Lightsphere vs brackets

[kristen_mcgrath]

I just ordered Gary Fong's lightspere starter set. I am tired of dealing with

uneven lighting in dim situations and wasn't sure if I wanted to spend the

money on a bracket.

 

Did I make the right choice? Do you really need a bracket or can you get away

with a lightsphere?

 

Opinions, please!

[chris_s___hampton_roads_va]

I'd be interested in opinions on this as well... I use an LS, but in addition to a bracket, because I'm just still not comfy with the flash that close to the lens, even though it's spread nicely...

[mtrejo6]

I was in the same boat as you and went for the LS instead of the bracket. I have it on my SB800. I really enjoy the results. THe light is nicely defused with no shadow effects. Definitely worth the $$$.

[annealmasy]

There are a lot of people who swear by the Lightsphere. I owned a Lightsphere and even

used it a few times. It's just a big diffuser. It produces rather inconsistant results, in my

opinion; when you're shooting TTL or ETTL through a tupperware bowl, you really can't

expect too much consistency. ;)

 

If you REALLY want to control your lighting, you need to get your flash OFF your camera -

no bracket, no Lightsphere. I PROMISE you that this will make a HUGE difference in the

quality of your work.

 

I strongly recommend Zack Arias's "One Light Workshop" to anyone who wants to get away

from their current lighting setup. Also visit the Strobist site, and start working on the

techniques he teaches. With some work and practice, you will soon be able to toss a flash

on a stand in a matter of seconds and get really great images in low-light situations --

even at dark outdoor receptions. It's really worth the effort. Really.

 

You can NOT get "studio quality lighting" from a Lightsphere. It's just not true. Sure, it's

better than direct flash, but it should not be your end goal.

 

The ONLY time I use my flash on-camera is if A) I'm having some kind of awful equipment

problem and have no other option, in which case I'll bounce off the ceiling, stay at least 10

feet from the subject, and shoot at f1.8; or B) I'm shooting a corporate event with nothing

but grip'n'grins.

[picturesque]

You two are talking about two different things. First, a LS can provide even, soft lighting in dim locations but with good bouncing conditions. A bracket does not factor in providing even lighting in dim locations--only in placement of any shadows.

 

If you use a LS in dim locations that don't have good bouncing conditions, the effect is more like direct flash, only just slightly diffused. An example of a location not having good bouncing conditions is a big hall with medium/dark walls and ceiling.

 

If you use a LS in a dim location such as the above without a bracket, your verticals will show a little bit of side shadow if your subject is close to a wall, or there are multiple rows of subjects where one person's shadow is on the person behind. The side shadow isn't as bad as if you used flash with the head direct, since the LS puts the light source a few inches higher than the flash mount. If you add a bracket, the shadows don't disappear, but they are thrown downward behind the subject more so they are less disagreeable.

 

A bracket's main purpose is to put the flash/light source above the lens axis so the shadows fall behind and down from the subject. A secondary benefit is that the flash/light source is higher, so you don't get that very flat lighting--a subject's face is more attractively delineated.

 

Whether a bracket is for you is something you will have to figure out for yourself. If you don't want to use a bracket, I'd evaluate whether you will always be in a position to avoid direct flash for verticals, and can always control how far away you are from walls. Either that, or work out a way you can take the flash off the camera and hold it in one hand while shooting with the other for verticals.

[conraderb]

IMHO, a lightsphere or any bouncer/diffuser is better than a bracket. brackets just move the light - they don't change its quality.

 

ce

[savagesax]

Only other comment regarding using a bracket or not with the LS is the dreaded red eye. Without a bracket and the use of the LS one should hardly ever get red eye. I personally like using brackets mainly because of using off camera strobes and pocket wizards.

[wedding-photography-denver]

For on Cam flash, I use an LS for most things. Off cam strobes I generally do into brollies or bounced.

 

You should realize this is not a 'fix all' but it's as close as you will likely get. I see the use for brackets, I just don't like them.

 

Best, D.

[jgrim8]

IMHO, After I started shooting with the lightspere, my bracket went in the trash :)

[russ_butner___portland__or]

Ever since I went with the Demb Diffuser-bouncer, I use my bracket much less. However, I still bring it along...

 

Russ

[rannbphoto]

Yes, you made the right choice! The lightsphere is SOOOO much easier to deal with and is ideal for most situations. I have a cloud and a clear and that is ALL I use.

 

Gary is not a friend (so no endorsements here, I promise), but I have spoken with him a few times and assisted a wedding for him. He REALLY knows what he's talking about. The lightsphere design came from his own frustrations of brackets and all the other contraptions that say they work and then don't deliver.

[david_schilling___chicago_]

Kristen, you asked about brackets before just over a month ago and I'm still uncertain what you mean by "uneven lighting" it could very well be that neither a bracket or a LS will fix your problem.

[surfidaho]

The only time the LightSphere doesn't quite work right for me is if I am shooting portrait and the subject is against a wall or another person. It still throws a shadow. Not a very sharp shadow to be sure, but a shadow nevertheless.

 

If brackets were weightless and hassle free, I would use one with the Lightsphere. But at least for me, the LightSphere alone is good enough. The occasional soft shadow is more than made up for with ease of use and overall image quality from a soft light.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

[kosta_cherry]

Well, last two weeks we were trying to use LS and bracket at the same time. Although CB Digital Pro-M weighs just 20oz, placement of the flash with LS on top makes the rig too top heavy and troublesome to use. I can withstand it, but my wife is rather subtle person (5'4"), and after 2-3 hours she just can't stand it anymore.

 

 

We made a decision (as someone recommended earlier) to never shoot in vertical position. We just bought another 5D instead on 20D, added Ee-D focusing screen to allow easier vertical shot composition, and now just use 5D + grip (for extra battery and overall balance) + flash + LS as a rig. Oh boy, it's so much easier! Sure, this way we have only 7.1Mp in vertical shots instead of 12.8Mp (or 8mp if we stayed with 20D), but ease of use and STEADY shots far outweight that.

 

 

SY-

Kosta.