$0.76 Flash Diffuser Knockoff

On B&H Website there is a light diffuser called the "MilaBounce" which sells for $34.95. I went to Wal-mart and found a piece of plastic canvas in the crafts section that looks suspiciously like the more expensive version. With a little cutting from some scissors and some velcro to hold it in place on my 430 EX, my inexpensive knockoff seems to work great! If the official "MilaBounce" is made from the same material, somebody's making a mint off the mark up.

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I presume you mean this? The MilaGrid BounceGrid flash diffuser?

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …EG&addedTroughT​ype=search

It helps if you get the name right when discussing a product.

If you feel you can "manufacture" an equivalent product for mere pennies, terrific! Go for it.

The MilaGrid has the following features your reverse-engineered product lacks, however.

A one-piece assembly that serves to minimize fumbling in the field.

A means of securing conventional light gels in place.

A professional appearance.

If you need a product of this type (not everyone does), and if these features are important to you, get the MilaGrid. Otherwise, do what you did: cut a piece of plastic grid and secure it with a hook-and-loop strap.

As for markup, you obviously don't understand production. The MilaGrid people had to design and produce the product, while you merely had to rip off their design.

Designing and producing the product took creative thought, the actual design, the obtaining of funds, the design and production of at least one mold, the molding and assembly of the product, the packaging of the product, the distribution of the product, and the advertising of the product.

The product costs represent investment and overhead. The cost of materials is probably the least of their expenses. These costs must be weighed against potential sales, which is itself an expensive and tricky process. On top of all this, they are entitled to make a profit.

Just off the top of my head, without doing an analysis, I think $34.95 is not an excessive price.

I might point out that the MilaGrid is patented. Your ripping off their design for personal use is legal, as long as it is for personal use only. Your posting it and suggesting such a ripoff to others is a violation of U.S. Patent law. If they wished, they could prosecute for unlicensed dissemination of their design.

Try what you did with any of the Mouse's products, and see what happens. The Mouse is very litigious.

The old protype version of that:

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i think you did a great job on finding and making your own. every design starts somewhere and if you choose to make your own and find a similar product that will do the trick plus save some $$$, please pass the info. on so others and can try.

i'm sure no one here is going to bash others for making their own product similar to the retail version, those who have the $$$ and willing to spend it (your free to do so), those who choose to make their own (your free to also do so), but instead of bashing.. lets just support each other.

i have been doing alot of D.I.Y things with ponding (its a fish hobby, KOI) and i find alot of ideals from lots of members who try to make their own product, its all a try and fail attemps and sometimes it fun to see the finish working product.

lets all get along..

20droger wrote in post #2513397
I might point out that the MilaGrid is patented. Your ripping off their design for personal use is legal, as long as it is for personal use only. Your posting it and suggesting such a ripoff to others is a violation of U.S. Patent law. If they wished, they could prosecute for unlicensed dissemination of their design.

Wow, what a hostile post. From what I can see, the OP simply showed how he made a similar diffuser from cheap material purchased a Walmart. He didn't suggest that anyone do the same, but simply remarked that from a materials standpoint, it was a hell of a mark up.

We're usually a pretty friendly bunch around here, so while you obviously have strong opinions about this subject, it would be more in the spirit of these forums if you could be a little less hostile when expressing them.

Mark

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #2513557
Wow, what a hostile post. From what I can see, the OP simply showed how he made a similar diffuser from cheap material purchased a Walmart. He didn't suggest that anyone do the same, but simply remarked that from a materials standpoint, it was a hell of a mark up.

We're usually a pretty friendly bunch around here, so while you obviously have strong opinions about this subject, it would be more in the spirit of these forums if you could be a little less hostile when expressing them.

Mark

I was not hostile. I merely pointed out that what he did was wrong. I feel certain any such wrongness was unintentional, but intention is irrelevant in Patent law.

Two small things:

1) The courts have long held that disseminating (read "posting") how an item is put together is suggesting the fabrication of such an item.

2) By stating:

the OP is disparagingly suggesting that the manufacturers of the MilaGrid are being dishonest. The courts have also long held that, in a business sense, such statements may be construed as detrimental to the company or individuals concerned.

The OP has no idea what their costs are. Neither do I, but I do know enough about product production to realize that what is "apparent" is not necessarily so. I would be more than willing to place a wager that each MilaGrid costs them far in excess of $0.76 to produce when all factors are taken into consideration.

I am amazed, in these forums, that many of the same people who get vehement about theft, infringement, or interference when directed against a photographer, seemingly have no qualms about stealing from, infringing upon, or interfering with others when it suits their own purposes.

