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12/12/2011 03:16:55 PM · #1 |
Have you tried any accessories for your hot shoe flash? I'm curious about the grids, softboxes, etc.
What brands to you use? Are they useful? Do you recommend them? |
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12/12/2011 03:24:42 PM · #2 |
They're useful, sure, but you need to narrow down sorta what you want to do, because they each will do a different thing to the light. They're just shapers. Think of them like shovels. All shovels dig, but they're each for different types of digging. So what are you looking to light? Usually folks start out with an umbrella because they're simple, cheap, and versatile. They don't control the light as well as a softbox though, sorta spray it all over the place.
Grids you can make on your own to try out. Softboxes it will depend what you're looking to use. If you're talking one of the Lumiquest products, they do work nicely, but you typically have them up pretty close to make the light actually soft (because the "softness" of light is based on the relative size of the source). If you're talking a larger one like the Apollo, you may have issues with the flash seeing the flashes from your 7D, so you may need to get a radio trigger system if you don't already have one.
In terms of modifiers though, I think my favorite and most versatile product is the Orbis Ringflash. I use it for macro a ton, but I also use it as fill for other shots. It's nice because you can use an TTL cord and hold it off axis if you want or you can shoot through it for the typical ring flash lighting.
ETA: Check out this thread from last year, as well as Strobist for lots of info, as well. He has lots of discussion of modifiers throughout the whole thing, and looking through the flickr pool for strobist would be beneficial too as they have notes that accompany the photos.
Message edited by author 2011-12-12 15:26:53. |
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12/12/2011 03:29:27 PM · #3 |
I bought this softbox for my speedlite and used a umbrella. They work well but they don't put much light out but I was able to take some outdoor portraits with them. Of course now I use my Bees but it is nice to have the ligtweight option.
This was taken with that setup  |
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12/12/2011 04:02:22 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by MinsoPhoto:
I bought this softbox |
Yeah I hate a love hate relationship with that one... It's light is great but I am too simple minded for the simple setup on it, cause I always find it a PITA to setup and especially get tilted :-/ The flash fires backwards so the light does not have much of a hot spot compared to a lot of the hot shoe based softbox type modifiers. I do cheat a little and tend to run a second strobe in it (optical triggered) by throwing a superclamp on the pole inside the box - I point one flash to the left ish and the other right ish.
I also run a 60" brolly with hotshoes and works great..... I seem to like that big brolly but not so much the small ones and I don't really know why.... it's something. Again I tend to run a pair into it because the thing is HUGE. Don't do it outside... well... just don't :-/ Any brolly would work.. small.. large... shoot-thru or reflective... silver/white... all slightly different by all doable easily.
If you follow that strobist like you will see a million variations... grids e.t.c. Grids work great for a hoteshoe flash cause your not asking it to do a lot of work and they are easier to hide behind people for rim lights e.t.c. |
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12/12/2011 04:19:55 PM · #5 |
You can go for a couple of shoot through umbrellas or one of the following softboxes which are easy to set up.
Ebay Softbox
Here's one including a stand Softbox & Stand
There is also a lot of DIY stuff out there (grids etc) |
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12/12/2011 04:32:27 PM · #6 |
I use the Rogue Bender set (the three piece set that includes the small flag version). I really like them, and they are multi-purpose tools. They can serve as flags as well as bounce, can be formed into a snoot, and can be used (with the strap closed in a ring to form a "stand" as table-top bounces and flags for food, product, still life. I recently got the Rogue grid, and it is very well designed and flexible (3 grid variations possible) and the filter set that fits it.
It depends a lot more on what you want to shoot: if portraits/headshots, a good medium sized (43in or so) convertible umbrella gives you both a shoot thru and reflective option. If groups at events, and/or full length shots, a bigger (60inch) silver or soft silver umbrella. I like the PLMs from Paul Buff, and the smaller sizes in particular will play nicely with a speedlight, and they have the additional softbox-like diffusers, etc. that can be added on.
I've considered the Apollo modifiers in the past, but when I have seen them in use, the way the flash is inside the soft box means that adjusting the power is a pull-open-the diffuser-and-reach-inside-to-fumble-around-then-reattach-the-diffuser thing which will not work well for the way I would use them with speedlights. But I know folks who love them, so YMMV.
I don't have personal experience with these, but several friends whose judgement I trust are using Gami Light products, and really like them. |
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12/12/2011 04:56:58 PM · #7 |
Rosco gels aren't free any more but still a good deal. They are handy item to have especially if you're working in mix light or just needing to create an effect. Here's the Strobist's write up on them.
Looking forward to your squirrel studio sessions.
Message edited by author 2011-12-12 16:58:16. |
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12/12/2011 10:23:27 PM · #8 |
I've found that the majority of softboxes designed for flashes are way too small to be of any use. A softbox needs to be a few feet in each direction to have that desired "softbox look." There are other things that can be used instead of those tiny things, and they generally give much better results too.
Maybe it's just because of my style, but I really don't see the value of grids or snoots for flashes, unless you're lighting a background, which most people who use flashes don't do. I've found that flashes are most often used to light the main subject, which is most often people. People look significantly better when lit with soft light because it hides minor imperfections in skin (which also has the added benefit of minimizing skin touch-ups in post-processing).
I'm also not particularly fond of Gary Fong modifiers (or any of the knock offs). They don't seem to do much that can't be done cheaper and easier with something else. I've seen tests of people using a Gary Fong vs bouncing off the ceiling and the results are pretty indistinguishable.
If you have a flash with a rotating head and a room with a white ceiling or wall, that's all you really need. If you practice, it's really easy to figure out the angles to get fantastic, versatile light. That's how I shoot the majority of the time. Examples from the last two weeks:
     
Umbrellas are super easy to use, as has already been mentioned. I don't use them myself, but I'd recommend them to others.
I generally use a 5-in-1 reflector either on the shoot-though layer or on the reflective layers, depending on my subject, how much room I have to set gear up, and whether or not I have someone to help my hold stuff in the air. I use the 5-in-1 because it is super versatile and easy to adapt to any situation. It's also a lot more durable than the average brolly. And they can be used outside to bounce light around, which can't be done with an umbrella : )
For when I use the shoot-through layer of the 5-in-1, I usually connect my flash to my camera by a wire. I have a wire that connects to the hot shoe and another that connects to the PC port. I have two flashes and sometimes I use both at the same time, which often attracts a lot of stares, but I don't care if I get nice light! Sometimes I just hold the flash in my hand (and bounce off a wall or through the 5-in-1 that has been balanced, hung, or thumb-tacked somewhere) or put it on a $15 light stand. When I put the light on a stand, it'd be a lot easier if I had an umbrella, but I don't : )
I think it's really easy to get caught up in the lighting equipment, just like it's easy to get caught up with camera gear. Not that you're distracted by any of that. I'm just saying that it happens, so be aware so that it won't happen to you : )
If you remember JoeyL's early stuff here, a lot of it was lit with a flashlight and some wax paper. Light is really easy once you take away all of the complicated equipment. I guess that's Strobist's motto a lot of the time, but I figure I'd throw it out there anyway : ) |
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12/14/2011 08:29:52 AM · #9 |
i have a softbox umbrella type thing, a small omnibounce thing and just got my roscos. any suggestions for good gels to use?
reading the strobist post on them now :) |
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