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CaptainBeefHeart

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Just procured a speedlite 550EX from the 'bay (much cheaper than a 430EX but with most of the goodness found in a 580EX it would seem)..

I know a few people have made their own light tents out of all sorts of stuff - pvc plumbing pipes, card board boxes, tissue paper, bed sheets etc

however, I noticed a highstreet shop selling collapsable white 'laundry basket' that seems perfect for use as a light tent / softbox without any DIY required.. so I also bought one of those for £4

set it all up for a bit of experimentation:

MG_1216.jpg


still getting to grips with the flash, and will need some kind of off body cable / wireless trigger I think (been triggering it manually) but so far really impressed with the effects you can get.

any tips / pointers welcome plus any ideas about the best method for off body shooting would be handy..
 
Mr (sorry, Captain) BeefHeart - Are you going to share the name of the "highstreet shop" and/or post some pics of the actual item...?
Looks good for £4 :)
 
looks like a very good solution and as Kevin_C said any chance of some pics of the item or the setup :)
 
sorry! yes, it was every mothers favourite - M&S!

here are some shots of the item itself, with a 30cm ruler for scale:

MG_1817.jpg


MG_1816.jpg


..and the purple surface underneath the flask was a sheet of wrapping paper.

I wanted to have a go at putting the flash inside it, and using it on larger objects e.g. cars, so have been looking at the off body cords. Is there any reason to pay the extra for a canon brand cord over a third party cord?

Plus does anyone know of any cheaper but reliable alternatives? I noticed the Jessops version costs almost as much as the Canon item anyway!
 
Yup, I always new my mother's love for M&S would come in handy one day. Thanks for the tip, and for saving me a few £££ along the way (y)
 
Thanks Kevin for the link. What I hate about online ordering, besides having to dish-out my personal details over the 'net, is that I can never get myself to stop adding to the basket!
 
Went to M&S today and got me one of these. Picked it up for £5, then got a 20% discount and a further 20% voucher.

Great little gizmo, thanks for the head's-up on this (y)
 
That's ace - I go past M&S on my way home - I might just pop in!
 
Actually, this thread - huge thanks to the OP - made me think more than twice about getting non-convetional items for my gear set-up.

Seems like I am on a huge shopping spree for cheap-make-shift items.

Again, thanks to the OP for the head's up on this ... and the whole idea (y)
 
Wail said:
Actually, this thread - huge thanks to the OP - made me think more than twice about getting non-convetional items for my gear set-up.

Seems like I am on a huge shopping spree for cheap-make-shift items.

Again, thanks to the OP for the head's up on this ... and the whole idea (y)
Click to expand...

Lenses out of toilet rolls and old milk bottles, flashguns out of fireworks...:thinking:
 
kevin_c said:
Lenses out of toilet rolls and old milk bottles, flashguns out of fireworks...:thinking:
Click to expand...

Good idea m8 (y)

But sadly, it's already been done by the bucket-load by some company or other :thumbsdown:

'Canon' I think they call the company

:LOL::LOL::LOL:

DD
 
DiddyDave said:
Good idea m8 (y)

But sadly, it's already been done by the bucket-load by some company or other :thumbsdown:

'Canon' I think they call the company

:LOL::LOL::LOL:

DD
Click to expand...

Ouch! That's enough to make you want to grab the nearest black & yellow camera strap and pull it tightly around the persons neck ;)
 
hepburn said:
Ouch! That's enough to make you want to grab the nearest black & yellow camera strap and pull it tightly around the persons neck ;)
Click to expand...



And (unlike a certain competitor's) being Nikon build quality - it'd kill too :eek::eek::eek:

:D

DD
 
Wail said:
Actually, this thread - huge thanks to the OP - made me think more than twice about getting non-convetional items for my gear set-up.

Seems like I am on a huge shopping spree for cheap-make-shift items.

Again, thanks to the OP for the head's up on this ... and the whole idea (y)
Click to expand...

