best diffuser for 580ex?

[kwang0429]

any recommandations on the diffusers to get rid of the harsh flash?

thanks!

[KevC]

Well there's the sto-fen omnibounce. And there's also Gary Fong's Lightsphere II.

I'd personally save the 20-40bux and build it myself from and old isopropanol or baby powder bottle :)

[kwang0429]

Well there's the sto-fen omnibounce. And there's also Gary Fong's Lightsphere II.

I'd personally save the 20-40bux and build it myself from and old isopropanol or baby powder bottle :)

I was reading up on Lightsphere II, it looks like a topperware, does it really worth the money and is better than omnibounce? I heard omnibounce cut off about 2.5 of the flash power....

anyone have any of those and can share some exps?

thanks.

[DocFrankenstein]

Every diffuser will cut at least a stop.

I just tape a piece of cardboard in a semi circle and trim as needed.

[CyberDyneSystems]

The Stofen is largely an expensive chunk of pastic,..

Something that may be of interest ,.. and real use,. is the Lumiquest Promax system which offers diffusion (real soft box like diffusion, though on a small scale) a mix of direct and bounce flash, and gold and silver bounce as well. All in a handy kit that fits in your bag ;)

http://imagescommerce.bcentral.com/merchantfiles/2025592/Lumiquest_931-promaxkit.jpghttp://www.atphototech.se/lumiquest/bilder/promax80-20.jpghttp://www.atphototech.se/lumiquest/bilder/bigbounce1.jpg

A very nice and usefull product for any speedlite owner.

[defordphoto]

It never fails to amaze me how people can spend upwards of $1500 or more on a camera, God knows what on lenses and other accessories, $300-$400 on a flash and then duct-tape an empty bottle of who-knows-what to it to save a mere $17. :rolleyes:

Get the real deal. The Sto-fen Omni-Bounce at B&H, here. (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=89908&is=REG)

The other choice, or in addition to—as in my case—would be Lumiquest package. Both are excellent products and designed specifically for your particular flash. The fit is perfect and professional.

[Olegis]

I use the Lumiquest Pocket bouncer - it's quite cheap, looks kinda awkward when mounted, but it delivers wonderful results. Sometimes it's more useful than the Sto-fen, especially when there is nothing to bounce the flash from. Some examples :

http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/31775203
http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/31775206
http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/32106097
http://www.pbase.com/olegis/image/32106066

[mbze430]

I personally use the Lightsphere II, and I love it. I used to use the Omni-Bounce with the 550EX, until I tried the Lightsphere II, nothing better. Except for a softbox. If I am shooting indoor I sometimes use the Photoflex qXS softbox.

Here is a sample and the relative size.

I must admit I get ALOT of attention using either...however my duty is to take pictures, and for me these give the best results.

[pierrot]

I thought I was going to have just fun trying to soften my 550EX and built-in using old slide-box covers ; I mean, those yellow boxes that Kodak used to ship your slides back after development and the orange ones used by Agfa. Of course the box lids were made of white translucid plastic, and the ones by Agfa were even specially designed (in respect to the WB) to be used as "lightboxes".
Believe me or not this just-for-fun-experiment-for-a-rainy-afternoon ended in a nice DIY and the results are well at the level of any Omnibounce on earth. Yes I know, it's a ridiculous saving, but hey John. P. Morgan began that way in picking up a needle, uh? :mrgreen:
I've no pic to enclose because I'm on the road but you can trust me: just give it a try. BTW, I also bought the Lumiquest Promax system illustrated by CDS here above, and it works very well too. ;)

[FlipsidE]

I second the Lumiquest ProMax system!! EXCELLENT value for a quality product!

FlipsidE

[defordphoto]

mbze430: Sahweet!

[kwang0429]

so I guess it's between the Lumiquest ProMax system and the lightsphere II now....

[VonClev]

Adorama StroboSock. Cheap, washable, can be crumpled small and works great. Makes your flash look like it has a toque on though.

Chuck

[modpod]

i played with that @ calumet, didn't really like it much.

ended up getting a photoflex diffuser. all of these things are really sort of only for tight situations where you cant bounce. they all sort of render shadows around the subject unless you shoot manual and compensate. its annoying at best.

[Todd Jacobsen]

so I guess it's between the Lumiquest ProMax system and the lightsphere II now....

kwang,

I wouldn't discount the Omni-bounce. All the diffusers here have their utility and apply light differently.

I currently own the Omni-bounce, the Pro-Max system, Lumiquest Softbox, and the LSII.

LSII is essentially competition for the 80-20(Lumiquest; ProMax) when used vertically.

The LSII is essentially competition for the Softbox when utilized directy (LSII w/Dome).

Tests I've run (not scientific) showed better bounce results (histogram wise) with Omni-bounce and naked flash when compared to LSII (vertical). I believe this variance (from other site members) could have been due to the scenario I employed (single flash, single subject-me, ceiling fan between camera/subject).

What the test did illustrate is that scenario dependent, each type of diffuser can be beneficial.

What the test did NOT illustrate is WHICH scenarios are each type of diffuser better at...

[DocFrankenstein]

Adorama StroboSock.
ROFLMAO!

