Light Sphere?

Tyler2026

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Has anyone ever used a light sphere? I recently purchased one but I haven't received it in the mail yet. I have read some articles about the light sphere and from what I have seen people seem to get decent results. I was just wanted some non biased opinions.
 
I don't have one, but I've seen them and used it a little bit.

They work well in the right situations...that being if there are surfaces to bounce the light off of. It basically throws the light in all directions...in the hope that it will bounce off of something and come back to your subject.

If there isn't anything for the light to bounce off of...then the only light the subject gets is directly from the LS itself...which isn't all bad...but a lot of the light is wasted and that makes the flash work harder, which increases the recycle times and eats the batteries faster.
 
I owned one. I used it one time and then sold it on ebay. What Mike said about it, is basically true.

It produces very nice results but is not very effiecient in the way it distributes the light.

However, there are other folks who own them and swear by them.

Test it out when you get it and who knows, it may be perfect for what you want to use it for.
 
What do you use now, Rick?
 
What do you use now, Rick?

You know, I think over the years I have tried just about every kind of bounce/diffusion system out there and I have never been 100% happy with any of them.:grumpy:

I'm now using a home-made rig made out of stiff construction paper and rubber bands. How awful is that?:lmao:

But, I have just recently ordered one of these, so we will see....

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/

If anyone out here has one of these, let me know how you like it.
 
To put some perspective to this. Softer lighting is created by having the light source grow in size relative to the size of the subject. In other words, either the light source has to get bigger, or the suject has to get smaller or you need to get the light source closer to the subject. It isn't any more complicated than that.

So the size of the sphere would be the salient feature.

Generally, I think the little gadgets people attach to portable flash units are a waste of money and time because they aren't large enough to make a meaningful difference in the size of light source. Consider the soft boxes and umbrellas used in photo studios to get an idea of how large these things need to be. I think bouncing the light from something reflective tends to work a lot better. That's how umbrellas do their thing. You could use a white card or a ceiling or whatever is available.

On the other hand, this type of product may work OK for closeup photography because distance has resolved the relative size issue.
 
I received the light sphere that I ordered and I have used it a few times and I am amazed. I have gotten really nice results with this. Although one poster is sort of correct in saying that they are somewhat inefficient, I still think that the good out-weighs the bad.
 
Generally, I think the little gadgets people attach to portable flash units are a waste of money and time because they aren't large enough to make a meaningful difference in the size of light source. Consider the soft boxes and umbrellas used in photo studios to get an idea of how large these things need to be. I think bouncing the light from something reflective tends to work a lot better. That's how umbrellas do their thing. You could use a white card or a ceiling or whatever is available.

For the hardness of the light yes. But consider the "softbox" that comes with the SB-800. If you put that "softbox" on the flash and point that flash up at the ceiling the source of the light becomes even smaller less softer and less diffused, but because a large portion of the light is bouncing up and around it creates a more pleasing effect which is less harsh and direct despite the source itself being harsher.

But you knew this I was just pointing out to the other people the benefits which can be gained from building little contraptions onto the flash. No it won't make it a softbox, but they are far from useless.
 
Sto-Fen Omni Bounce is much cheaper and does same thing.
 
IMHO, they are a waste of money. I have the one that came woth my SB-800, and it works, but for better results cheaper:

www.abetterbouncecard.com

I plan on experimenting some more and seeing how much better it is with the SB-800 against it's diffuser and bounce card. So far when setting it manually, I acheive the same levels of light with 1 power output level lower using the home made bounce card. It uses light and power more effectively and saves batteries. That means I can do more pics with the same lighting results.
 
HA HA! We agree on something. :cheer: The abetterbouncecard cards work really well. I've used them at 2 weddings so far.
 
HA HA! We agree on something. :cheer: The abetterbouncecard cards work really well. I've used them at 2 weddings so far.

Crap. Ok, I hate them... lmao!! :lmao: :lol:

Gotta keep the contraversy going, right?

Seriously, there are times that the high-tech solution is very good, but in this case, simplicity just outperforms high-tech. As far as looks, I think they both look "silly" to people who do not know how things work. Thats ok, becuase I do not look at pictures of me taking pictures... I look at the resultant pics that are improved thanks to this simple little piece of home brew DIY projecet.
 
My bounce is literally a piece of white card, folded around 3 sides of the flash and then a long stripe of card wrapped around so that it slides on an of the flash. Works a treat and cost nothing to make.
DSC00049.jpg
 
You can get a little more effeciency by using a paper that has a bit more of a "whale tail" effect to it and has a bit more of a forward curl.
 

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