Question for SB800 users

[todd1664878707]

Of all of you SB800 users, who uses the diffuser cap that comes with

the flash? I noticed if I leave it on, the flash is constantly set at

14mm (I think that's right). If I take it off, the flash head is

automatically set to whatever my zoom lens is set to. I have taken

many test pictures and can't seem to decide if I should leave it on

or take it off. The test pictures were taken both straight on and

bounced. What I believe I have concluded is when it is on, the light

is more even, but more often times underexposed. When I take it off,

the light is a little more harsh, but I get more of a consistant

correct exposure. When do you use it?

[merlin]

I am a SB600 and SB800 user. And yes I use the diffusion dome when I shoot portraits that are either outside or in a place where the light can't be bounced. I always prefer bounced light when possible. Generally speaking you will need to adjust your flash to +2/3 when shooting with the diffuser, just be sure to watch your histogram (if digital). Generally the diffuser softens shadows nicely, and you don't get hot spots on the faces so much.

[vivek iyer]

It is not just the diffuser, if you are stressing your SB-800 outside of the maximum power you can get out of it, you will get dark pictures.

[michael_millard]

With the difusser dome on, the SB-800 zoom head will indeed default to 14mm. This is normal.

 

And don't forget, if you want additional light scattering, you can always shoot with both the built-in wide flash adapter & difusser dome simultaneously.

[Ed_Ingold]

The correct way to use the diffuser is angled upwards, 45 degrees. If you are using a Nikon camera, the exposure should be within 1 stop for most situations. For indoor candids, I usually compensate -0.7 stops. For outside fill the compensation is 0 to +1 stops (for backlight in bright sun).

 

I seem to be repeating the manual... q.v.

[joseph_wisniewski]

The "diffuser" is too small to acutally diffuse any light. The correct way to use it is as a substitute for a bare bulb flash. That's why the flask zooms to 14mm when you put the dome on, it's trying to illuminate the entire inside of the dome.

 

You need a ceiling or walls to light with the bare bulb, that's how they work, mixing some direct light with some bounce.

 

Outdoors, the only thing the dome does is let you point the flash straight up, increasing the effective lens to flash separation a few inches, to get a bit more angle on what is still a hard (not diffused) point of light. This is a terrible way of getting separation, that dome, and the necessary 14mm setting, eats several stops of light. That's why you get underexposures (indoors or our). You can get a lot more separation, and a lot more light, and a bit more effictive size (best of all worlds) with a simple bounce card (I use a beat up old Lumaquest that Velcros on).

[cghubbell]

Why not use the bounce card that's built into the SB-800? Just pull it out and you're good to go.

[todd1664878707]

I tried the little bounce card that came with the flash. I actually liked the diffuser more than I liked the bounce card.

[beno_t_marchal]

<p>I seldom use it. I have found that it works well if I follow the direction in the SB800

user guide (i.e. bounced in multiple directions) but I find the card has more applications...

at least in my work.

<p>I tried direct out of curiosity but it makes very little difference (which is normal, the

light source is not much bigger) so I don't see why I would loose the power.

<p>When I want a real soft light, I bounce off an umbrella.

<p>--ben

[chris m., central florida]

I use the bounce card almost exclusively. Depending on the distance to my subject and the cieling height, I'll sometimes use the wide angle diffuser in addition to the bounce card. I like a bit of punch in my images. If the bounce card is causing slight over exposure or images that are too contrasty, simply angle the head up a bit more and/or slip the flash card half way into it's slot for softer fill. If I need a diffuser for close in work, I grab a Stofen and pop it on. Seems to work a bit better than the Nikon OEM diffuser.

[lex_jenkins]

Yup, so far the only thing I don't really like about the SB-800 is that it tries to dictate things with the diffuser cap, as well as the built in hinged wide angle "lens" and bounce card. It automatically defaults to certain settings even tho' I might want to use the flash some other way.

 

So, as good as the SB-800 is, it hasn't quite made third party accessory manufacturers like Sto-fen and Lumiquest obsolete.

[ron_manfredi]

<p>Cut a little notch in the diffuser, and then the flash will zoom following the camera's lens, as it does without the diffuser. I started doing this with an SB-80DX and my D1, and have continued today. If you look at the bottom of the flash, you will see a little "pin" that the diffuser depresses to set the 14mm setting. If this pin is not depressed, the flash operates normally.</p>