Diffusion sock for monolights

From your experience, will the 8 USD diffusion sock shown in the attached ebay photo be recommend as a light

modifier on a key light for portraits of up to two people? The sock will be attached to an Alien Bees B1600

flash unit. The seller advises to turn off the modeling light to eliminate the risk of fire to the fabric. I am

looking at buying the sock to be used as a quick setup and knockdown of my lights from location

to location during a wedding assignment. My other modifiers are two 60 inch silver/shiny white reversible

umbrellas which will be used at the banquet hall.

 

By the way, the sock fits White Lightning, Alien Bee, Photogenic, Elinchrom, Balcar, Broncolor, Bowens, Britek,

JTL, Calumet, Crown, Sunpak, Multiblitz, Novatron, Photek, Visatec and other monolight systems with a reflector

of 6-8" They can also be used with the separate power pack and head studio systems such as Speedotron, Norman,

Photogenic, Calumet, Novatron, Broncolor, Comet, Dynalite, Zeus etc.

 

Thanks.<div></div>

It will make some difference but not much.

 

For your purpose, one of those pop-open diffusers would do a much better job, all you'll need is an assisant to hold it in front of the light, or a light stand with a clamp arm

This DOES look fire hazardous, or least burn off some noxious fumes even with the modeling light off. Those strobes are hot. What's

wrong with a umbrella?

Hi, Peter.

 

This sock diffuser is a good idea......if the light source is already large, like a 20" or better beauty dish and

the sock is big enough to stretch over it. This small of an area, and without the ability to see where your

light is going, it's not a good idea at all. It's pretty much the SIZE of the light source, coupled with

diffusion, that makes a good portrait light. If you are going for fast set up and tear down, go for a 36" or 40"

shoot through umbrella if you don't want to spend the time working with a real soft box. (By the way, silver

umbrellas are very effective for reflection of light, but they are a very specular light and will give harsh

highlight to shadow ratios. White cloth umbrellas are far better for portraits, again, if you don't want to mess

with a good big soft box.

 

When I used to shoot weddings and did lots of pre-ceremony formal shots of individuals, bride with parents and

each of the maids, groom with parents, with men, etc. at a formal background, I used a 40' softbox with a gold

reflector on the other side of the subjects. It was a reasonably fast set up and gave incredible lighting, plus

it had the one quality that this small sock eliminates.....the ability to use the modeling light to actually see

what I was creating. That is totally important.

 

Do a bit more work and have a ton more success with an easier to use (visualize) system.

Hmmm. It was either my spouse's pantyhose or this ebay sock. Looks like it won't be either. Thanks to everyone for their valued input.

I bought a couple probably from the same seller you were considering. On my lights the bare reflectors have hotspots with the diffusion socks they don't. Have not used them since getting them to take photos though. John

John: This is the link to the seller on ebay:

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150280697081&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:CA:1123

 

That was one of two factors I was hoping for: a reduction in the hot spot. The other being one less umbrella to

carry.

Yes that was the one. They seem to be a cross between some kind of paper and fabric. I put them on the strobes and played with them for awhile shining them at a wall (about 10 mins) they did not show any signs or discoloration in that time. My units use a 150watt modeling light and I had them turned down to about 1/2 power most of the time. I would take some photos with them but when I take out my lights the family dissapears into the wood work John

LOL John. Hey, for 8 USD for two socks, what the hell! I am still using the 100 Watt Silvania bulbs supplied by

Alien Bees and will make a nice Sunday trip today to Home Depot and get the Philips Halogena 150 Watt bulbs.

*I am still using the 100 Watt Silvania bulbs supplied by Alien Bees and will make a nice Sunday trip today to Home Depot and get the Philips Halogena 150 Watt bulbs.*

 

Well, as a matter of interest I looked them up on http://www.1000bulbs.com/PAR_Halogen_Floods___Spots/Haologen_A_Type_Light_Bulbs/8879/?&utm_source=NexTag&utm_medium=shopping+site&utm_campaign=NexTag+datafeed&utm_term=8879

It tells you the voltage, the wattage and the output in lumens - everything in fact except the info you really need to know, which is the Colour Rendition Index. The CRI needs to be 90+ for photography, otherwise different colours will be reproduced differently - and lamps with high CRI values are much more expensive to produce than those with low ones, so you can be pretty sure that these lights are not suitable for photography, period.

John: Not to intentionally go off topic for everyone else reading this, which 150 Watt bulb do you use?

I have two Calumet Genesis 400 strobes that use a jdd 150 watt modeling light. I have also purchased a couple of Halogen 150 watt bulbs for use in a normal lamp when they were on clearence at Target a couple of months ago. I bought them because the ones Calumet sells are $25 a piece. How ever they are a little longer and stick out beyond the front edge of the reflector and I don't use them. I keep them in my kit just in case the real ones burn out. I think that they would work fine in my softbox. I tend to keep an eye on clearence sales at my local stores. I picked the bulbs up for less then $2 when I think the normal price is about $5. I have also bought a couple containers of small plastic clamps that I use to hold muslin backgrounds on the background holder for a couple of bucks. John

I use a food-service hair cover on the 5" reflector of my Norman strobe. It provides a little diffusion, but mostly just softens the specular highlights a little and reduces the output by a stop or so. I think the caps are less than $1 at the food store.

 

@Garry, I think we're talking about modeling lamps here, and CRI isn't important in modeling lamps. I use 100W household lamps in my AB400s and 150W Phillips Halogena lamps in my AB800s. The Halogena bulbs barely fit behind the honeycomb grid in the AB 7" reflector.

 

<Chas>

Yes, on re-reading I think you're right, he is talking about modelling lamps, in which case CRI doesn't matter

OvenPaper wrap Peter. It's in the kitchen! :~)

Charles: Thanks for the caution on the 150 Watt Halogena bulbs. There must be other brands of 150 Watt lamps

smaller than the Halogena's.

 

Anthony: Great idea. I am definitely going to try it with the clip-like holders that came with my B1600s. It

is either a roll of white coloured wax or parchment paper. I did see in a magazine a similar type of paper used

over a photographer's lights (maybe Profoto) during his photo shoot of a bikini-clad model on a beach. Thanks.