Gary Fong flash diffuser

[frleal70]

I was just curious if anyone has used one of Gary's diffusers. I just ordered one with a Canon 580exII, and wanted to know if there was anyone out there that had any experience with them.

Thanks

[Asylum Steve]

wanted to know if there was anyone out there that had any experience with them...

No personal experience with them, but I've heard nothing but good things about the results...

Now of course, their igenuity is in their simplicity, but that also means that most any pro has jerry-rigged something similar at one time or another.

My point is $50 is a lot to pay for a piece of plastic that you could create yourself with material from a crafts or home improvement store, but if you want an easy fix, and you plan to use it a lot, I guess it would pay for itself pretty quickly.

[frleal70]

Good point Steve. I'm normally a DIY kinda guy, but wasn't sure how to achieve this effect. Not that it doesn't exist, just haven't experimented enough or come across any info to enlighten myself with.

Anyway, yea $50 is a little chunk for a piece of plastic. I actually got mine for a little less ($39 at B & H), but that still alot for a little piece of plastic.

Thank you for your comment.

[Frog]

Got one last year. Haven't used it a lot but pleased with results.
Note the lack of shadows in the attached photo.

[Old Timer]

I got one about 2 months ago. Used my mothers birthday present money for it and am very pleased. Does everything as advertised and I don't have to worry about duct tape or wedging something on. It fits and it does the job. Oh yeah I didn't pay $50 either.

[gahspidy]

I use the Gary Fong lightsphere (cloud) with my 580 EX ll and find it does a fine job.
There was a thread started in the help forum about it and I posted the comparisons of flash with the lightsphere, the 580 EX ll straight on, and with it bounced
What about flash diffusers

[frleal70]

Thanks for the comments guys, and thanks for the link Gary.
That's a great pic, Frog.

[mattbikeboy]

There are other brands as well. I picked up an off brand on at local shop on sale for $35. It came with white and orange diffuser thingies. It was a pain in the behind if you need it for some shots and not for others -- but I discovered :idea: that if I just remove the little diffuser bubble thingy I can use the flash normally and not have to fumble with the entire thing -- putting it back on can be a pain when you've got everything mounted on your camera and your hands are full. I figured this out after half an hour of shooting --yep I'm brilliant.
I took this shot in a dark dance hall with the diffuser on.

mbb

[swphotog]

Ive been using one for about 2 years now...coupled with the 580EX ...brilliant wouldnt be without one...cuts down harsh shadows and spreads the light evenly , great for weddings and portraits where a studio set up isnt logistically possible

[frleal70]

I have been trying to get the hang of using my 580ex II w/ Fong diffuser. I only have the 50mm 1.8 MK II lens in my arsenal, and w/ the flash/diffuser mounted it's a bit tricky to keep a handle on the camera. I didn't realize that the flash/diffuser would add that much weight. At any rate, the flash/diffuser combo works great. Here's a practice shot.

1/125s @ f/7.1 iso 400 50mm focal...Flash set at 1/2

[Frog]

Glad its working for you. I don't find it so much heavy as kind of awkward due to size.

[frleal70]

You're right Frog, it's not THAT heavy. In the shot above, the flash was angled at about 45 deg. to the right to use the wall to bounce off of. The angle seemed to put a bit of torque on the camera that was a bit awkward when trying to manually focus. It's just something I need to get used to.

[gahspidy]

I have to add something to this as I have had some more experience with using the flash and other diffusers. The Fong Lightsphere does a nice job in a small to medium room with walls nearby and ceiling that is not too high. However, I have found that I get the same pleasing results in similiar conditions with the "Stofen Omni Bounce". The omni bounce loses less light than the lightsphere, is smaller and fits in your bag or pocket very easily, attaches very securely and weighs next to nothing, and also comes in three colors for matching the flash light to the ambient light which can be very effective and usually something overlooked by most. The orange for use in tungsten lighting and outdoors when the sun is warm. the green for use in flourescent lighting, and the clear for normal situations where no color temp adjustment is desired. They are rleatively cheap as well, but for me the main reason why I find I like it best is the size and convenience giving me the same results as the larger bulkier lightsphere.

[michael stringfield]

I Love the Gary Fong flash diffuser. It's what makes all my portraits turn out so great!!!!!! I would highly recommend them to anyone who is in the wedding/senior portrait industry for sure.

I spent $60 on mine, and I use it with a 430ex flash.

I've read some horror stories about shipping these things so look into finding a store locally for purchase.

Enjoy!



Below has an entire wedding that I shot with the Gary Fong diffuser recently. It saved my ass, especially at night when I couldn't see hardly anything!


www.stringfieldphotography.com/matheson
www.stringfieldphotography.com

[michael stringfield]

I have to add something to this as I have had some more experience with using the flash and other diffusers. The Fong Lightsphere does a nice job in a small to medium room with walls nearby and ceiling that is not too high. However, I have found that I get the same pleasing results in similiar conditions with the "Stofen Omni Bounce". The omni bounce loses less light than the lightsphere, is smaller and fits in your bag or pocket very easily, attaches very securely and weighs next to nothing, and also comes in three colors for matching the flash light to the ambient light which can be very effective and usually something overlooked by most. The orange for use in tungsten lighting and outdoors when the sun is warm. the green for use in flourescent lighting, and the clear for normal situations where no color temp adjustment is desired. They are rleatively cheap as well, but for me the main reason why I find I like it best is the size and convenience giving me the same results as the larger bulkier lightsphere.

You do lose light Sad but true. The way I overcome this loss of light is just turning up my flash. This helps tremendously but it will run down your batteries faster.

www.stringfieldphotography.com