Gary Fong Light Sphere 11 cloud diffuser

[fevbusch]

  Did anyone ever use this diffuser.  I thought I would put it over my sunpak 383 external auto flash.
     Freddy

[spyglass]

Hey 54 Freddy,

I have both the Gary Fong Light Sphere and the Sto-Fen diffusers.

I really like the Gary Fong Light Sphere for indoor shots. It eliminates the deer in the headlights / flash light look. It softly wraps the light around the room. The only drawback (besides looking like a piece of tupperware  ) is that it's size and weight can be more than the bounce angle positions can support  - causing your flash head to drop / angle down. I think it is worthwhile addition to any flash, and is on my must have list for indoor flash photography.

The Sto-Fen is small and very portable (you can keep it mounted on the end of your flash and store it in the factory flash pouch). In terms of light distribution it is not as good as the Gary Fong. I use it indoors in a pinch, but more in the field for flash fill when I am looking for a soft fill source.


Gary Fong Light Sphere Videos

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfshQuBLdw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfshQuBLdw</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGb1eO9awFk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGb1eO9awFk</a>



Link to Gary Fong site

Link to Sto-Fen site



Hope this helps,

Spyglass

[fevbusch]

  Hey, thanks, Spyglass.  You are indeed, very helpful.  I already ordered this.
  I was at a recent wedding and a really professional photographer was shooting everything
  in site with this sphere.  I asked him if he recommended it.  He was a little cagey, but told me
  it was a Gary Fong product and I should check to find the right one for me.
  He was working a room with very high ceilings and his sphere was always point up at the ceiling.
  Anyway, I bought the Sphere 11 cloud.  I have a feeling it will work better than my stofen, which
  actually pretty good on my sunpak auto 383 exterior flash.  But I had to do substantial processing
  on every shot to bring up the lightness and adjust the color.  My shots came out very well.
  I think with the sphere I can push it up to full power for wide coverage.  Can't wait to try it.
    P.s.   Did you ever shoot straight on instead of bouncing.  also, did you always use the cap
 on top.   Any recommendations appreciated.   Thanks again, Freddy 54.

[spyglass]

Hey 54 Freddy,

They do sell different caps (amber gold coloured, silver, & white translucent - stock one). I do not use it without the cap. I was tempted once in a very high ceiling location, looking to punch a little more light up onto the ceiling, but found that without the cap there was not enough light directed through the sphere. The result was very little wrapping light for my subject and the majority of my light energy lost and absorbed in the high ceiling.

I generally do not use it pointed straight up. I tilt it slightly forward (first & second tilt increment). First tilt position for closers subjects, second position for farther subjects. You do not want to get too far off its straight up center axis as the design is set around a well thought out balance of upward bounce light & 360 deg outward even wide wrapping.

I use it on my Pentax AF360FGZ flash. For most of the indoor shooting I do it is a good fit. What first put me on to the Gray Fong Light Sphere was a professional photography who was selling her Alienbees studio strobes and softboxes to go with this device. She had a large hot shoe flash (similar to the AF540FGZ). She said she loved the results and the portability. I bought her Alienbee strobes and gear off her (and to this day think she is crazy for selling them). I few months later I was taking some shots at an event and saw another photographer. He was using a Gary Fong. I struck up a conversation with him and we compared shots (I was using my AF360FGZ in a bounce arrangement with the fill card up). The big difference was that in my shots it was obvious that a flash was used (especially in the contrast between fill and fall off) where his shots seemed even and well balanced. I order the Gary Fong & the Sto-Fen shortly afterward.

Here are a couple of examples I took last summer at a family reunion. The room had a standard 8ft textured ceiling. I was happy that the light was even and easy to use.  I often had to shoot quite close to subjects (hard to do with just a flash by itself). Here are a few examples.








Hope this offers some ideas,


Spyglass

[fevbusch]

 I don't know how to thank you, Spyglass.
   Yesterday, I read all the Gary Fong videos and learned so much more just from
   your one e-mail.  I can't wait to experiment with the Sphere 11 and external flash
   re: varying the strength of the flash.  I already have experience using the sunpak
   adjustments (distance from subject vs. how much flash to use.
  I did not use the sto fen as a bounce, but certainly will use the Sphere with the
   bounce and cap, the bonus being I also have light streaming straight ahead, which
  if done with skill should provide some good light.
         Really appreciate your guidance here and it was so nice of you to supply the
  sample shots which were worth a thousand words.  Sincerely yours, always      54 Freddy

