430EX II + OmniBounce

so i just got my omnibounce and decided to give it a spin..... i took some test shots to compare the flash coverage/hot spots between naked flash and omnibounce on. it seems to me that the bounce flash is better without omnibounce on... i assume thats because the OB disperses the light whereas naked flash just bounces from the direction of the flash? is there another way to do some test shooting? (i tested in a well-lit room, using 24-105 wide open @ 24mm)

ultimately, i will be shooting a friend's wedding dinner in a poorly lit room @ a restaurant in vegas, and i want to make sure that my 17-50mm + flash (and possibly sigma 30 f1.4) will give me great shots.

Yeah it's because the Omnibounce is a waste of money and results in worse light


Just remember to tilt your upward pointing flash 10-30 degrees slightly behind you when the subjects are close so you don't get the nasty overhead shadows

smorter wrote in post #12154308
Yeah it's because the Omnibounce is a waste of money and results in worse light


Just remember to tilt your upward pointing flash 10-30 degrees slightly behind you when the subjects are close so you don't get the nasty overhead shadows

But I like the omnibounce personally and find it more useful than not having one...horses for courses I suppose and, as with a lot of accessories you'll find lovers and haters of both.

i like the idea of splashing light rather than just bouncing a beam. are there any good ways to see how well it will splash? i wont be able to go to the restaurant beforehand to see how dim it is, so ill just have to be familiar enough with the flash/OB to get good results

Light isn't water, it doesn't splash, nor does it travel in a straight line.

When you bounce, you are actually making your bounce target the new light source

The Omnibounce is completely useless. If someone can post a photo of a sample Omnibounce photo which is more soft than a photo I can post of bare bounce only, I will mail them my 580EXII. I will put my money where my mouth is unlike the manufacturers of this product.

so what to do when theres nothing to bounce from, or the ceiling is so high that the ceiling bounce is ineffective? id rather carry a small omnibounce rather than have a large bounce card velcro'ed to my flash

ekinnyc wrote in post #12161258
so what to do when theres nothing to bounce from, or the ceiling is so high that the ceiling bounce is ineffective? id rather carry a small omnibounce rather than have a large bounce card velcro'ed to my flash

If there is nothing to bounch the flash light off of, then the OmniBounce would be useless anyway and just make inefficient use of the flash output. In that case, you'd be better off pointing the bare flash head directly forward.

lol, seems to be 2 quite divided camps here.... so what you guys are telling me is that i threw out $10?

ekinnyc wrote in post #12161849
lol, seems to be 2 quite divided camps here.... so what you guys are telling me is that i threw out $10?

No. Keep it for when you need to use your hotshoe flash with a softbox or a beauty dish. In the meantime, it makes a good container for batteries or loose coins.

PacAce wrote in post #12162047
hotshoe flash with a softbox or a beauty dish.

the what now? i know close to nil about flash photography. hoping to learn, but that right there went above my head.

Total waste of money.

I use an omnibounce as a case/protector for my field audio recorder's windscreen.


There should be a thread for all of the uses for them, other than putting on your flash. Same wit the fong things, too.

ekinnyc wrote in post #12161258
so what to do when theres nothing to bounce from, or the ceiling is so high that the ceiling bounce is ineffective? id rather carry a small omnibounce rather than have a large bounce card velcro'ed to my flash

I'm sure you'd rather, but wouldnt you like to use something that actually works? The only way to get softer light is by making your apparent light larger. If, and when, the stofens work its by bouncing light off of surrounding surfaces to make the entire room a appear as a light source. Of course if you have white walls and ceilings you dont need a stofen in the first place.... The large bounce cards do increase the size of your light source. You might not like it, but its physics...

Neil van Niekerk in his "On-flash photography" (a must book for anyone touching on camera flash) has a section dedicated to flash modifiers and Stofen in particular.
This is his web site, btw
http://neilvn.com/tang​ents/
Diffuser cups like Stofen have their place in flash photography. They work best in combination with bounce by also throwing some light forward to eliminate under eyes shadows (and surprisingly it works for me and thousands others).
W/o bounce, applications are quite limited:
- close up/macro
- increasing coverage for wide angle lenses
- feathering the light by pointing it 45 degress toward the subject and letting just the edge of the light falling on it
Get the book, you won't regret it.

ekinnyc wrote in post #12161258
so what to do when theres nothing to bounce from, or the ceiling is so high that the ceiling bounce is ineffective? id rather carry a small omnibounce rather than have a large bounce card velcro'ed to my flash

It is true that the omnibounce will do nothing to soften your flash if there are no surfaces from which to bounce. The solution if you are reasonably close to the subject is a small softbox like the Lumiquest Softbox III or the Lumiquest Big Bounce (check it out on the web). Both work very well at short distances and can be hand-held off camera using either Canon's OC-E3 off shoe cord or the wireless flash control on the 7D, 60D, and T3i. This set-up is bigger than the omnibounce, but it works, while the omnibounce can't work without a diffusive wall or other surface surface.

Bounce cards is another option for outdoor/no bounce off situations.
I have tried and returned Lumiquest Quick Bounce (didn't like the flimsiness of the build and how shaky and unstable it felt on the flash), got FlashBenders Small Reflector instead, same price but huge step up in a build quality as well as extra functional features http://photo-tips-online.com …ue-flashbender-reflector/, can also work as a snoot or half-snoot.
Demb Flip-It is another popular option, I personally prefer cleaner/one piece solution from Flashbenders.