Is the gary fong diffuser worth the dough?

gonzogolf wrote in post #16610146
I got a chuckle out of reading your post as the first time I saw anyone use a plastic diffuser was an AP photographer back in the 80's. A lot of Photojournalists back then adopted the habit of making home made stofen like devices by cutting the bottom from a bottle of rubbing alcohol and sliding it over the face of the flash. It should be noted they didnt do that for any softening but more to get a decent spread of light while working in tight spaces with wide lenses. Most flashes back then did not have heads that automatically zoomed to match the lens width.

But was it a $50 cereal bowl?

Sam6644 wrote in post #16610321
But was it a $50 cereal bowl?

no, but it was the great grandfather of it.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16607647
I think the problem is often that new users are either mislead by advertising or fail to understand the limits of small modifiers. Even the suggested bounce cards provide mediocre light in circumstances where bouncing isnt an option.

Yes; advertising is key. Great marketing. Although I was tempted with his snoot product then realized umm I can make this on my own too?

Yep. Check out what GF states the Puffer is capable of. I better be careful. After beating on it at DP Review a free years ago GF himself came on the thread, insulted my work and called me a loser with no life because I had about 6000 posts.

I have the collapsible one. Its ok in an emergency pinch to avoid direct flash outside. Makes the light source a tad bigger. I have the collapsable one. Before I used a Chinese soup container worked just as well. :P

I saw this yesterday, which I though was a good idea, especially if you have a fong lying around.

digital paradise wrote in post #16610489
Yep. Check out what GF states the Puffer is capable of. I better be careful. After beating on it at DP Review a free years ago GF himself came on the thread, insulted my work and called me a loser with no life because I had about 6000 posts.

Oh Yes, I recall that conversation. Gary Fong went on claiming that his lampshade was superior to all other diffusers—knocking down the Joe Demb Flip-It, Presslite Vertex, etc. According to him, the Lightsphere was so fantastic that half a million units were sold on word-of-mouth alone without advertising. The fact is that Gary Fong produced misleading sleight-of-hand advertising with his lampshade that was invented in 1918.

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this thread represents everything wrong with the internet

Obsidian wrote in post #16611143
this thread represents everything wrong with the internet

How so?

Obsidian wrote in post #16611143
this thread represents everything wrong with the internet

Yes. Inquiring minds would like to know.

I'm gonna disagree with a lot of people and say, "sure, what the hell, it's worth fifty bucks." When shooting wedding receptions in a room with a relatively low white ceiling, I use my FongDong pretty regularly. But don't think it replaces a good working knowledge of lighting. I also bounce light from direct flash, use a Demb Flip-it or Flashbender outside now & then, or just bounce a 580EXII at full power into a California Sunbounce reflector that my assistant holds overhead. It depends on how many people in the shot, distance to subject, amount of ambient light in the room, shutter speed, etc. It's not going to solve ALL problems under all conditions, but is it worth dropping $50 to have one in your kit? I think so. But then, it's all relative. If you pull down six figures on weddings every year, sure, get the collapsible model and keep it in your shoulder bag. If you make minimum wage and scrape to make the rent, just make modifiers out of Clorox bottles or construction paper.

digital paradise wrote in post #16610489
Yep. Check out what GF states the Puffer is capable of. I better be careful. After beating on it at DP Review a free years ago GF himself came on the thread, insulted my work and called me a loser with no life because I had about 6000 posts.

That's not cool :\ Everyone is going to have an opinion no matter how good (or bad) the product is.

lol @ FongDong geo35

Aki78 wrote in post #16615532
That's not cool :\ Everyone is going to have an opinion no matter how good (or bad) the product is.

lol @ FongDong geo35

It was not so bad being a peon and getting the kings attention.

digital paradise wrote in post #16615687
It was not so bad being a peon and getting the kings attention.

It is obvious that you do not know what you are talking about, and GF is all knowledgeable, in comparison...You do not own an expensive yacht, as he does. Truly amazing what selling overpriced plastic can do for the bank account!

You must admit he did well and I was at one time looking for that magic bullet. Easy prey I had two and gave them away after taking lighting courses.

My local photo store is where I took lighting courses won't stock GF products even though they know they will make money. They do not agree what the advertising states they can do. They never pushed products or told people not to use any. They would answer questions, give you the facts and let you decide. There should be more non commission sales mom and pop businesses.

One of the big chain photo stores in Canada showed before and after images of the Puffer on their site. After basically eliminated all shadows, even the shadow on the wall behind the subject. After about 4 months they replaced that a less drastic change between the two images. Still more of a shadow reduction than what I believe it's size and what physics tells us can accomplish but at least it was not so blatant.