Was at a wedding the other day and seen a pro photographer using this deflector on his 580 that looked like a piece of tupperware. It was a dome shaped thing. I questioned his about it and he said it worked really well and they were becoming very popular. He told me the website to buy them from but I just cannot remember. He said they cost about $50. Does anyone know anything about this?

Paul Rothelwrote:Was at a wedding the other day and seen a pro photographer using this deflector on his 580 that looked like a piece of tupperware. It was a dome shaped thing. I questioned his about it and he said it worked really well and they were becoming very popular. He told me the website to buy them from but I just cannot remember. He said they cost about $50. Does anyone know anything about this?http://store.garyfonginc.com/lightsphere.htmlThis may be the site you want. --jshetley http://ImageEvent.com/jshetley

Also look at the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce, which is less expensive and more portable.http://www.stofen.com/ -- Steve

I suspect he has the Gary Fong LS. It is a works OK, but you can make something that works as well or better to less than $1. This site has the instructions and will sell you the pieces if you want.http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/Since making up a few of these the LS is in my failed photographic gear pile with with Stofens, ND Grad filters, etc.

I have not use the LSII - but I have made several BBCs. Made tall ones, short ones, and yes they work very well. And yes they are cheap and portable in the bag. You may well want to consider these as well. I got the fun foam at Ben Franklin - I would imagine any craft store will have this stuff. --jshetley http://ImageEvent.com/jshetley

Thanks friends for all the information--lots of good stuff there

Diffusers – you didn’t say what flash unit you have, but if it’s a 580 EX, you probably have all you need right there.The primary advantage of a diffuser is to give you a larger, softer light. There are several good tutorials that explain far better than I can the advantages of a large diffuser (softbox). The advantage is solely when the diffuser is relatively large in relation to the distance to the subject. For example, a 5’ x 3’ softbox positioned 3 feet from the subject will be very effective, but put it 20 feet from the subject and it’s not nearly as effective. Using a Fong or Stofen diffuser directly at the subject is essentially useless – it just cuts down on the amount of light delivered. If you’re using bounce, the diffuser will provide more light directly at the subject than without. But with the 580 EX you already have two modifiers – the wide-angle diffuser and the highlighter.I’ve tried test photos from a tripod, 30D and Canon 50/1.8, Canon 580EX, Stofen diffuser, and modeling head in a relatively small living room with cream-white walls and ceiling. Direct flash was ALWAYS too harsh – with or without the Stofen diffuser or the built-in wide-angle diffuser. I really couldn’t tell a significant difference at 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 90 degrees between the diffuser and the direct flash with highlight card raised. Both were (marginally) better than the bounce-flash alone. The built-in wide-angle diffuser didn’t seem to make any difference no matter how I used it with the 50 mm lens. However, when I swapped over to the Sigma 10-20 at 10 mm, the diffuser was essential to prevent major vignetting.Do a forum search and read some of the flash-lighting tutorials before spending a bunch of money for possibly marginal results.

holmes4wrote:Also look at the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce, which is less expensive and more portable.http://www.stofen.com/The Omnibounce doesn't hold a candle to the results you can get from the Lightsphere. Not even in the same league...

...a polystyrene drink cup inverted over the flash head.It works the same as an Omnibounce, and even better if you use the large size, as it is like a mega-Omnibounce. Very nice.I use one on a 430EX all the time. The Omnibouce will give eyes a strong catch light if you are close, but I am mainly shooting a baby and small child, and they hate direct flash (duh), but tolerate the drink cup method without a whimper.It does cut down a lot on your light intensity, so you need to be close-ish. In larger settings I use the Omnibounce, or the built in diffuser bounced off a side wall or the ceiling.I don't have the room to carry the Lightsphere, so I prefer to use the smaller and cheaper alternatives.Here is another tip: reduce your Contrast and Saturation settings, or shoot RAW when using an external flash.

but I've grown partial to the LS II pj. -- Juli http://www.pbase.com/julivalley/galleries Canon FiveDee, Canon 2oD, Canon Gee3, and Canon S7o, Fuji Eff30.

M_Edgewrote:The primary advantage of a diffuser is to give you a larger, softer light. There are several good tutorials that explain far better than I can the advantages of a large diffuser (softbox). The advantage is solely when the diffuser is relatively large in relation to the distance to the subject. For example, a 5’ x 3’ softbox positioned 3 feet from the subject will be very effective, but put it 20 feet from the subject and it’s not nearly as effective. Using a Fong or Stofen diffuser directly at the subject is essentially useless – it just cuts down on the amount of light delivered. If you’re using bounce, the diffuser will provide more light directly at the subject than without. But with the 580 EX you already have two modifiers – the wide-angle diffuser and the highlighter.Thank you.This is essential reading (keep reading until it is understood). May require some additional learning about light.

Previous poster suggested shooting raw when using external flash. I agree completely - especially when mixing flash and ambient light, the color balance is often difficult to pre-judge. But I'd just say - shoot RAW, ALL the time! -- BJCP National

M_Edgewrote:Previous poster suggested shooting raw when using external flash. I agree completely - especially when mixing flash and ambient light, the color balance is often difficult to pre-judge. But I'd just sayshoot RAW, ALL the time!Yep, the wider DR of RAW helps overcome light level imbalances with near and far objects when using a flash too. It gives a softer appearance, much like reducing Cont. and Sat's. does, but gives you a lot more room for adjustments after the fact.And really, without a light/flash meter how are you expected to get good color balance when you are possibly using tungsten, some green fluoro, window light, plus some fill flash for catchlights? Oh, and bouncing off a wall that has some blue in the paint, and the carpet is red? That is too hard for me.The diffusers are good too for preventing 'shine' on peoples faces. PP in PS can get rid of it, but it is laborious. I like them, and they are fun to mess around with and think up new ones for yourself. -- Elwood.Light! Give me light!