Gary Phong Lightsphere is AMAZING...apparently

I know a lot of the people here don't recommend the Gary Phong Lightsphere. I just find it weird because I went to a Henry's digital imaging show a few weeks back and the "photographys pros" there said it was the best $50 they ever spent.

I myself have never tried it before due to the fact a lot of people on this forum say it's useless piece of tupperware and just wastes light, but why is it that there are mixed reviews on it? Is it actually good tool or a piece of junk? Should I buy it and find out for myself?

I see lots of "photography pros" that just about lose it when I demonstrate a ceiling or wall bounced ETTL flash. "OMG"

Fong and his battery sapping snake oil gizmo will continue to drain wallets of the inexperienced worldwide and forums will continue to have multiple threads on it until he decides to retire. Not anytime soon.

they work good in the right environment.

I dont care for them at all mainly because I can get the same and better results from homemade light diffusers/reflectors.

There are hundreds of forums on both sides of this issue.

I own a Fong Dong which I purchased not long after my first DSLR.

I can say I own and that I've used one, would I buy another or recommend it to others - No, not really.

There are much cheaper alternatives and methods of flash use to learn IMO.

Tupperware is not useless, even when it comes to lighting. It can diffuse light quite well in my opinion. It does kill a lot of light but as long as you can get by with 1/4 to 1/2 power it's okay. It can be useful in various ways. For example, you can use a Stofen on a speedlight like a bare-bulb with other modifiers. I've never had to use any Fong accessories but I know some people who swear by it.

However, I wouldn't get it if I were you. There are a lot of other products available that diffuse light more efficiently. There's the demb flip-it. There's a DIY version of the flip-it. There's the index card and rubber band.

But if you have $300 burning a hole in your pocket, you might wanna look into the Ray Flash ring flash adapter for speedlites. I had a chance to try it last week. It seems very promising. Then again, you can probably build one for yourself if you're handy, or (if you're like me) wait for the Chi... the ebay knock-off.

Try a FlipIt from here. You'll ask "Gary who?"

Fong Dong for Dork Knight?
My, my, how poetic.

A little while ago I've seen someone demonstrate a $50 Lightsphere (in a white walled and white ceilinged room), then he whipped out an empty translucent milk bottle, taped it to his 580 EX and took various shots. No one could tell the difference in the resultant photos.

Of course if some one was paying me $250 for that portrait session I would be wary of what I whip out. Some folks not just judge you by the results but also by the equipment they see in your hands: "good" cameras take "good" photos.

Index cards and a rubber band work just as well. Really there are a few situations where the lightsphere would come in handy; but they are so few and far between that it could never warant (at least for me) spending $50 and lugging that thing around.

heycow wrote in post #6571403
Try a FlipIt from here. You'll ask "Gary who?"

Been using the big flip-it for a couple years now. Quite like the thing.

I've gotten some AMAZING results from an empty milk jug stuck over my flash. Or a 3x5 index card. Or nothing at all.

It's about understanding light and knowing how to use it. It's not about transparent plastic.

I have used the Lightsphere and liked it. After spending sometimes in POTN, I learned much more about flash bouncing, using index card, Lumiquest 80/20 and other technique. The biggest problem for me with lightsphere is the size. You can achieve the same result with flash bouncing, index card and others without the lightsphere.

angryhampster wrote in post #6571822
Been using the big flip-it for a couple years now. Quite like the thing.

+1, had mine about a year and love it!

I'd like to share this if I may, in case you haven,t seen it:
http://abetterbounceca​rd.com/

I found it quite informative and entertaining to watch ,
I'm no "pro" by any means , but I was about to order one of the Fong products and finally didn,t after a I saw this gentleman with his pseudo-home made diffuser.
I haven't used it jet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work
I hope you like it
B

There are indeed times when a sto-fen ($9.00) is useful (i.e. lighting the insides of cars, barebulb type stuff). But for bouncing light a DIY index card and rubberband or A Better Bounce Card (scroll down for the video on how to make one) is a great way to go. I personally like the Promax System, but it's a personal choice I guess

If you want a DIY project here you go. This is what I use and the results have been fantastic. I created mine with fun foam. Using the design as described in the link I can either leave the top flap up or folded over a little. It's not real heavy, but is a little bulky. Best of all it folds flat and fits nicely in my bag.

I used clear thread so it wouldn't show on the "white" side.

I had some of the materials already, but I maybe spent $5-10 on this project. Better than the $50 Fong Dong and I get better results.

http://super.nova.org/​DPR/DIY01/