Also see this tutorial I threw together for making a flash diffuser from a milk jug.
 
now now kiddies. How about a durability test. Take top-end cameras from both manufacturers - paid for by you guys, and then drop them onto concrete moving higher and higher, until one breaks. The winner gets to keep using their not-broken camera ;).

DiddyDave said:
And (unlike a certain competitor's) being Nikon build quality - it'd kill too :eek::eek::eek:

:D

DD
Click to expand...
 
goatee said:
now now kiddies. How about a durability test. Take top-end cameras from both manufacturers - paid for by you guys, and then drop them onto concrete moving higher and higher, until one breaks. The winner gets to keep using their not-broken camera ;).
Click to expand...

Fine by me for my D2Xs as I'd only have to drop it once from about 2 inches!!!

:LOL::LOL::LOL:

Okay, let's stop this OT stuff now!

:D

DD
 
Anyway - so any more results from M&S laundry basket light tents?
 
goatee said:
Also see this tutorial I threw together for making a flash diffuser from a milk jug.
Click to expand...

:puke: sorry, but I hate milk and all dairy products ... would hate to have my gear smelling of milk!

But hey, for £4, the light box is a bargain and I am sure will be useful to photography my soon to acquire Aston Martin Vanquish (y)
 
Wail said:
:puke: sorry, but I hate milk and all dairy products ... would hate to have my gear smelling of milk!

But hey, for £4, the light box is a bargain and I am sure will be useful to photography my soon to acquire Aston Martin Vanquish (y)
Click to expand...

Aha - here's the clever bit, get one from skimmed milk, and wash it out, and it doesn't smell :D.
 
goatee said:
Aha - here's the clever bit, get one from skimmed milk, and wash it out, and it doesn't smell :D.
Click to expand...

:LOL::LOL::LOL:

I assure you that is not the case (washing out the bottle). I can smell cow excretion a mile away, or thereabouts!

But hey, thanks for the head's-up on this. I'll pass on this one :p
 
wow - that's quite some aversion you have! Fair dos - probably best you ignore this one then!
 
Oooh nice, I think I'll be popping into my Local M&S for one of these. (y)
 
Wonderful series of shots :clap:

Where did you fit the flash, with this series?
 
Those are great shots.

I like your username.. but I didnt know bees farted!!:D
 
ivortripod said:
Which lens was used on the first shot?
[ie Jack Dans flask]
Click to expand...

all shot with the 50mm f/1.8 mk1.

Wail said:
Where did you fit the flash, with this series?
Click to expand...

tried the flash in various positions for each subject - only just got my 550EX and an off body cable, so the main objective was to get an idea of how flash position affected the final image.. the answer being it depends greatly on what the subject is!

but general setup was:

the laundry basket up on its 'side', with what would normally be the base next to a window. also had some reflective silver foil (the reverse side of the purple wrapping paper from the first photo) on the window sill infront of the basket, to reflect a little more light back up onto the base - giving a nice bright white background.

then had the flash off to the left, about 45 degrees round from the camera and some more silver foil on the right hand side internal surface.

this didn't work too well for the glass vase - the left hand side just burned out, so I shot the flash through the roof for that one.

got some really good variations with the shiney stuff (the watch and the flask). aiming the flash through the side but toward the back of the basket rather than onto the subject also worked quite well.

also - I was using a thin flexible bit of translucent plastic with a matt finish as a 'scoop'. It was originally intended as a chopping board, but it worked pretty well for this!

Janice said:
I didnt know bees farted!!:D
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I read on the macro forum that they are actually the worst offenders of the insect world..
 
DiddyDave said:
And (unlike a certain competitor's) being Nikon build quality - it'd kill too :eek::eek::eek:

:D

DD
Click to expand...

coincidentally I was at a customers today and he had a Nikon around his neck. You're right, it does!

Now what to do with this lump at the end of it. He muttered something about it being an F5 and cost him 3k just before he croaked. Checked it out on Amazon and it wouldn't pay for his coffin today!! oh well, I can always mount it as a reminder why I bought Canon... :LOL:
 
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