I've been less than happy with the LumiQuest Softbox III. It's harsh as an on-camera diffuser with a hot spot in the middle. For on-camera I much prefer the Omni-Bounce, with the flash head tilted up at 45 degrees or the Lightsphere. Paul
On Jul 13, 2011, at 3:10 PM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: > On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Christine Nielsen <ch...@inielsen.net> > wrote: >> Distance may have been a factor. We were in fairly tight quarters, >> huddled in the shade of the lighthouse... >> >> Bear with me for one more question? When you say "diffuser", what do >> you mean in this situation? I use diffusers all the time with >> off-camera flash, but on-camera, what do you prefer? I have resisted >> purchasing the sto-fen/tupperware-type accessories, but maybe they >> are worth a look...? (ok, so that was 3 questions...) > > The Sto-Fen type type tupperware stuff are relatively crappy at > diffusing the light but are good to cut down the output. > > Most of the time, for on-camera or "near camera" portable use, I find > the LumiQuest Promax Softbox III (about an 8x9" diffuser) does a good > job of broadening the light source by a reasonable amount for close > quarters while being small enough not to get in the way. It cuts the > light output by 1-1.5 stops on average, depending on the particular > flash unit you're using. If the flash is still too strong, I tape a > sheet of translucent or thin white typing paper on the front of it > which cuts light output further by up to three stops. It's a great way > to throttle back a high powered flash. > > Using it on the camera is a bit tricky because of the size of the box, > I almost never use flash on camera unless I'm bouncing it off a card > diffuser, wall or some other surface ... that is, it is pointed away > from the front of the camera so it cannot interfere with the lens. For > TTL-auto, I use dedicated remote cables or wireless remote if the > camera and flash support it. For manual operation, a pair of > inexpensive RF triggers is all I use nowadays ... I recently got a set > of four new Cactus V5 triggers which can be used to both trigger the > flash units and remotely trigger the camera. Having a flash on a > lightstand or in the hands of an assistant, right near where it might > be if on the camera, makes the camera much much more manageable if > that's the lighting you're looking for. > > -- > Godfrey > godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
