GAry Fong knock off diffuser

[MICKEY88]

found this on ebay..

search for Lambency Soft Flash Diffuser

half the price of gary fong lightsphere....

although I already have 2 gary fongs I might get one of these just to get the colored inverted domes..., could be fun to play with...

 

[extreme8]

The general consensus among the folks on photo lighting boards is that it isn't really a knock off, but rather the same Chinese factories that manufacture the Fong selling to other distributors that are willing to sell it cheaper.
I'ts supposed to be the exact same item.

If you want to avoid the ebay game it's available for several different models here. This one happens to be for the Nikon.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4848

 

[MICKEY88]

The general consensus among the folks on photo lighting boards is that it isn't really a knock off, but rather the same Chinese factories that manufacture the Fong selling to other distributors that are willing to sell it cheaper.
I'ts supposed to be the exact same item.

If you want to avoid the ebay game it's available for several different models here. This one happens to be for the Nikon.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4848

thanks for the link, the problem is they don't have the colored domes, I already have two lightsperes, I'd just like the domes to play with ..

 

[fitzperry]

Hey, how come the one for the SB-600 is a dollar more?

Also, am I correct that this looks more like the "cloud" Lightsphere? I don't think I see a clear one.

 

[MICKEY88]

Hey, how come the one for the SB-600 is a dollar more?

Also, am I correct that this looks more like the "cloud" Lightsphere? I don't think I see a clear one.

ebay has listings for both...

 

[fitzperry]

ebay has listings for both...

Thanks. I'll check them out.

 

[MICKEY88]

Thanks. I'll check them out.

very interesting info..

I checked gary fongs website, because I wanted to make sure I was buying thre right one for my flash,

he says the colored domes will only work properly on the cloud,,

on ebay they have the colored domes with the clear/photojournalist...

so now I have to decide if I want to order one with the colored domes, plus order one that they call milk on ebay...

problem is it's 2 different sellers..one from china ,one from hong kong

although I have 2 clear already, they are diifferent sizes one for my sigma flash the other for my minolta flash that died, I replaced the minolta with a second sigma since it worked just as well for 100 dollars less, so I could actually use another clear that fits the sigma for when I use both off camera , it's much easier than transporting my studio lightss.

and actually it will cost less for both, than ordering one from gary fong....

just not sure I trust hong kong sellers, I've heard some bad things....

 

[fitzperry]

very interesting info..

I checked gary fongs website, because I wanted to make sure I was buying thre right one for my flash,

he says the colored domes will only work properly on the cloud,,

on ebay they have the colored domes with the clear/photojournalist...

so now I have to decide if I want to order one with the colored domes, plus order one that they call milk on ebay...

problem is it's 2 different sellers..one from china ,one from hong kong

although I have 2 clear already, they are diifferent sizes one for my sigma flash the other for my minolta flash that died, I replaced the minolta with a second sigma since it worked just as well for 100 dollars less, so I could actually use another clear that fits the sigma for when I use both off camera , it's much easier than transporting my studio lightss.

and actually it will cost less for both, than ordering one from gary fong....

just not sure I trust hong kong sellers, I've heard some bad things....

I've only ordered from a HK seller once and had no problems. In this case, both have pretty good feedback (99.1% and 99.8%, IIRC). I went ahead and pulled the trigger--it's only 20 bucks--and went with the one with the higher feedback rating. I also paid $3 extra for registered air mail so I'll get a tracking #. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I noticed that Gary Fong's description of the amber dome says that it is "for CLOUD only - will not fit previous models of Lightsphere." (my emphasis). The description for the chrome one indicates that "it does not work effectively with the clear model." Those sound like two different issues to me, though I'm not sure why that would be the case.

 

[MICKEY88]

I've only ordered from a HK seller once and had no problems. In this case, both have pretty good feedback (99.1% and 99.8%, IIRC). I went ahead and pulled the trigger--it's only 20 bucks--and went with the one with the higher feedback rating. I also paid $3 extra for registered air mail so I'll get a tracking #. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I noticed that Gary Fong's description of the amber dome says that it is "for CLOUD only - will not fit previous models of Lightsphere." (my emphasis). The description for the chrome one indicates that "it does not work effectively with the clear model." Those sound like two different issues to me, though I'm not sure why that would be the case.

he also says this about the amber..

This accessory dome is for the LIGHTSPHERE CLOUD ONLY. It is not recommended for use on the CLEAR model because the CLEAR model shows too much of the amber color. The CLOUD spreads it evenly throughout the soft white opaque color and creates a perfect color balance.

I would think the other colors would be the same..

 

[fitzperry]

he also says this about the amber..



I would think the other colors would be the same..

Ahhh. . . . I didn't see that.

 

[MICKEY88]

I'll probably order both, I've been wanting the cloud for closeup headshots anyway, plus the second clear that actually fits my sigma flashes would be nice for location, model shoots, allowing me to use both flashes wirelessly on tripods..

 

[MICKEY88]

I've only ordered from a HK seller once and had no problems. In this case, both have pretty good feedback (99.1% and 99.8%, IIRC). I went ahead and pulled the trigger--it's only 20 bucks--and went with the one with the higher feedback rating. I also paid $3 extra for registered air mail so I'll get a tracking #. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I noticed that Gary Fong's description of the amber dome says that it is "for CLOUD only - will not fit previous models of Lightsphere." (my emphasis). The description for the chrome one indicates that "it does not work effectively with the clear model." Those sound like two different issues to me, though I'm not sure why that would be the case.

did you ever receive this...

 

[fitzperry]

did you ever receive this...

Got it late last week but have had little opportunity to use it. It appears to be virtually identical to the clear photojournalist model (although it might not be quite as clear as the Gary Fong--I can't really tell from the pictures on his website). Here's one of the few pictures I've taken with it (bounced off the ceiling w/o the dome):

 

[MICKEY88]

Got it late last week but have had little opportunity to use it. It appears to be virtually identical to the clear photojournalist model (although it might not be quite as clear as the Gary Fong--I can't really tell from the pictures on his website). Here's one of the few pictures I've taken with it (bounced off the ceiling w/o the dome):

great shot

 

[fitzperry]

great shot

Thanks! I've avoided flash photography for a long time because I didn't think there was a way to get decent results without complicated lighting set ups, which I just don't have much interest in messing around with. This is a good compromise. At least I can take pictures at parties that won't make me cringe (or at least I won't cringe because of the flash ).