[spyglass]

No problem 54 Freddy,

It is interesting when you see a manufacturer showing off their product. I find myself wondering if it really can "slice and dice" like they say it will. It is also interesting to see how the product evolves. Often the changes in design or accessories speak volumes. For example, using the Light Sphere without its cap for high ceilings (something that I did not find as beneficial)..... then to see a new cap appear in the product line (the chrome dome) that allows some light to pass through unobstructed and some light to be efficiently directed through the sphere. This leads me to believe that  the Light Sphere may have three options to deal with ceiling heights. Translucent cap for lower ceilings, no cap for medium high ceiling, and the chrome dome for high to very high ceilings. My cap-less trial was on a very high ceiling and probably would have benefited with the use of a chrome dome. I also think a AF540FGZ (with more punch than my AF360FGZ) with a clear Light Sphere and chrome dome might be the tool for Gymnasims, churches, and high to very high locations.

If you look at the "Studio Setting Video" you can really get  an appreciation how the Light Sphere works with close range indoor shooting. The full on bare flash produced harsh shadows, where as the Light Sphere was able to wrap the light around the subject and eliminate shadows and almost equal a two umbrella set up.

Looking forward to seeing your first examples 54 Freddy. I know you will be happy with the Light Sphere. I might take a few comparison shots and post them in this thread later today.


Spyglass

[spyglass]

I took a few test shots this afternoon. In order to truly compare different devices a much more extensive test would be needed. This is not intended to draw a conclusion but hopefully will be the start of a discussion filled thread.  (on a side note - every once in a while take a test shot of a blank sheet of white paper. It will help you look for traces of dust on your sensor. I see I have one present in these shots   )

Distance from camera to subject 1.3m
Camera tripod mounted
Camera Pentax K20
Lens DA*16-50mm (zoomed to 50mm)
Camera set to AV mode (f8)
ISO 400
WB set to Flash
AF360FGZ Flash set to P-TTL
Bounce angle 60 deg
"Long" refers to the permanent diffuser on the face of the flash
"Wide" refers to the secondary diffuser that can be pulled up and will lay on top of the permanent diffuser on the face of the flash
"w/ fc" refers to the pull up white fill card  on the flash

Look for:

Fill (signs of even or non even light distribution).
Highlights (hot spots, burned our areas, loss to critical shadow area)
Shadows (is the light source creating / casting any shadows that would not normally be present)
Contrast (too much, too little, is there reasonable range to the photos)
Detail (generally enhanced by light that travels across perpendicular to the subject)
Balance between key light qualities and fill light qualities


The first contact sheet shows the AF360FGZ without any additional 3rd party diffusers or products






The second contact sheet shows a the Sto-Fen being compared to the Gary Fong (with dome cap installed)






The third contact sheet show the Gary Fong in a non bounce, straight on, shot (with dome cap installed)





To get a better look please feel free to view the original larger contact sheets at the links below.

Sheet 1

Sheet 2

Sheet 3


Thanks for following this thread that 54 Freddy started.


Spyglass

[Mike Pearson]

Tim,

That's a very informative set of tests that I want to study more - what lens did you use and if zoom what focal length setting?

Thanks,

Mike

[spyglass]

Tim,

That's a very informative set of tests that I want to study more - what lens did you use and if zoom what focal length setting?

Thanks,

Mike

I took your inquiry as a good suggestion and have included the lens (DA*16-50mm), camera body (K20) and the focal length (50mm) in the above test post.

I hope to post a set of portrait test shots tomorrow.
 

Thanks for asking Mike,


Spyglass

[fevbusch]

Spyglass,  can you explain , please, what you mean by "permanent diffuser"
                                                                             and   "secondary diffuser" (pulled out)
    Freddy

[spyglass]

Spyglass,  can you explain , please, what you mean by "permanent diffuser"
                                                                             and   "secondary diffuser" (pulled out)
    Freddy

On any hot shoe flash unit, manufacturers have a permanent diffuser. This is the clear lens like piece of plastic that covers the flash tube on the end of your flash unit. It is designed to protect the flash tube and to help distribute the light generated by the flash tube evenly over the calculated area and distance. Some people refer to this permanent diffuser as the long diffuser because it channels the light at a small diverging angle and delivers the light farther (narrow beam).

Some hot shoe flash units, like the AF360FGZ & the AF540FGZ, offer a secondary diffuser. This diffuser can be pulled from its recessed storing slot and, with the help of a spring, lay in front on the permanent long diffuser. The purpose of this secondary diffuser is to increase light spread, hence the reference to wide diffuser.

