Stofen Omni-bounce or Lumiquest Softbox?

[tjalf]

Hi everyone,

 

I have a canon 300EZ flash (can not tilt nor swivel) but I hardly

use it as I don't like the harsh shadows. To overcome this problem,

I'm thinking of buying either a lumiquest softbox or a Stofen

Omnibounce. My preference goes towards the Stofen as it is small and

easy to attach. However, what I read about it, it is best used at a

45 degree angle, which can not be achieved with the 300EZ.

My questions therefor are: Does the Stofen work effectively when not

used at a 45 degree angle? Is the Lumiquest softbox a better idea

when using the 300EZ?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tjalf

[Ed_Ingold]

The Sto-Fens Omni-Bounce is too hard when used straight on (except as fill flash outdoors). When used at 45 to 90 degrees, it behaves progressively more like a bare bulb flash, with good fill in from the ceiling and walls. Since your flash doesn't tilt, the Sto-Fens is not for you.

 

You will get somewhat more diffusion with a softbox, but will find it cumbersome and poorly constructed - a definite PITA.

[steve_levine]

There is tons of 411 here on these devices,try a search.My feeling (and others)is that you should save your $20 though.

[kkjuhy]

Second the vote on the Lumiquest Softbox: it works a little (not really worth it) at short distances, but is too cumbersome to put on and off the flash. Save your money.

[chris_leck]

I have and use both. I would recommed the Lumiquest or a new flash (along with any appropriate light modifiers), depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

 

The Lumiquest Softbox makes a small (but worthwhile) improvement over direct flash. It is a bit fiddly (i.e., a PITA). While cumbersome, I can't agree that it is poorly constructed as mine has persisted for over ten years. Westcott makes the Micro Apollo that may be a worthwhile alternative.

 

The Sto-Fen is small, cute, and easy to use and store. It also will waste most of the output of your flash, shunting some of its output to the floor, and little to the ceiling, with your flash.

 

Otherwise, the Sto-Fen is one of the most useful speedlight modifiers made, as long as you can tilt it up -- using it like a pseudo bare bulb. It's not too useful outdoors, although I regularly see people using it outside in ways that I don't yet understand (maybe long-recycle, battery-dump, reflect-off-the-clouds mode).

[julie_glover]

Just a thought, but if you bought a cord to take your flash off your camera you could hand tilt it to any angle you wanted. Probably a bit cumbersome, but it might be a low cost answer to your problem.

[twmeyer]

The advantage of the stofen is not that it softens light, but that it de-focuses it. The only way I use it, or any flash, is off camera. The nice thing about the stofen is that it doesn't need to be aimed precisely like the standard head, or even the Lumequest. Just point it in the general direction and it really helps fill in the holes. <p>I am of the opinion that no shoe mounted flash gives good light when it is the only light. Put your flash on a cord and get it off camera. Use it as fill and you'll get great light from a stofen equipped strobe. When it has to be the only light, you only need consider the alternative of NO light to be satisfied with whatever you get, Stofen, Lumiquest or bare... t

[frankl]

The Sto-Fen works great when you can put your flash at 45 or 90 degrees, but straight on it is not as optimal. It is far far less fumbly however than the lumaquest, and will soften the light considerably compared to no diffuser, but you will not get the nicer effect of 45 and 90 degrees.

 

If you want to try something really cheap that will soften the result somewhat, put a few layers of paper napkin over the flash bulb.

[john_clare1]

I doubt the napkin idea would work to soften the light - you'd just cut flash power, not change the size of the light source, which is the main factor in light softness.

 

Sto-fen's work by bouncing the light around the room so that light comes off the walls and ceilings. I've never understood why people use them outside either!

 

I get virtually indistinguishable results using a Sto-fen at 45 degrees, and using the 550EX's built in wide angle diffuser when there are walls and ceilings to bounce off. Not sure if the 300EZ has that?

[twmeyer]

"I've never understood why people use them outside either"... You are correct, they work like a diffused bare bulb... light looking for something to bounce off.<p> Other than that, they help off camera because they scatter the light, rather than the built in reflecting surfaces inside the head that directs the light straight in a concentrated pattern according to focal length (like all zoom head flashes do). You don't have to have the light pointed directly on axis... close is good enough... t<div></div>

[joe_lee5]

I just wondering if this is useful to put a tin foil at the top and sides of the Omni-bounce, to re-direct some 'wasted light' to the front when not using a very wide lens, anyone tried that before ?

 

Joe

[sc21]

I had the idea for that just today. I was drawing up a diagram of how I'd make my own huge Omni with a milk jug, laid horizontal, and put foil along the back (and angled forward a quarter way across the top) to reflect the light forward. It'll look ridiculous at all but a dairy farmers function, but hey, it'll be an interesting experiment.