gary fong lighsphere test

[Josh Bear]

Well test may be too strong a word.

Imagine the scene, I am pretty much naked, the door bell rings, a glance out of the bedroom window reveals the postman with a small box. Brain "springs" into life, "what have I ordered?".

The only thing it could be was a Gary Fong Lighsphere! Only ordered it on Thursday night! Excitement takes over, dressing gown goes loosely on and off I bound downstairs, fumble with keys, open the door, mentally scar the postman for life, sign for the package, rip open the box, run back upstais, get the camera, run back downstairs, order the kids to sit down and start taking pictures!

Everyone out of breath?

Here is a link to my initial test.

http://www.pbase.com/joshbear/lightsphere (http://www.pbase.com/joshbear/lightsphere)

I shot the same subject 6 times.
1. Straight flash
2. Bounced flash
3. Straight flash with Stofen
4. Bounced flash with stofen
5. Straight lighsphere
6. Bounced lighsphere

Shot in RAW, converted in lightroom -No colour of WB alterations made. Remember I am looking at the light not the quality of the pictures which frankly are rubbish. Camera was a 5D fitted with a 550EX Flash

more details on the lighsphere can be found here.

http://www.garyfong.com/ (http://www.garyfong.com/)

[Lotto]

Haha, I could feel the excitment over there. Wish my kids would listen to my "orders" sometimes.

I like the bounce lightspere shot best out that bunch, but what's with the dark corner on all the shots?

[Josh Bear]

rushed picture, F4 on a 5D with the 24-105mmL

didn't have time to reshoot as the missus was nagging me to get dressed

Best Regards

Josh

[cplchip]

I agree the bounce lightsphere is the best of the bunch

[tnicol]

Hi Josh...nice comparison. When you say straight Stofen - is that Stofen with flash head pointed forward and is bounced Stofen with the flash head pointed up? Lastly, is the bounced Lightsphere with or without the plastic cap? Thanks a lot. I like the Lightsphere except that it's big and lossy. It gets bashed pretty hard - a lot in this forum partly because it costs too much. Heck, what doesn't? We spend $50 for a lens shade and nobody bats an eye. Thanks again.

[kkhardwarestore]

I ordered a clear Lightsphere Thursday night. Is this a clear Lightsphere? Did you use the internal dome? Are you saying the vigenetting was a lens thing and not a lighting problem? Which shot do you think is best? I always have difficulty comparing unless I put them side by side on my desktop. Thanks for the comparison.

[Heatseeker99]

I like the bounced lightsphere the best too.

[TMR Design]

These results are very consistent with what most people find when trying the Lightsphere. It does what it says and in the right conditions gives very pleasing results.

In your tests you did not compare to a bounce card. If you do you will find very similar results as with the Lightsphere.

When I got an LSII and did my own testing I found that I got shots that looked the same and as good using the bounce card as I did with the LSII. I also made some of my own tupperware diffusers that worked equally as well for 1/10 the price.

All in all the LSII does work and is very nice in certain situations.

[jr_senator]

I have always felt the Lightsphere was not the best way to go. Perhaps those that picked the "Bounced lighsphere" are not put off by the 'raccoon' eyes that just a bounce light is known for, but I am. If I were shooting the scene you did it would be with Lumiquest's 80/20. The 80/20 folds flat and gives better results than the Lightsphere.

[Titus213]

Interesting - were you shooting in RAW mode or were YOU still in RAW mode?:lol:

[AC_Photo]

Last Christmas I was at a party that my Wife's family throws. I used at LS on my 420ex, while one of her brothers (a former newspaper photographer) used a 580ex with it's built-in diffuser and or bounce card. This was of course taking place indoors in crowded rooms with low light.

All of my pictures have a perfect exposure with no glare or red-eye, and makes the picture look like there was plenty of light everywhere. The shadows that remain look perfectly natural, but reduced like a softbox would have done. His are another story, and the reason why I originally decided to try the LS in the first place. Even the Sto-Fen doesn't do as well.

Under the right circumstances, they really do work better. They just aren't the answer for everything. :)

[TMR Design]

Under the right circumstances, they really do work better. They just aren't the answer for everything. :)

Well said and well put :cool:

[Josh Bear]

Hi Josh...nice comparison. When you say straight Stofen - is that Stofen with flash head pointed forward and is bounced Stofen with the flash head pointed up? Lastly, is the bounced Lightsphere with or without the plastic cap? Thanks a lot. I like the Lightsphere except that it's big and lossy. It gets bashed pretty hard - a lot in this forum partly because it costs too much. Heck, what doesn't? We spend $50 for a lens shade and nobody bats an eye. Thanks again.


Hi

I think the lighsphere is best. Yes straight stofen is pointing at subject and bounce is with the head up. I did use the plastic cap with the lightsphere. Oh and I agree, this won't be used for every situation but I now feel I have alternatives.

Best Regards

Josh

[Double Negative]

The gallery is empty/gone?

[Curtis N]

Test the Fongsphere against one of these.

[Rudy M.]

Interesting thread I have stumbled onto here. I have the clear funel and white dome (LS2PJ) and it works pretty well with my 20D/17-85/580EX--most of the time. Some times the built in white card works better. It all depends how high the ceiling is an how large the room is. I find I have to usually increase FEC about 2/3. Also, I found by adding some tin foil shiny side forward on the rear part of the inside of the funnel, holding it in place with the dome top, I get better light going forward and not as much going behind me (wasting battery power to a degree). Fong now has some sort of chrome insert dome thingy he's selling that does the same thing. I have gotten some great shots with this hokey looking thing, but if I had to do it all over again, I would simply stick with Lumiquest bouncers. I use those with my Olympus FL-40 flash on a C5050 with great results. I took the velcro off my 580EX to use the Fong LS2PJ. I need to figure out a way to get it back on yet still use the Fong. More often, the LS2PJ is left at home--I do mostly outdoor fill shots at MX tracks and the LS2PJ is really an indoor thing. It does do what he claims IF you do like he says!

[Titus213]

... I need to figure out a way to get it back on yet still use the Fong. More often, the LS2PJ is left at home--I do mostly outdoor fill shots at MX tracks and the LS2PJ is really an indoor thing. It does do what he claims IF you do like he says!

Have you tried the Lumiquest Velcro Cinch Strap (http://www.lumiquest.com/lq002.htm)? It works great for the Lumiquest products and only costs about $6.

[Rudy M.]

No--I was not aware of that strap. I will look into that one for sure. Back on to topic....

[irishguy_wi]

OP...where did the "test" images go?