best meets your needs. My uneducated guess is that the ambient color temperature varies a lot from minute to minute and day to day, so you might want to have several colors of gels to choose from.

Mike

pathfinder

Excellent suggestions.

Thank you very much.

Shima

Tanuki wrote:

I wish I could tell you what gel I was using. It's a Japanese brand, and there isn't a word of English on it. I had to get the salesperson at Yodobashi Camera to figure out which color to buy for converting daylight to tungsten balance. He sold me one that converts 5500K to 3200K, and is probably pretty similar to Rosco Cinegel #3411.

Last time I checked the sun was not made of tungsten , so you may want to do some further research into the best color for matching flash to ambient at sunrise and sunset. Unless someone with vast experience has a good suggestion, I would follow Art's suggestion to get a Rosco swatchbook so you try them all and see which color best meets your needs. My uneducated guess is that the ambient color temperature varies a lot from minute to minute and day to day, so you might want to have several colors of gels to choose from.

Mike

Yodobashi camera!! I love that store. Went there when I was in Japan in March of 2005... got my electronic dictionary 電子辞書 from there, still use it to this day... when I go back to Japan that's one of those must visit again stores for me. I have such fond memories of the hours spent running around there.