Getting a 580EX II...Which flash diffuser?

FYI...my stofen omnibounce is SUPERRR tight on my 580exII

i tried blowdrying it and fitting it to hopefully let it expand, but its still pretty snug

Mikefromearth wrote in post #7738922
The lumiquest products are great, though on the flash they are huge.. Only problem with them is they aren't omni-directional.

Yes, they can be turned any direction.

See post #5
https://photography-on-the.net …52157&highlight​=lumiquest

Titus213 wrote in post #7740339
I find it amazing that folks will spend upwards of $400 on a flash, $1500 on a camera and lens, and then rubber band a piece of cardboard and a napkin to it to improve the pictures.

Sure , the more you spend on your gear the better photographer you are.
The shot below is made with a $75 Vivitar 285 bought from Adorama, not much more than any of those fancy bouncers, + $0 on the diy diffuser. Example is a direct flash with the background very close to the hands. The flash is the only light source, the ambient was practically nonexistent.
Edited. For comparison is what you get from a bounced paid option.

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vadim_c wrote in post #7741963
Sure , the more you spend on your gear the better photographer you are.
The shot below is made with a $75 Vivitar 285 bought from Adorama, not much more than any of those fancy bouncers, + $0 on the diy diffuser. Example is a direct flash with the background very close to the hands. The flash is the only light source, the ambient was practically nonexistent.

I don't understand. What's the point of this picture?

disneydork06 wrote in post #7740428
that's what some of the old journalists did back in the day...was told to keep a roll of tp with me by one of my professors but I think sometimes the easy/simple solutions work well for what you need. I myself use the stofen omnibounce.

Yup, they used to set off flash powder for light too......and for years I used fabric softener sheets over my flash head. But it kept catching fire when the flash went off.:p

I'll admit I have been tempted by the Demb flip-it - one of the few diffusers that makes sense to me.

Titus213 wrote in post #7743309
If this is an example of your work perhaps you should spend some more money on your gear.

What the heck ?

bzimmermann wrote in post #7747075
What the heck ?

Yes, uncalled for comment - I apologize to vadim_c.

me too!

I've been playing around a lot in my apartment, experimenting with everything and for just simple fill light, on camera of off camera, I think if it doesn't need too much power, I like the Sto-fen best, it's so quick to pop on and it simply works.

I have been using the Lumiquest with all the attachments and so far it's kind of punchy with the white reflector but I sometimes use it with the softening diffuser in front and I think it might be good but the Sto-fen I'll grab for first untill I get more opportunity to use the LumiQuest a lot more.

Just ordered the flash on Friday!
Got 8% back using live cashback, and oddly enough 10 minutes before purchasing through eBay, an email from eBay with an 8% off coupon. So a total of 16% off equalling about $67!
I'm still unsure of which falsh diffuser/bouncer to get, but I think for now I'll just play with the flash for awhile! I can still do 85% of the things without any diffuser or bouncer, but will just require more manual work to get the right bounce, and lessen the flash exposure.

Thanks for all of the responses guys!
Would love to hear even more about the different flash diffusers/bouncers you use or have used, and what you do and don't like about them.
By reading your posts so far, I am sure I'll end up getting a couple things in the end.

remember you can always bounch the flash off something white or shiny. ANd if you get a longer off shoe cord (not a PC cord) but a real hot shoe cord like these:

http://photography.sho​p.ebay.com …ft%29+canon&_os​acat=64353

most of those are about 30' long (10m) and there are a few 3m or about 10' but are only around $10 less. But getting the flash off the camera will help use it more effectively. After that point you can see what sort of diffuser will help how you will use your flash the most.

Still even easier if to do the "fun foam" sort mentioned earlier. I suspect most people have the sense the stofen tupperware like diffuser is good simply because they feel it looks less goofy when mounted. And after all it is all about how you look not the best gear for the best shot, right?

brecklundin wrote in post #7762651
remember you can always bounch the flash off something white or shiny. ANd if you get a longer off shoe cord (not a PC cord) but a real hot shoe cord like these:

http://photography.sho​p.ebay.com …ft%29+canon&_os​acat=64353

most of those are about 30' long (10m) and there are a few 3m or about 10' but are only around $10 less. But getting the flash off the camera will help use it more effectively. After that point you can see what sort of diffuser will help how you will use your flash the most.

Still even easier if to do the "fun foam" sort mentioned earlier. I suspect most people have the sense the stofen tupperware like diffuser is good simply because they feel it looks less goofy when mounted. And after all it is all about how you look not the best gear for the best shot, right?

Thanks for the link!
I was planning on getting off-shoe cord sometime soon.
I use my wireless remote quite often when my cameras on its tripod. With the extended cord I could take the flash where I need it, without coughing up a lot for a wireless transmitter.

Quick question: how does the flash know what power to put out when it has a diffuser on it?

Same way it works without it. The preflash tells the camera how much light it needs to expose based on the parameters you set. Since the diffuser is eating more light, it just juices the power.