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11/11/2007 01:09:20 PM · #1 |
| I was looking at a $15 flash diffuser at a shop. It was a piece of translucent white plastic that attaches with sticky backed velcro. I thought I could improvise something better. I thought a ping pong ball with a slot cut into it would fit nicely over my cameras built in flash unit and do the job well. My only concern would be the possibility of heat build up if I was using it heavily. Has anyone tried this or something similar? |
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11/11/2007 01:40:58 PM · #2 |
It works quite well although you lose a fair bit of light (which of course is perfect at times).
No clue about the overheating issue, sorry. |
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11/11/2007 01:47:03 PM · #3 |
Ideally, a flash diffuser will make the light source appear bigger to the subject, spread it out as it were. A bounce card works on this principle.
An alternative is to just scatter the light from the flash and let it reflect from objects in the room (walls, ceiling, etc.). That works in some rooms, but is very power-hungry.
For on-board flash units where you cannot direct the flash head upward to use a bounce card or ceiling bounce, the scattering technique is about the only course of action. You do have to watch out not to overheat the flash head though... a ping-pong ball or similar will reflect a lot of light back at the flash, and trap heated air. |
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11/11/2007 01:51:56 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
.. a ping-pong ball or similar will reflect a lot of light back at the flash, and trap heated air. |
If I actually used that ball a lot, I'd put a bunch of holes into the back (and near the top) to help the ventilation a little. |
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11/11/2007 02:56:50 PM · #5 |
| I'm going to give it a try. Sounds like it should work ok. |
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11/12/2007 11:47:44 AM · #6 |
| I did that with a film canister... works like a charm! Then I made another one, a big screen that plugs into the hotshoe. It works well, but it's huge. |
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11/12/2007 12:13:13 PM · #7 |
DIY diffuser
I have three of these, one is an 15"x24" and I have two 9"x12".
Mine are made from the funky foam and cost in the region of £3 each. |
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11/12/2007 12:22:39 PM · #8 |
I made this..three of them actually...they work pretty well, especially when you have nothing to bounce the flash off of (high ceiling, or outdoors) and need to send the flash forward.
I would like to see a comparison of something like this against a cover diffuser. |
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11/12/2007 02:09:36 PM · #9 |
| For pop-up flashes, you can just put a cigarette box on top of the flash, with the base flaps taken apart and the top opened halfway. |
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