That's an interesting marketing strategy! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

It's right up there with Flash-o-kondome(R) by yours truly. ;)

[Todd Jacobsen]

The Stofen is largely an expensive chunk of pastic,..

Something that may be of interest ,.. and real use,. is the Lumiquest Promax system which offers diffusion (real soft box like diffusion, though on a small scale) a mix of direct and bounce flash, and gold and silver bounce as well. All in a handy kit that fits in your bag ;)

http://imagescommerce.bcentral.com/merchantfiles/2025592/Lumiquest_931-promaxkit.jpghttp://www.atphototech.se/lumiquest/bilder/promax80-20.jpghttp://www.atphototech.se/lumiquest/bilder/bigbounce1.jpg

A very nice and usefull product for any speedlite owner.


I would have to agree. The Lumiquest product line, which includes the ProMax system is nicely compact and fits easily into any bag. But so does the OmniBounce.

The LSII on the other hand, is a bit cumbersome and one needs a large lens slot to accomodate the device (can fit over a lens if lens slot is large enough...).

[wburychka]

Try this $2 alternative before you spend $40+ on the LSII.

http://www.photographerc.com/redneck_lightthang/

Gary Fong, the Lightsphere guy, is a little scary. This is the first forum where I have not read complaints about failure to ship, failure to respond to emails about shipping failures, shipping wrong product, etc. Fong himself--in his own videos and descriptions of himself and his investments--seems more like a late night infomercial huckster than a photographer or inventor.

As to the Lumiquest products, they are a bit pricey but nicely designed. I have the Promax System and also the Mini Softbox. Indoors with low, white ceilings and shooting only landscape, the Promax 80/20 is really effective. Like most such devices, though, they work fine with the camera in landscape orientation but suffer in portrait. On-camera they create side shadows on the wall. On a frame, like the Stroboframe, they may not cover the vertical image completely, since the flash is horizontal and the camera view is vertical. I find this especially with 28mm or wider.

I also have the Sto-Fen diffuser which works fine too. In landscape mode with the flash pointed straight up.

My best results have been with a homemade device like the "redneck thang" above. I used a Rubbermaid 1-pint container.

All these things diffuse and spread the light, so you get reduced range, slower recycle, and fewer flashes per battery charge.

[RTMiller]

I have the Lumiquest Promax system that CDS told you about and I like it BUT...

Before you go and buy one, turn your 580EX to 45 degrees and pull out the little white card above the flash lens (put the clear plastic diffuser back in). I think you will find that this setup will eliminate the harsh shadows rather nicely. And it won't cost you a penny more.

[Joe R]

I use either the Stofen Omnibounce and Lightsphere II, depending on what I'm doin'.

[robertwgross]

Gary Fong, the Lightsphere guy, is a little scary. This is the first forum where I have not read complaints about failure to ship, failure to respond to emails about shipping failures, shipping wrong product, etc. Fong himself--in his own videos and descriptions of himself and his investments--seems more like a late night infomercial huckster than a photographer or inventor.


Doesn't Gary also go by the name "Ron Popeil" or something?

---Bob Gross---

[scottbergerphoto]

I did a test recently:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=90446
A white 3x5 index card does as well as most.

[AjP]

I have 580Ex and Omni, working great

[falk0289]

Diffuesers vary and different ones do different things. I am a big fan of Gary Fong's lightsphere II Gary Fong LightSphere II System: Basic C3 (http://www.pictureline.com/products/14452/Gary_Fong_LightSphere_II__System:_Basic_C3/) which has been discussed by a few other people. I use the clear one for all of my event candid work and the clouded one when I photograph individual subjects. I find that the clear one works great with the 580ex and does a great job of lighting up rooms.

[Rudy M.]

I have not used the Stofen but may pick one up--$20.00--some day. I bit and bought the Fong LS2PJ clear with white dome. It works very well most of the time, especially in average sized rooms. I added some tin foil to the inside of the dome to reflect more light forward. It makes a bit of an improvement. I see Fong now sells some sort of chrome dome insert thingy that does the same thing. I also thought about getting the yellow/amber lid for my LS2PJ clear. I have a Lumiquest pocket bouncer and mini soft box. They work excellent as well. The pocket bouncer works very well with high ceilings. The mini soft box works very well straight on--but LS2PJ with lid works a bit better--but is very awkward to use. For portability, the Lumiquest products fold flat and that is very nice. LS2PJ does not fit in my back pocket, and but does fit over a lens in the bag and stores OK. Knowing what I know now--I'd go with Lumiquest pocket bouncer or make my own from that foam board stuff. I say that because I don't use my diffusers that much--I am leaning more towards action stuff and not using flash--and when I do use flash, it is mostly for outdoor fill anyway so I don't really need a cap on the flash. One nice thing about the LS2PJ is not needing a flash bracket and that is really handy.

[LightUser]

Or get a demb flip it..diffusers make you lose a stop at least..I have a lightsphere II and have to shoot at iso 800 to get a decent image but the flip it lets me shoot at iso 400 at 7.1 or 8 even for bouncing or deflection. I use the diffuser only for portraits but for events it is the flip it all the way.