Need recommendations for diffuser for SB-600

[tommac]

Fong!

 

[Dominantly]

What about for fill light shooting outdoors, would the Sto-fen be the better choice at that point?

 

[Derrel]

What about for fill light shooting outdoors, would the Sto-fen be the better choice at that point?

Outdoors, beyond about 10 feet, using no diffuser is the best course of action. Beyond about 10 feet, a Sto-Fen or the Nikon-provided Sto-Fen copy brings almost zero benefit except lowered flash power. Beyond about 10 feet, the Sto-Fen style of snap-on diffuser cap does not effectively make the light larger or softer than a bare flash tube, and the light is effectively a hard, point-source light, with or without the Sto-Fen on the flash.

 

[Dominantly]

I was under the impression it was the opacity of the cover that diffused the "hot spots" created by bare bulb flash shots.

Thanks for the info Derrel.

 

[Derrel]

I was under the impression it was the opacity of the cover that diffused the "hot spots" created by bare bulb flash shots.

Thanks for the info Derrel.

Well, at close ranges, yes, the diffusers like Sto-Fen and the imitation one that Nikon supplied with the SB-800 do a small amount of diffusing, but at longer distances, the diffuser is only, well, basically the same,exact size as the flash head on an SB-800 or SB 600 or 580 EX-II, so the overall net effect is that,beyond 10 feet or so, a diffuser cap and a plain speedlight are the very close to equivalent, since the "size" of the light in relation to a subject at 10 feet is pretty small. The diffuser does not really do much hot spot mitigation at "distance", especially outdoors as fill light, where the sun is actually the main source and the flash is just providing some sparkle and a little bit of shadow-lightening. Outdoors in sunlight, plain,bare,regular speedlight flash creates beautiful fill light without a diffuser of any kind.

 

[Dominantly]

I was under the impression it was the opacity of the cover that diffused the "hot spots" created by bare bulb flash shots.

Thanks for the info Derrel.

Well, at close ranges, yes, the diffusers like Sto-Fen and the imitation one that Nikon supplied with the SB-800 do a small amount of diffusing, but at longer distances, the diffuser is only, well, basically the same,exact size as the flash head on an SB-800 or SB 600 or 580 EX-II, so the overall net effect is that,beyond 10 feet or so, a diffuser cap and a plain speedlight are the very close to equivalent, since the "size" of the light in relation to a subject at 10 feet is pretty small. The diffuser does not really do much hot spot mitigation at "distance", especially outdoors as fill light, where the sun is actually the main source and the flash is just providing some sparkle and a little bit of shadow-lightening. Outdoors in sunlight, plain,bare,regular speedlight flash creates beautiful fill light without a diffuser of any kind.

Thanks bud, that's right on par with what I had in my head.:thumbup: