Flash Diffuser

Clinton

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone can recommend a resonably priced flash diffuser.

I'm taking some indoor wedding shots and I don't want the light to be so harsh. Maybe someone knows of a really good DIY project.

Clinton

ziggy53

Clinton wrote:

... Maybe someone knows of a really good DIY project.

Clinton

Welcome to the Digital Grin.

Here are a couple of simple DIY devices that work well with an external flash:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

tjones0214

Clinton wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone can recommend a resonably priced flash diffuser.

I'm taking some indoor wedding shots and I don't want the light to be so harsh. Maybe someone knows of a really good DIY project.

Clinton

I'd look at LumiQuest's site. They have a good explanation on what, why, and how for on-camera flash diffusion.

jeffreaux2

I use the Gary Fong Lightsphere. The cloud version. It works well with my gels/filters and does a good job of pretending to be a bare bulb. I have no regrets or complaints.

Art Scott

Clinton wrote:

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if someone can recommend a resonably priced flash diffuser.

I'm taking some indoor wedding shots and I don't want the light to be so harsh. Maybe someone knows of a really good DIY project.

Clinton

do you have a flash bracket?
What camera, lens and so on are you going to use??

I ran across a site of brackets that you can get umbrellas for called ALZO BRACKETS..........this link also has the softboxes & umbrellas at bottom of page...........

Clinton

I was looking at the Gary Fong Lightsphere. I looks like it would do nicely. For now I'm just going to play with a couple DIY tutorials. I'm pretty new to photography and I still have a lot to learn. I'll add my equipment to my signature. Thanks for the suggestions!

Mr. 2H2O

Clinton wrote:

I was looking at the Gary Fong Lightsphere. I looks like it would do nicely. For now I'm just going to play with a couple DIY tutorials. I'm pretty new to photography and I still have a lot to learn. I'll add my equipment to my signature. Thanks for the suggestions!

I use the 9in. DIY foam reflector for high ceilings and it works well. Please keep in mind the principle of apparent light size - the bigger your source appears to the subject, the softer light you can achieve. The DIY foam reflector is nice and soft from 6ft ~ 8ft and it starts getting more harsh looking on shadows beyond that. I usually don't put it on camera but use either a monopod or stand to place the flash with reflector beside and above me because of the way I prefer the look of the light angles.

- Mike

cmason

For an inexpensive commercial solution, don't forget the Stofen either, always good to have in the bag, its cheap and tiny. I am a fan of the Lightsphere, but it is sometimes a bit bulky.

northtnguy

Has anyone tried this one? http://milagrid.homestead.com/3aBounceGrid.html

It looks like a good idea and would be a very easy DIY project.

Don

S-So

For DIY, I also use the 9" fun foam diffuser-reflector, except with the silver insert that I also made to go with it...

As for commercially available and at reasonable price, I'd look at the LumiQuest Promax system...

Frost

For little bird special (cheap, cheap, cheap) there is always the side of the milk carton cut out and attached in front of the flas head. Bubble wrap with a rubber band also diffuses light and is easy to pack along, and available. It also does not degrade the flash "power" too much.

I am surprised that the speedlight does not have a prismal diffuser on the front of it. I shoot a Nikon D80 and the onboard flash "works" but is not what you call, exemplary. I have used a Spectrum 350MD flash with the thrisistor circuitry on this camera with very good results. I got this little flash from Peter Gowland. www.petergowland.com works great at most things. Just had to set at manual for f stop and 1/60 shutter.

S-So

northtnguy wrote:

Has anyone tried this one? http://milagrid.homestead.com/3aBounceGrid.html

It looks like a good idea and would be a very easy DIY project.

Don

You can get that matrix thingy for $.99 a sheet at the Hobby Lobby and place it over the flash with a couple of velcro... and then pray that it'd work the way you want it to.... I use it as one of my inserts for the DIY fun foam diffuser-reflector...

$40!!!!???? for that? Some folks think photographers are gullible (or desperate) enough to be taken.... Just incredible...

rpcrowe

DIY, Gary Fong and others...

Clinton wrote:

I was looking at the Gary Fong Lightsphere. I looks like it would do nicely. For now I'm just going to play with a couple DIY tutorials. I'm pretty new to photography and I still have a lot to learn. I'll add my equipment to my signature. Thanks for the suggestions!

Bouncing the flash with a diffuser-reflector gives the best payback for your buck.

Using a flash bracket which will elevate the flash over the axis of the lens and keep it there in both horizontal and vertical camera positions takes your imagery a step further.

Here is a DIY unit:

http://super.nova.org/DPR/DIY01/

Here is a Stofen Rip-off:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Omni-Direct-Bounce-Diffuser-Canon-Nikon-Sigma-Metz_W0QQitemZ250247404732QQihZ015QQcategoryZ64354QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here are a couple of Gary Fong Type Rip-offs:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lambency-Flash-Diffuser-4-Dome-For-Canon-580EX-II-AT15_W0QQitemZ270236497643QQihZ017QQcategoryZ64354QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lambency-Flash-Diffuser-for-CANON-580EX-550EX-430EZ_W0QQitemZ150246070737QQihZ005QQcategoryZ64354QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

My favorite unit is the Demb Flash Diffuser Pro:

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/diffuser/models/

ziggy53

rpcrowe wrote:

...