The pull up fill card is just a white plastic card, that lives in the same recessed storing slot alongside of the secondary diffuser. Its function is to channels some of the flash's light forward or downward depending on the flash and camera orientation. It works amazingly well (but is not intended to be used Sto-Fen or Gary Fong devices).

When using the Sto-Fen or the Gary Fong the secondary diffuser can really help to deliver more of the flash's light into sides of the devices, at the small expense of up / bounce light. The result is more even wrapping fill light. So far I have found that my best results have come when using these devices with the flash's secondary diffuser in place for standard height ceilings (8ft). I would like to experiment with a mid range ceiling height (12-15ft) and see if more upward punch is needed to balances fill. If was the case the the solution would be to set your flash up so that only the permanent diffuser was used.

I help this makes sense,

Spyglass

[fevbusch]

 Okay, I understand.  Doesn't affect me because I don't have no secondary diffuser or  fill card
 on my Sunpak 383 flash.
  Spyglass, I have another question.  I was just experimenting with my on board flash in prep
  for a beauty shot I have to take for a magazine ad in a few weeks. BUT , of course I will wait
  for my Sphere 11 and can't wait to see how it will work on an arrangement of red gift boxes
  arranged at artistic angles with gorgeous wired ribbon tied around them.  If I have to add some
 white fill cards in the set along the sides of my subject, I will.  But I'm thinking that never having used my Sunpak for my professional work it may now make a big difference, because I always have problems
 getting enough light on my subjects working in my den with 120 watt fluorescent bulbs.
 Question:  If I manually adjust my white balance in AV mode does it stay adjusted as long as I
  don't change my lighting or is it good for just one shot.  Freddy

[spyglass]

Question:  If I manually adjust my white balance in AV mode does it stay adjusted as long as I
  don't change my lighting or is it good for just one shot.  Freddy

I hope I understand what you are asking (please steer me closer to the question if I have not understood what you are asking).
Any of the functions you select (via the Function button on the back of your camera) will remain valid (set), regardless of how many shots you take, what priority mode (P, AV, TV, TAV, M, etc) you select, or even if you power down your camera. The Function button provides access to Drive, ISO, Flash, White balance, Custom

As a rule I always check and return the settings in the Function area to what I have come to regard as my basic set up. There is nothing worse than grabbing your camera, forgetting that the last time you used it you had selected some odd setting, and missing an opportunity.

One thing that may be fun to try with your Ad shot is the different Custom Image Processing Method options (Bright, Vivid, Natural, etc). This will alter the way that your camera will create its Jpeg result for your photo.

If you plan to use other light sources in addition to your flash, the rule of thumb is to set your white balance to the brightest light source in your scene. (this will normally be your flash)
You can purchase corrective gels for your flash that will reduce the temperature (light colour) to match that of the other lighting used in your shot. Gels are reasonable in price and can make a big difference when you do not have the ability to control your scene. For example, you take some pictures in a hall. You set your WB to Flash and take a photo. You find that the objects illuminated by the flash look fine, but you will notice that all the light fixtures in the room appear quite yellow or orange in comparison. The solution would be to place a gel on your flash that corresponds to tungsten and set your WB to Tungsten. Now everything will appear "normal" as your eye viewed the scene.


Good luck on your Ad shoot.

Spyglass

[fevbusch]

 Thanks, Spyglass.  Okay I understand now.  Once I set my manual white balance it will remain
 set to the lighting environment I am working in.  Of course, if I change my environment I have to
  re-assess whether or not to change my white balance and other adjustments.
   Thanks for all your help with this.  I'll post a copy of my finished ad shot and we'll see how I did.
   It will be a few weeks.   Regards,   Freddy

[fevbusch]

 Well, I got my Sphere 11 with cup today so here are some sample practice shots.
  I marked them with cup and without cup.    Actually I liked the shots better without the cup.
   they seemed not so soft and warm without the cup.  With the cup they are too warm for me.
  I found that backing down on saturation in photoshop cut down the warmth for more natural look.
  Actually, I'm pleased with this Sphere.  It has an amazing spread of light even when my
  sunpak 383 isn't at full power.  I think I just have to experiment more and see what's what here.
  It is very easy to use this thing, just a bit top heavy on the camera.  Advise what you think of the
 attached.  My presentation is sloppy but just wanted to get something out.  Freddy