Gary Fong Light Sphere

[Icemann]

Has anyone used the light sphere universal kit and if you have what are your thought's.I am planning on purchasing this to use at church functions.Any thoughts.TIA

 

[photo_chick]

I know a lot of people who swear by it. I don't shoot with a flash enough to really know if I like it or not.

 

[ukcatfan]

I don't like to use my flash without it. There are generics as well, but getting the DVD with his helpful learning how to use it. They might be available on Youtube though.

 

[handicap18]

I have 3 flash units and each one has a Gary Fong diffuser. I have 2 inverted domes (one clear and one cloud) and also have the universal. I wish I had 3 universals as they are much easier to pack up and carry around.

I've had no problems with any of mine and I use one on my flash probably 95% of the time, if not more.

 

[bob100]

Has anyone used the light sphere universal kit and if you have what are your thought's.I am planning on purchasing this to use at church functions.Any thoughts.TIA

I don't own it but if you go to camera lighting forums such as
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=35
or
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/44
or
http://photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/
etc.

they ridicule the gary fong light spheres (and generic knock-offs) and say it doesn't do any good and it's better to simply bounce the flash

 

[Experiment_626]

I made my own bounce card/diffuser from plans I found online. The materials I bought from Discount Devil (my personal name for Wal-Mart) cost less than $10, I believe.

I've been very happy with the results under most circumstances.

The plans I used are on this site -- http://super.nova.org/DPR/DIY01/

You'll need craft foam in black and white, plastic "canvas" normally used for cross-stitch projects, and a couple different types of Velcro, a sharp craft or Xacto knife (or a steady hand with good scissors), and a stapler.

Scott

 

[ukcatfan]

I don't own it but if you go to camera lighting forums such as
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=35
or
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/board/44
or
http://photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/
etc.

they ridicule the gary fong light spheres (and generic knock-offs) and say it doesn't do any good and it's better to simply bounce the flash

I really like mine. Bouncing has never worked very well for me because of the really tall vaulted ceilings in most places down here in FL. There is always a shadow cast and/or not enough light bouncing back. On standard flat, white, 10ft. ceilings then bouncing probably does well. Then outside there is no way to bounce and the Gary Fong makes the flash less harsh.

 

[MICKEY88]

I have 2 gary fongs, and one lambency(knockoff)with chrome insert,, I always use them and like the results much better than bouncing,

I have seen them ridiculed on some forums, but I have also noticed, those doing the ridiculing often fall into 1 of 2 categories.
1.
older purists who are against change and don't think more expensive, newer accessories can possibly be better or neccessary

2. newer photographers who think anything that gets the job done with the lowest cash outflow, is the best way to go

 

[BillyBuff]

I'm a wedding photographer and I swear by it!

I know it has gotten a bad rep from the photography boards but this is something that you have to learn how to use.

I have a really older model (Cloud) so I'm not sure what inverted domes there are but I do have 3 different ones: opaque white, amber, silver

Here's what I use for each dome:
Opaque - I use this when there's not much ceiling to bounce off of
Amber - When I want to match the warmth of the ambient light with the coolness of my Speedlite
Silver - I use this when shooting large groups. The "kicker" plate pops more light forward giving more catchlights to people's faces.

I biggest problem I find with these Lightspheres is DO NOT shoot in E-TTL! this will kill the batteries on your Speedlite real fast. I'm always shooting in Manual mode on the flash usually around 1/8 power for consistency and I'll change it depending on where I am aka church, reception, etc.

Here's an example of the silver dome in use:

P.S. Yes, that's Iron Chef Morimoto

 

[WDWFigment]

I don't see anything wrong with this type of diffuser, but I'd definitely buy generic. You pay a huge premium for the name, and you can get the same thing for about 75% less from Hong Kong.

 

[Icemann]

Update I bought one on-line the Gary Fong Universal Basic kit and so far I like it.I use it for church activities mostly,I'm still learning but so far so good.I have used the cloud diffusser and the amber one so far.With all the helpful tips here and the dvd I think I made the right choice.

 

[handicap18]

Used mine this afternoon at an outdoor birthday party. The party was at a state park under the trees mostly so lots of shadows and nothing to bounce of. I used the universal with the round part of the dome up. On the flash I use manual mode and I use aperture priority on my camera.... some great results as usual.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've got one. I rarely use it. It's better than the simple reflector card, especially for close subjects, but it's still not a miracle worker. It makes your light source a bit larger and the light more diffuse.

I'd prefer a portable softbox, an umbrella, an anything that gets your flash further from your camera.

To me, the Light Sphere is a solution when I really don't want to bother with anything else and I'll be shooting a lot of flash shots. I rarely use it because I am usually either willing to put a little more effort in (having the wife as a VALS with an umbrella or softbox) or I'm in lazy mode and I either skip the flash or bounce it.

I guess it boils down to what you want. If you want a marginal improvement over straight on-camera flash, it'll give you that. If you want to learn to use light well, it is a dead end path.

 

[Icemann]

Used mine this afternoon at an outdoor birthday party. The party was at a state park under the trees mostly so lots of shadows and nothing to bounce of. I used the universal with the round part of the dome up. On the flash I use manual mode and I use aperture priority on my camera.... some great results as usual.

Outstanding pictures as always you could use a match or a flashlight for your light source and still have great looking pictures