On-camera diffusers: Lumiquest, Lightsphere, Omni-bounce?!?!

[jschiavone]

I do outdoor portrait photography and I'm looking to get an on-

camera diffuser to fit over my Canon 580EX Speedlite flash. Does

anyone have a preference or can you comment on your experience with

these accessories? I prefer to purchase a diffuser and not make my

own out of a plastic cup or milk jug.

 

Thank you!

[deletemenow]

I just got a Lumiquest Big Bounce. It seems to work but I think it's pretty heavy. If you're hand-holding, you feel like you need to move around slowly and not tip it too much, or its momentum will rip your flash off the camera.

[michaelging]

All these Items give you a nice soft light, they also drop the ammount of light by quite a bit.If you are shooting outside during the day,and using anything but a wide-angle lens you might not have enough light to give proper fill on your portraits. I just use the wide-angle diffuser that is built into the strobe most of the time and using it for fill works fine.If you are shooting in the afternoon or morning ,or in open shade these diffusers work well. I use a omni-bounce on mine.

[picturesque]

I second Michael's suggestion. I have used all of the diffusers you mention, but they "use" power, cutting your usable range outdoors, plus you don't really get any softening of the light since real softening is accomplished by making the light source large in relation to the subject, which is why bouncing off ceilings and walls softens the light. None of these diffusers makes the light source appreciably bigger than the original flash head size. And you have nothing to bounce off outdoors (usually).

 

If you are after the kind of fill flash that looks invisible, just the bare flash head is fine, since the flash will be dialed down considerably. If you are after the kind of fill flash that is more visible and want to soften, you are looking at medium and large softboxes, umbrellas and reflectors, used as close to the subject as possible, meaning off-camera. The 5x7 type is just too small to really make a difference, although you can use one if you can't do anything else. I personally use an OmniBounce over the flash head, pointed straight forward outdoors while filling, just to cut specular reflections (like shine on skin), not to soften.

[skipd]

Jennifer - ALL of the "tupperware" diffusers are designed for one basic situation, and that is having (hopefully white or otherwise neutral) walls and/or ceilings nearby to reflect the light back towards the subject. The "diffusers" blast the light in all directions. Thus, they are essentially useless outdoors in that they waste a great percentage of the flash unit's output. In addition, what does get to the subject (outdoors or in a large room like a gymnasium) normally doesn't really appear to be coming from a larger source than the bare flash, considering the distance the flash is from the subject. The bottom line is that all of the plastic diffusers like the OmniBounce or Lightspheres don't give you any advantage outdoors.

 

A device such as a LumiQuest bouncer that aims all of its light toward the subject is better for outdoor use. However, its main advantage is not "diffusing" the light, but getting the source further above the lens. The reason I say this is because at normal portrait distances, even the size of the bouncer isn't effectively that much bigger than the bare flash.

 

For portraits, you should really forget on-camera flash except possibly for filling shadows a little bit. An on-camera flash is the least flattering light source one can use for portrait work. If you are working during the day, reflectors are more effective than an on-camera flash. I also suggest using larger flash units with large umbrellas, assuming that either you are working on a very calm day or you have assistants to make sure the lighting devices stay where you want them.

[lex_jenkins]

BTW, don't overlook the value of a good reflector. I have a Photoflex Multidisc 42" 5-in-1. Four reflective surfaces (white, silver and two gold shades) and a white diffuser. It's really good. But a smaller, simpler reflector, maybe 18" or so, would be handier. For head and shoulders portraits you could have the subject hold the reflector to brighten the eyes.

[steve_levine]

Nadine, as usual, has hit the nail on it's head. All of these devices are completely useless outdoors!

 

Their "wrap around", lighting effect, relies on low (white)ceilings, and close (white) walls. Under these circumstances, I know that the Omni-Bounce, does a fine job. Out doors, not so much. The 45` angle flash head sends it's light mostly skyward.

 

 

 

 

 

These devices also do block large amounts of light, and lower the flash's guide number. They also will eat batteries, and create a painfully slow recycling time. Plus continual shooting at maximum power isn't very good for the electronics in your flash. A lose, lose situation.

[lex_jenkins]

I would disagree that pop-in diffusers are *completely* useless outdoors. They have one definite advantage, which I have witnessed many time.

 

Several folks in my family are prone to vampire eyes with flash. The only way to minimize the problem is to get the flash as far away from the lens as is practical.

 

With a flash bracket that's no problem. But who wants to lug a bracket everywhere? With a pop-on diffuser you can elevate the head of the flash straight up or nearly straight up. This gets you another 3" or more of elevation away from the lens. Problem is, with the flash aimed upward it serves no purpose outdoors. That's where the dome diffusers come it. They diffuse flash in all directions but divert enough forward to brighten eye sockets and provide a catchlight without risking vampire eyes. It works at reasonable distances and with a little extra care given to balancing ambient and flash exposures.

[michael_c.]

Take a look at the new Ultimate Light Box System. There are lots of different ways to use it indoors and out. Use it outdoors straight up with the lens and small internal dome attached and with the large reflector attached. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results.