Amazed, and saddened.

Most of the time, I am pleased to say, such things are done simply through lack of thought. Sometimes, however, they are near malicious. For example:

How about the "You broke your camera through your own careless actions? Send it to Canon and claim warranty." Who cares that, if you get away with it, you are stealing from Canon. They're a big company.

Or the "Canon ripped me off on my rebate! They deserve to be ripped off in return." I'm sorry, if you steal from Canon, you're a thief. It matters not if Canon stole from you. Stealing is still stealing, even if it's from a thief.

I should trust people with such mentalities? I think not.

I'm sorry if I did anything possibly illegal. I will try to be more careful with my posts in the future.

Legal wrangling aside... how well does such a design work? I can't see it doing too much good; less so than a good sized piece of tupperware, or bounce card.

FWIW, the OP's design has some subtle differences:

1) The real product was probably engineered to catch all of the light output from the flash head, with minimal material.

2) If you look at the larger version of the picture, the original has some vertical slots cut out of the curved front area. I imagine to allow extra light through for bouncing off of the ceiling.

$40 seems a bit much, considering the sto-fen omni bounce (often touted as being rather expensive for what it is) is less than half that price.

MRaiford wrote in post #2513886
Legal wrangling aside... how well does such a design work? I can't see it doing too much good; less so than a good sized piece of tupperware, or bounce card.

FWIW, the OP's design has some subtle differences:

1) The real product was probably engineered to catch all of the light output from the flash head, with minimal material.

2) If you look at the larger version of the picture, the original has some vertical slots cut out of the curved front area. I imagine to allow extra light through for bouncing off of the ceiling.

$40 seems a bit much, considering the sto-fen omni bounce (often touted as being rather expensive for what it is) is less than half that price.

I agree, the MilaGrid appears to use minimal material, but I can't see any "vertical slots." Are we looking at the same picture? The one in the B&H site?

If you think $40 is a bit much, the solution is simple. Don't buy it. If no-one buys it, one of two things will happen: the price will lower; or it will disappear. (I expect the latter.)

That's what a free economy is all about.

John E wrote in post #2513700
I'm sorry if I did anything possibly illegal.

I think you should just turn yourself in to the Authorities. That's really the only thing to do at this point.

20droger wrote in post #2513944
I can't see any "vertical slots." Are we looking at the same picture? The one in the B&H site?

Apparently sorta. Looks like there's two versions. Then one I linked, and the other one linked elsewhere in the thread. The other one is pretty much what you created.

MRaiford,

I think you are looking at the MilaGrid PG-1 PortaGrid diffuser. I believe John E and I were looking at the MilaGrid BG-1 BounceGrid diffuser. The PG-1 has the vertical slots and a finer weave.

You can see them both here:

http://www.adorama.com …ers%20for%20Sma​ll%20Flash

John E,

Don't lose any sleep over this. I wouldn't.

Now, as for RTMiller's surely tongue-in-cheek comment (which desperately needs a smily), I can't say (this being a family forum).

Peace, y'all.

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #2513557
Wow, what a hostile post. From what I can see, the OP simply showed how he made a similar diffuser from cheap material purchased a Walmart. He didn't suggest that anyone do the same, but simply remarked that from a materials standpoint, it was a hell of a mark up.

We're usually a pretty friendly bunch around here, so while you obviously have strong opinions about this subject, it would be more in the spirit of these forums if you could be a little less hostile when expressing them.

Mark

I noticed the same thing....hostility and threats aren't really necessary here. Especially when we are talking about a 76 cent project.

20droger, you're reading way too much into this. The guy made a diffuser based on a design he saw. "Making a mint" doesn't mean he is suggesting they are ripping off anyone. It's simply a comment on the profitablity.

For some reason this subject pissed you off and you're hostile to the OP. You could have made your point without such an attitude. As I said, this is a friendly place where people come to help other and share ideas. If you feel you can't honor that attitude, you're not going to make many fans here.

Mark

Hey John E man sweet design can you sell me that piece of plastice for 34.95 i would love one
did yo ucome up with this design your self
DUDE YOUR A GENIUS
now where is my tupperware bowl design i invented ohh sorry Gary
By the way John i am not knocking you one bit
i bet you what ever his name is above has never tried to shoot a subject with out an outside influence or has never tried a different technic in PS that he learned on a forum and maybe he has never added a slightly different angle on his compostion that he learned somewhere else.
get real man You telling us that you have never tried something that you learned from an outisde source but did it for cheaper?