Looking for information on a Flash diffuser I think

[guitar8101]

I am extremely new to photography so i'm sorry if this question is not very specific. I recently saw a photographer with something attached to his camera. There was also a clip from American idol with the photographer Photographing the judges and he had it attached to his camera. From what I have been reading, I think it was a Flash diffuser. It looked like it was a stiff fabric in a cone shape very similar to the picture of the light bulb below. I was wondering if anyone knew what I was talking about and where I could find information on that product. Thanks so much

I don't have enough posts to post an image or link so put www in front of this
storesonlinepro.com/files/1974975/uploaded/Philips%20PAR30L%20Halogen%20Light%20Bulb-Higher%20Res%20-%20Cropped.JPG

 

[CMT]

This might be it:

Lightsphere Collapsible (Folds Flat, Soft, High Power) *BEST* - Featured Products

 

[Big Mike]

Welcome to the forum.

If you are extremely new to photography...you probably don't need a flash accessory like that. These types of things (the Lightsphere in particular) are over priced and very often misused by people who don't understand how they work.

They don't really soften the light from the flash. What they do is spread the light in all directions with the hope that it will hit surfaces like walls and the ceiling, then bounce back as nice soft light....and that does work....but it is dependent on those surfaces being there and close enough to you.
So if you are using it in a large room, or outdoors...then it's not really helping you because all that light that is being spread around, isn't coming back to your subject, it's just being wasted...which makes your flash use more power than it needs to, and kills the batteries faster.

 

[D-B-J]

Welcome to the forum.

If you are extremely new to photography...you probably don't need a flash accessory like that. These types of things (the Lightsphere in particular) are over priced and very often misused by people who don't understand how they work.

They don't really soften the light from the flash. What they do is spread the light in all directions with the hope that it will hit surfaces like walls and the ceiling, then bounce back as nice soft light....and that does work....but it is dependent on those surfaces being there and close enough to you.
So if you are using it in a large room, or outdoors...then it's not really helping you because all that light that is being spread around, isn't coming back to your subject, it's just being wasted...which makes your flash use more power than it needs to, and kills the batteries faster.

Very true. The "tupperware" style diffusers are in fact difficult to use, and diminish the power of your flash, thus requiring more output and that kills the batteries faster. IF you are very new to photography, i really don't think you will need a flash yet. Take the time to learn about the exposure triangle and to learn about your camera.

Regards,
Jake

 

[KmH]

I highly recommend learning to use both available and strobed lighting (flash) from the very beginning.

 

[usayit]

How about simply using the flash off-camera?

i agree with Big Mike and KmH. If flash is what you want to learn, there's no reason not to start from the beginning. Diffusers have their disadvantage as Big Mike said....

 

[guitar8101]

Thanks so much for the help and advice. Wow CMT that looks exactly like the reference pic I used. Lol nice. I guess I should have used a better reference. It's more of a cone but closed off . Anyways That's really all I wanted to know. I am sure it was a diffuser now. I have no intention on buying one, I was just curious about it and wanted to know more. Thanks for the help everyone