My favorite unit is the Demb Flash Diffuser Pro:

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/diffuser/models/

I keep an original FlipIt in my camera "holster" that goes with me when I want to be very mobile. The adjustable hinge feature gives the reflector panel great adjust ability so I use it for both bounce card application and as a more direct-but-diffused-and-higher-up application (when there is no ceiling).

Nicely done and looks professional. It also fits all of my shoe flashes. (Sigma 500 DG Super, Vivitar 283, 285HV, Sunpak 383 Super, Osram V250 Studio, etc.)

I also use it for an assistant camera flash and they generally like it because they are not so conspicuous.

(I could care less with my 1D MKII and the flash bracket with off-camera cord and scoop device. I look pretty conspicuous to be sure. Once everybody sees the "chimp" shots they understand.)

northtnguy

S-So wrote:

You can get that matrix thingy for $.99 a sheet at the Hobby Lobby and place it over the flash with a couple of velcro... and then pray that it'd work the way you want it to.... I use it as one of my inserts for the DIY fun foam diffuser-reflector...

$40!!!!???? for that? Some folks think photographers are gullible (or desperate) enough to be taken.... Just incredible...

Exactly! That's why I said it would be a very easy DIY project. Believe it or not, I actually found that website while searching for a name for that 'matrix thingy' since Wal-Mart didn't have it.

S-So

northtnguy wrote:

Exactly! That's why I said it would be a very easy DIY project. Believe it or not, I actually found that website while searching for a name for that 'matrix thingy' since Wal-Mart didn't have it.

Yea, WalMart doesn't carry it. Hobby Lobby or any fabric stores carry it.

Chuck Gardner actually used it to firm up the fun-foam by placing it between the black and white sheets before stapling them together. When I saw what he did with it, I thought I'd rather do this with it:


2409777532_3d3e183665_o.jpg

Manfr3d

Got myself a 20$ lembacy diffusor from ebay, works great
for portraits, indoor shooting and macro. Here attached to
a 580EX II:



Or make your own .. checkout www.abetterbouncecard.com

Clinton

I just ordered this off ebay. It was a much better price then some of the others. I tried a homemade paper one and my wife didn't think it looked very professional. I'll let you know how things turn out....

Manfr3d wrote:

Got myself a 20$ lembacy diffusor from ebay, works great
for portraits, indoor shooting and macro. Here attached to
a 580EX II:



Or make your own .. checkout www.abetterbouncecard.com

Shima

I recently picked up a cloud Lightsphere and have been very pleased with the results. Just shot my first wedding with it... my only dislike was that it ate through my batteries like mad, so I had to stop using it halfway through the reception for fear of running out of batteries for the flash. Next time, I'm bringing more batteries. (considering that I went through 5 sets of 4 double a's... that's saying a lot, heh)

cmason

Think rechargables!

S-So

Shima wrote:

I recently picked up a cloud Lightsphere and have been very pleased with the results. Just shot my first wedding with it... my only dislike was that it ate through my batteries like mad, so I had to stop using it halfway through the reception for fear of running out of batteries for the flash. Next time, I'm bringing more batteries. (considering that I went through 5 sets of 4 double a's... that's saying a lot, heh)

I just got one of these to take care of such issues (you can also get the more expensive Quantum...):

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-CP-E4-Compact-Battery-Pack/dp/B000REYUKU/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I27AHXJ2ZJF7QY&colid=3H5LRX20WOEUJ

Antonio Correia

I use now rechargeable batteries with 2800 mAh.
They are way faster than those on the left of the picture I used before.

jeffreaux2

Shima wrote:

I recently picked up a cloud Lightsphere and have been very pleased with the results. Just shot my first wedding with it... my only dislike was that it ate through my batteries like mad, so I had to stop using it halfway through the reception for fear of running out of batteries for the flash. Next time, I'm bringing more batteries. (considering that I went through 5 sets of 4 double a's... that's saying a lot, heh)

Shima that's a lot of batteries! How many photos did you shoot? What was the ambient lighting conditions?

Just curious. My most recent wedding was in very dim ambient light. I popped in a set of rechargables before the ceremony and shot through the entire reception and all with the one set....and used flash in every photo. Somewhere....a guess...in the 400 photo range.

cmason

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Shima that's a lot of batteries! How many photos did you shoot? What was the ambient lighting conditions?

Just curious. My most recent wedding was in very dim ambient light. I popped in a set of rechargables before the ceremony and shot through the entire reception and all with the one set....and used flash in every photo. Somewhere....a guess...in the 400 photo range.

Well if you shoot wide open and low ISO, you will kill the batteries in a flash, but if you shoot higher iso and stopped down, the flash doesnt work as hard

jeffreaux2

cmason wrote:

Well if you shoot wide open and low ISO, you will kill the batteries in a flash, but if you shoot higher iso and stopped down, the flash doesnt work as hard

I am aware of how a camera and flash operate...thank you. I was curious about her ambient lighting conditions....as I have never shot a wedding any more dimly lit than the one I referred to.