Specialty Art & Frame Web Log

Lumiquest Midibouncer

Lumiquest Softbox 2

Speaking of lighting, I find myself shooting a lot of groups on location. Depending on the occasion I will generally try to take my Starlight flash system with me.  However, sometimes I find I need to shoot candids and use my strobe. In the past, I have used either of two types of Lumiquest diffusers. I have both the Midibouncer and the Softbox LQ. Both of these have worked very well for me. The only problem I have had with them is that I still get a lot of harsh shadows at times. Part of this may be the settings I am using on my camera as well as the strobe settings. I still haven’t worked all that out properly as yet. The nice thing about these diffusers is that they will fold flat and I can stash them in my camera bag and go.

Pro:

• Fold flat
• Easy to attach
• Economical to use

Con:

• Still get some harsh shadows - Possibly due to settings
• Don’t “Wear Well” when shoved into the camera bag

Lightsphere Cloud

I recently came across another diffuser of types. this one is offered by Gary Fong. My wife referrers to this diffuser as my “Tupperware”®. This diffuser is made of soft plastic similar to the plastic you will find in the popular storage devices.  The diffuser is designed to slip over the top of your external strobe, sort of a “one size fits all” device. Gary offers two types one; he calls the ” Lightsphere-Universal CLEAR” and one he offers as the Lightsphere  II cloud.

Both of these diffusers have a set of internal ribs that will diffuse the light from the strobe but the big difference is the type of plastic. The Lightsphere Clear is made from a clear plastic materiel and allows more light output. The Lightsphere II cloud is made of a clouded plastic and gives a softer light onto the scene.

I purchased the the Cloud model and so far have not had real good luck with it. My initial test photos in my office did seem to give better results the my bare strobe and less shadow then my Lumiquest devices but when I tried to use the cloud in a large room with very high ceilings I got very poor results - Like my shot was almost black.  So my initial trials were very disappointing. Mr. Fong does send out an instructional DVD with his diffuser and perhaps I need to go back and view that again. In addition, I need to spend a little more time with his device before I completely discount it. I seem to recall that MR. Fong’s web site does offer an email customer support address as well as an 800 number and a Skype phone number so as a last resort I can always call and ask what I am doing wrong.

Pro:

• One size fits all
• Rugged construction
• Easy to install

Con:

• Rather bulky- won’t fit flat into camera bag
• Additional attachments to obtain different types of lighting
• Disappointing results when used in large high ceiling room

Tags: candids, ceilings, cloud model, diffusers, external strobe, flash system, lighting, softbox, starlight, storage devices, strobe settings, tupperware

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm and is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.