Softboxes and diffusers

Thinking about getting something to soften the flash on my 430EX on camera...

What do you all think about the Lumiquest Softbox for shoe-mount flashes? Is there a better option... still very beginner so I want to keep the costs down while I'm still learning..

My head is stuck in the ground on this one, I have no idea where to start!

Little soft boxes aren't much good. Soft boxes work by putting a large surface close to the subject, so the light comes from "all around" them. The further away from the subject the harder the light is. With such a small softbox usually a long way from the subject the net effect is pretty much nothing. You're better off bouncing the light off the ceiling, a wall, or something else, or using off-camera flash into an umbrella or something.

yeah that just requires getting another speedlite, an umbrella setup, etc

edit to add.. I bounce the flash off the ceiling, then my subject gets dark shadows in the eyes, under the eyes and under the chin.

tim wrote in post #6186058
Little soft boxes aren't much good. Soft boxes work by putting a large surface close to the subject, so the light comes from "all around" them. The further away from the subject the harder the light is. With such a small softbox usually a long way from the subject the net effect is pretty much nothing. You're better off bouncing the light off the ceiling, a wall, or something else, or using off-camera flash into an umbrella or something.

Here is illustration of bare lens vs. with 5x7 softbox vs. with 5x7 softbox at 10' shooting distance.

Wilt wrote in post #6189188
Here is illustration of bare lens vs. with 5x7 softbox vs. with 5x7 softbox at 10' shooting distance.

Do you have any examples with people? My experience is that they're not very useful for wedding work, but i'm happy to be proven wrong.

I always put my flash on a bracket over the lens axis, so shadows are not often apparent...only when the bride's arm is across her body and throws a shadow on her body (not unlike my ruler shadow example, which is one reason I did that comparison) I may have to shoot photos of myself tonite (if the server can survive my photos!)

um, i've done flash bracket. Was never really thrilled with the results. Shadows still come across unpleasantly. I've spent hours researching the subject, and ultimately all the signs pointed me to either lumiquest's product line, or those by Gary Fong. Fong's Lightsphere seemed to be the easy choice after several product comparison reviews. I keep it mounted on my flash all the time. At wedding receptions in high ceiling rooms I slap in the chrome dome and I get balanced, light-filled room look on all pictures. Shadows can still show when the subject is against a white wall, for example. But the shadow will be much software rather those those razor sharp lines created by bare flash. The lightsphere can be angled directly for nice outdoor fills. Adjust your flash exposure accordingly for the most natural look. It's really hard to get better than that without porting around the stands/umbrellas.

oh, if you do get the lightsphere, go with the universal fitted piece as it will not fall off constantly and embarrass you at shoots as you chase after what looks like rolling away Tupperware.

Pearlallica wrote in post #6192357
um, i've done flash bracket. Was never really thrilled with the results. Shadows still come across unpleasantly. I've spent hours researching the subject, and ultimately all the signs pointed me to either lumiquest's product line, or those by Gary Fong. Fong's Lightsphere seemed to be the easy choice after several product comparison reviews. I keep it mounted on my flash all the time. At wedding receptions in high ceiling rooms I slap in the chrome dome and I get balanced, light-filled room look on all pictures. Shadows can still show when the subject is against a white wall, for example. But the shadow will be much software rather those those razor sharp lines created by bare flash. The lightsphere can be angled directly for nice outdoor fills. Adjust your flash exposure accordingly for the most natural look. It's really hard to get better than that without porting around the stands/umbrellas.

There are many inferior examples of flash brackets, usually those which are down at around $100 and less! Newton Camera Brackets, RRS, and Custom Brackets all are pro grade units in wide usage among wedding pros. These products are about $200-300. Quite a few who have listened to my endorsement of the Newton have become very avid supporters of the product. In my history I have only heard about two Newtons sold for user dissatisfaction, ever! $180 and 8 oz weight and compact size is hard to equal for a sturdy bracket that always keeps a flash over the lens axis and which maintains the flashhead orientation relative to the ceiling.

Hmm... Thanks for the advice... I've heard that the Gary Fong ones are not the best to go with (just from reading forum posts and google)... I got a Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce... it was nice and cheap so we'll see how that does it in a couple days when it gets here

No diffuser will make much difference if you don't understand light and how to use it.

A problem with softboxes...

A problem using a softbox with most hotshoe flashes is that the light has been concentrated by the reflector of that flash and now you will try to diffuse it with a small softbox. It really doesn't work all that well to get the soft light you desire.

Additionally, softboxes used on a hotshoe flash are usually pretty small. It is a large light surface at a small distance that creates soft lighting. IMO, you are better off using a diffuser reflector such as the Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro and bouncing the light off the ceiling.

A softbox works best to give you soft lighting when it is large, my "medium" Chimera Softbox is 36x48" and is used over a 400 WS bare bulb studio flash. The softbox doesn't have to diffuse lighting that is already concentrated by a reflector of the flash unit. The size of this softbox is a LOT BIGGER than any softbox used for a hotshoe flash.

However, I do use a small hotshoe flash softbox when shooting macro photography. here is my Lumiquest Softbox used with my hotshoe flash on a Siegelite bracket.

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Wilt wrote in post #6192054
I always put my flash on a bracket over the lens axis, so shadows are not often apparent...only when the bride's arm is across her body and throws a shadow on her body (not unlike my ruler shadow example, which is one reason I did that comparison) I may have to shoot photos of myself tonite (if the server can survive my photos!)

OK, ran a quick test a moment ago, close up of the only portion of the image which shows the shadow! Shot at 20' shooting distance, f/4 1/250, off-white room with 8' ceiling, wall/window blinds about 2' behind me. First shot, bare lens Metz 54MZ flash; second shot Metz 54MZ with Wescott Micro Apollo (5" x 7" softbox). For these shots, I did not bother to use a flash bracket, but simply mounted the flash in the hotshoe.

Try taking a photo of a whole person, or half a person, I think you'll see less effect. Also since we rarely take photos in front of walls using flash as the main light don't bother with that, just look at the qualiy of light on the person.

tim wrote in post #6194359
Try taking a photo of a whole person, or half a person, I think you'll see less effect. Also since we rarely take photos in front of walls using flash as the main light don't bother with that, just look at the qualiy of light on the person.

The photo WAS a whole person, I merely cropped to the only section of the photo where any shadow was even visible! (and to prevent a major incident caused by my face cracking everyone's monitors!...suprisingl​y my 100mm lens survived even though it doesn't come with better build 'L' glass! )