Reading the beach lighting thread I was wondering...
What does everyone use for a flash diffuser and reflector? I haven't bought either yet, but was considering the Gary Fong lightsphere. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Full Version: Flash Diffusers and Reflectors
Lin,
the Lightsphere is very popular among newer aspiring photographers and has the benefit of improving the quality of your light with very little effort or thought.
the biggest drawbacks are that it's very bulky and relatively expensive, which may or may not be issues for your shooting style and budget.
i use a modified version of Peter Gregg's A Better Bounce Card, which can provide more directional light if you're willing to do a little thinking and adjusting while you're shooting.
the A Better Bounce Card is very inexpensive but can be a little bit of work to adjust.
there are many other products out there (Lumiquest has some great ones) but i'm a huge fan of the ABBC.
bill
the Lightsphere is very popular among newer aspiring photographers and has the benefit of improving the quality of your light with very little effort or thought.
the biggest drawbacks are that it's very bulky and relatively expensive, which may or may not be issues for your shooting style and budget.
i use a modified version of Peter Gregg's A Better Bounce Card, which can provide more directional light if you're willing to do a little thinking and adjusting while you're shooting.
the A Better Bounce Card is very inexpensive but can be a little bit of work to adjust.
there are many other products out there (Lumiquest has some great ones) but i'm a huge fan of the ABBC.
bill
I bought the Lightsphere about 6 months ago and I really love it. It helped improve my images right out of the box. But like Bill mentioned, it is bulky. It will only fit in my Canon backpack, and not in my Rezo 190 bag. My husband bought a Stofen for his flash and he seems to like it, but I have yet to give it a go. I'm amazed at how much smaller it is. When I have some free time, I plan to put together a Better Bounce Card and test it.
I use the Demb Diffuser the commercial version of a better bounce card and a home built variant for vertical portraits... not that pretty but it works great.
i also carry the Demb Flip-It with Diffuser but hardly use it any more.
it's inexpensive and very portable and reflects light further than the ABBC but i find that even with the diffuser the light is a little harder than with the ABBC.
my favorite application for the Flip-It is for processionals and reception introductions.
bill
it's inexpensive and very portable and reflects light further than the ABBC but i find that even with the diffuser the light is a little harder than with the ABBC.
my favorite application for the Flip-It is for processionals and reception introductions.
bill
QUOTE(bill wang @ July 24 2008, 05:57 PM) 
i also carry the Demb Flip-It with Diffuser but hardly use it any more.
it's inexpensive and very portable and reflects light further than the ABBC but i find that even with the diffuser the light is a little harder than with the ABBC.
my favorite application for the Flip-It is for processionals and reception introductions.
bill
it's inexpensive and very portable and reflects light further than the ABBC but i find that even with the diffuser the light is a little harder than with the ABBC.
my favorite application for the Flip-It is for processionals and reception introductions.
bill
Diito
Word up for the flip-it. Such a nice soft light. Also, you don't need anything if you can bounce.
+1 on the Flipit.
Here is a little post
We love this setup, it stays on great and its soft when you are moving through a crowd.
You can fold and put in your pocket and own 10 of these for $5.
.....................By the way check out my son's new wp blog
http://tomschmidtphoto.com/
I have the flipit as well as a homemade betterbounce card. flipit works great if you don't have anything to bounce but you still want some catch light to the object's face and eyes. I don't have the lightsphere, my partner has it but I think it's just too bulky and you'll need to bring a lot of AA batt.
There is actually no easy solution for all circumstance. I prefer off-camera light so I will usually put the speedlite in a lightstand with whatever light modifier I can carry without sacrificing my mobility. The other option is to use a small softbox with the speedlite which gives you a lot better light than the flipit. Here is one:
http://alzodigital.com/online_store/alzo_p...sh_soft_box.htm
There is actually no easy solution for all circumstance. I prefer off-camera light so I will usually put the speedlite in a lightstand with whatever light modifier I can carry without sacrificing my mobility. The other option is to use a small softbox with the speedlite which gives you a lot better light than the flipit. Here is one:
http://alzodigital.com/online_store/alzo_p...sh_soft_box.htm
I have a Demb flip it as well and I love it.. I find with a little play it gives really nice catchlights. 
Hehe. Ok ok. I think you've convinced me with the Demb Flip. I may try that out.
I actually really wasn't a fan of my flip it... A sto-fen and shooting manually gets me what I want with no issue.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.