Diffusers and Flash brackets

Plugus Maximus

Plugus Maximus

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I've just ordered an SB-600 flash for my Nikon with a view to taking lots of indoor shots at bars/clubs/parties/gatherings with variable lighting (thinking dicos lights and normal household lighting). I am considering purchasing a diffuser but the choice is mind boggling. Does anyone have any tips?

Also Iam thinking about purchasing a flash bracket to have the flash mounted further from the camera but is it worth it bearing in mind the use I intend it for? I would need to switch from portrait to landscape quickly and use it in crowded spaces.

Cheers in advance for any help!
 
My little knowledge says :
Stofen - cheap and useful, but a mini softbox or reflector is better - I had to take pictures at an event where there was nothing to bounce the flash off, and direct flash is horrible !
The stofen helped a little, but the lumiquest mini softbox and their diffuser were much better.
Sadly, all of these items are expensive for what you get, but the lumiquest were both useful purchases, and I have not used my stofen since getting the others.
I don't know about brackets, but I guess that parties/clubs etc mean little space and you need to be quick, so my feeling is no.
 
steveinspain said:
lumiquest mini softbox and their diffuser were much better.
Click to expand...

Do you mean the mini softbox and the 80-20? I'm thinking in most cases I'll have a ceiling within range but there will possibly be no back wall for some distance. I really want to get some background light in and not have just brightly lit people in darkness!
 
The problem with using flash indoors is getting hard shadows on walls from the direct flash. Using a flash bracket isn't going to have much effect on shadows- just throw them off to one side.

The bog standard Stofen is pretty useless - I've used them and the diffuser is just too small. You really need a diffuser which effectively enlarges the light source (the flash) and the Stofen if anything, makes it smaller.

Something like the mini sofbox mentioned earlier will greatly enlarge the light source and give a softer spread of light and greatly reduce harsh shadows,

Personally I'm very happy with the Fong Lightsphere which allows you to bounce the flash off the ceiling, but the body of the diffuser is still large enough to throw enough light outwards to provide fill flash and kill any shadows caused by the bounced light coming from above.

It's expensive for what it is but it does what it says on the tin.

CLICKY

There's a video demo of Fong using the sphere which I can't find at the moment, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere, and it explains the various ways you can use it.

Have a look at the second video down on this page.

CLICK
 
I personally use Lastolite's Microlite Apollo XL, which is a flashgun softbox, in a few sizes, attaches with velcro- quite annoying as it's difficult to make stick, but does a nice job of 'diffusing', can use it with the flash actually onboard the cam as well, as it doesnt get in the way of the IR assist beams, failing that, I've just ordered a couple of Lastolite's hotshoe sofboxes, for use off-camera on a stand. these are proper softboxes, but haven't gotten them yet to try (fingers crossed they'll be good!).
 
Stofens are ok for what they are, and are the most compact option there is, but realistically they are not that good value for money.

The main reason to use a flash bracket is so that in portrait orientation you can rotate the flash to the top of the camera so that the shadows are not off to one side (which can look very unprofessional). The one I am using right now is a StorbeFrame, which was under £40. RSS actually make a really good one, which is very compact, but you have to be using L brackets to use it.

If you are going to get a rotating flash bracket, then you have more room to play with, and a flash mounted soft box would be quite easy to use, but the whole setup would be quite big, and you will standout quite alot (not that firing the flash won't make you standout anyway).
 
I used a home made BetterBounce card at an event a few weeks ago and the results were excellent, it's small, light and can be used in portrait or landscape orientation.

Examples

As CT has said the Lightsphere is very good but I find it quite restrictive if using in crowded rooms/bars/parties etc due to it's size and the fact that it can be knocked off the gun when moving between groupd of people.
 
Where did you source your card/paper from? Which works best?
 
I've not got on with mini softboxes - the flash is still pointing at the subject.

You can't rely on having a white or low enough ceiling, so a bounce card is my preferred option. The Lumiquest Big Bounce works well on a handlemount flash, but I wouldn't recommend either for a crowded venue. My flash's built-in card works acceptably well and has no risk of falling off and being misplaced.

To mix in some ambient light you might want to try using an orange flash filter and tungsten white balance.
 
photon - I agree, but if there is nothing to bounce off, then they are better than direct or a stofen...
The lumiquest diffuser is actually a bounce card-like thing (badly described by me, I am afraid) - just looked on their site, and it is the midi bouncer I used, and was small enough for ease-of-use, but big enough to soften light pretty well I think !
 
Hacker said:
I used a home made BetterBounce card at an event a few weeks ago and the results were excellent, it's small, light and can be used in portrait or landscape orientation.

Examples

As CT has said the Lightsphere is very good but I find it quite restrictive if using in crowded rooms/bars/parties etc due to it's size and the fact that it can be knocked off the gun when moving between groupd of people.
Click to expand...

I've made myself one of these and found it worked well. The only problem is the long winded way the guy on the video takes to explain how to cut out a bit of card. A simple diagram would be better.

Plugus Maximus said:
Where did you source your card/paper from? Which works best?
Click to expand...
I had some old HP Photopaper 165gm which made lousy prints on my Epson Printer, so I used that.
 
The problem you're going to face with just one flash, with or without a diffuser is light fall off. You'll end up with well illuminated subject within a "dark hole". Bouncing off a ceiling will help provided it's a light colour. But don't forget you will lose a lot of power from the flash this way. If it's dark then you wont get much reflection.
 
I bounce behind and upwards (45 degrees back for example. kinda like the avatar!) and vary according to the subject and lighting. I see a lot of people note that it eats up battery power but the results are much better for me so I don't mind taking more batteries, especially as my bodies no longer take the AA's they used to :D Yes the flash gets very hot under heavy use, and yes that will prob fry it quicker but they are pro flashes so are ready to take a beating.

One thing i've tried lately, controversially, is the Lightsphere II.. and in an open space or large hall, it works well. I think I prefer my usual "raw" bouncing for indoor settings but it worked well at the last wedding i shot this month, well last month ;)

Try planetneil for some great info on flash :D
 
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