Timeline for When and how to use a push-on flash diffuser?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jan 29, 2012 at 17:54 | comment | added | Steve Ross | I should have said "shaped" instead of "modified". There's nothing wrong with these -- they simply don't work as a silver bullet. I don't lug a bunch of stands and mods around either. But I might bring a LumiQuest softbox (goo.gl/V2fUh) or one of the Rogue Flashbenders (review here: goo.gl/7kxmd). I find them more flexible and the results more pleasing. If I hold the flash off camera or have someone else hold it, so much the better. There are times when my only choice is the diffuser. But it's not my first choice if I have time. | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 15:23 | comment | added | mattdm | Not arguing, but if you can't get modified light from unmodified light, where does modified light come from and what has been modified? | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 11:46 | comment | added | user2719 | Bare bulb is a hell of a lot easier to control than, say, lugging around stands and softboxes/umbrellas everywhere you go and making everything a static "set". Like anything, you need to learn how to use it -- but it's not a tool anybody who wants to do location/event shooting should be without. And no, the diffuser isn't for "in a pinch", it's for "setting up a small version of my studio is really inappropriate for most pictures outside of my studio". Soft light all of the time is a cop-out; you get generic, safe pictures rather than good ones. | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 8:21 | comment | added | Nir | Moving the flash off-camera and investing in some real mods is where I'm going - it's just going to take me a while to get there because this is an hobby for me and I don't have the budget (but I did have great success with some DIY light mods) -- I actually expected the plastic diffuser to be totally worthless and just one of those things camera stores make profit on (like a cheap UV filter) and I'm actually pleasantly surprised it has some use at all - and I'm going to test it the next time I get a victim for a portrait session. | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 6:30 | comment | added | Steve Ross | The point I was trying to make is that you don't get automatic soft light. Most photojournalists carry these diffusers for use "in a pinch." They're just fine when there are no other options. But "bare bulb" is a hard type of light to control, so its general applicability is a good deal lower than a softbox or even bounce flash. | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 2:16 | comment | added | user2719 | The point of the diffuser (and the Lightsphere) is that the light will bounce, giving you both a directional main light and diffuse fill from a single source. And yes, it works (although as mattdm noted, you do need to be in an environment where reflection is available). Don't knock it until you've tried it -- "bare bulb" is great lighting once you learn how to use it. | |
| Jan 29, 2012 at 0:47 | history | answered | Steve Ross | CC BY-SA 3.0 |