Lightsphere vs. Pro Max vs. Omni-Bounce on a 580ex

I am trying to figure out what bounce is the best to use. Anyone with experience of using these systems please post your experience. Please tell if you have any annoyances with the bounce your using also. Anyone using 2 or more bounce types please tell of your likes and dislikes as well.

Thank you

dewayne howse said:

I am trying to figure out what bounce is the best to use. Anyone
with experience of using these systems please post your experience.
Please tell if you have any annoyances with the bounce your using
also. Anyone using 2 or more bounce types please tell of your likes
and dislikes as well.

Thank you

Click to expand...

I have all three and the Lightspehere is my favorite. The Omnibounce is about one notch above useless IMHO so I'll leave it at that. The Promax is great but it's cumbersome and time consuming to attach/remove because of the three individual velcro tabs. The Lightsphere is easy to take on and off and gives the best light quality IMHO.

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, Panasonic FZ20

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294
http://www.twphotography.net

I only have the Stofen Omnibounce, and I think it works well under the right conditions. It's meant to be bounced off the ceiling, but it also directs a small amount of light forward, so that you don't get the dark shadows under the eyes that you would get with bare flash bounced off the ceiling.

However, if you don't have a ceiling to bounce off, then it's of limited value. I was thinking about a Promax for that purpose, but ended up making a similarly shaped reflector out of white watercolor paper (very rough surface) which I velcro onto the omnibounce. That way I get most of the light bounced forward, but the light isn't nearly as harsh as a straight on flash.

--
'Great meal. What pots did you use?' -- Petteri

Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/

I also have used all 3. I kept the LS II and sold the others.

I have the original LS II (hard case one) and I like it enough to recently purchased another one (the soft cloudy version).

--
Ken

I have looked at the Ultimate Light Box System, but have not seen much about the kit.

http://www.harbordigitaldesign.com/

Does look interesting. More expensive then LightSphere II, but does have a variety of components.

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I read up all I can about it and ordered it end of last week. I am awaiting for it to arrive. What I have read so far, it is better than what is out there but like all the others, is not perfect. It is a complete kit which gives it much more value and has options for direct diffused light, bouced, softer or harder light by adding/subtracting add of filters (comes in the kit). It is worth looking at. Do a search here for the bit oof info that is available. I can't wait to get mine.
--
Michael Kaplan
http://www.pbase.com/mkaplan
See my profile for equipment list

Thanks for the post. I was all set to order the LightSphere II, but this really looks a lot more versatile, plus I would not have to tote all of it everywhere. Also seems to control light direction more (no lost light to the rear). I also like the fact that it does not look as intimidating to the subjects (not to take anything away from the LightSphere, which does get a lot of praise).
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remember that in lighting what you want is a larger light source the larger the source of light the better the light quality.. and from all the stuff on the market the lightsphere offers a larger source therefore it will produce better light compared to the others till the next best thing is available

ive tried and worked with a really good unit thats going to be available soon supposedly hes going public with it in september http://www.millagrid.com dont look at his sample pics they suck compared to the pics i got but it truly converts a small shoe mount flash to a considerably larger source
--
beam me up scotty

im giving it all shes got captain

I read about Omni-bounce blocks about 1.5-2 stops of flash light, not much else is doing. To compensate the loss of flash, people increase the exposure that allows more available light to get in to dilute flash effects. That causes less harsh flash. At least, that is some people's thought.

Jun

n/t

I have the lightsphere and the omni-bounce...........Th Lightsphere is FAR superior. Actually, it has been about 6 months since I even used the omni-bounce, the Lightsphere is that much better. Results are superior.
--
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Do you use it for most of your portrait work? The cloudy one?
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Nice comment. Do you always back up your statements with (NT)?

Or do you actually relate experience backed up with facts, followed by example images?

"Lightsphere is best."

Do you own any of these? Have you shot with any of them? I doubt it.

--

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.

• Michael Crichton

I've used the Omnibounce and Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer. Both work well. I think the Omnibounce is better for close stuff, you lose a couple stops, it's not as harsh. The Pocket Bouncer covers more distance, you get more light and no red-eye.

Before buying I talked to several wedding shooters.

I don't think they had many positive things to say about anything except the Pocket Bouncer or the Omnibounce. Of course, this was before the Lightsphere was available. Frankly, I think the Lightsphere is overpriced by about $30 or more. Last week, there was a post here about a guy who built his own lightsphere with a plastic Deli container, and in his posted samples, the output looked the same as a Lightsphere.

Good luck.

--

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.

• Michael Crichton

I have both the clear and cloud versions. I have not used the clear version ever since I received the cloud one.

The only dislike that I have is the P3 for the 430EX is kinda loose as a matter of fact I lost one already after it fell out after an outdoor night shoot.

Regarding the use of the LSPJII, for outdoor shoots I normally point the dome towards the subject and for indoors have it pointed towards the ceiling.

Here are some samples:











Cheers,

José

dewayne howse said:

I am trying to figure out what bounce is the best to use. Anyone
with experience of using these systems please post your experience.
Please tell if you have any annoyances with the bounce your using
also. Anyone using 2 or more bounce types please tell of your likes
and dislikes as well.

Thank you

Click to expand...

--
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http://www.pbase.com/jmb_56/canon_30and20d
http://www.pbase.com/jmb_56/maxxum_7d

I have all three (Omnibounce, Promax, and LSII) and will use each depending on the circumstances.

For low white ceilings, I prefer the Lumiquest 80-20, which takes absolutely wonderful photos. The LSII comes close to the same performance and both are bulky and attention-grabbing.

When I want to stay compact, the Omnibounce always wins. It doesn't demand much attention either, and does good work. It's nearly useless for high ceilings, though.

The LSII is the hardest to master, and the most versatile. However, it's also the least portable of all of them. It's the undisputed winner for those wedding receptions with high ceilings or for outdoors at night (leave the dome off). I still haven't figured out how it works so well outdoors at night without the dome... but it does well for me. Add the dome in darkness outside or with high ceilings, and you'll have about the same performance as the Omnibounce.

The LSII works great with the dome on in daylight (aimed at the subject), particularly for sunsets behind the subject... or any heavy backlight situation The Omnibounce doesn't come close, and the Promax is nearly worthless in that situation.

So, each have their advantages. The Omnibounce doesn't do as well as either the Promax or the LSII, yet does well for portability. It's good enough when I don't want to look like a photo-geek, and far better than nothing. The Promax 80-20 is my favorite with low white ceilings, but many times, I'll use the LSII which comes very close and gives me much more versatility.

They're all cheap. Heck, I doubt you can buy a lens or a good filter for the price of all of them. Get them all and practice with them. Give yourself multiple tools, and you won't be sorry.

--
BryanS

dewayne howse said:

I am trying to figure out what bounce is the best to use. Anyone
with experience of using these systems please post your experience.
Please tell if you have any annoyances with the bounce your using
also. Anyone using 2 or more bounce types please tell of your likes
and dislikes as well.

Thank you

Click to expand...

I have the Omnibounce, the Lumiquest Softbox (somewhat similar to the Promax), and the Lightsphere II. I prefer the Lightsphere II. The Lumiquest products are only useful when the flash is tilted up, which means you can't use them for vertical shooting unless you have a flash bracket that will keep the flash in the tilted-up orientation. The Omnibounce is decent, but it's a lot smaller than the Lightsphere II so it's a more limited in its diffusion capacilities. The Lightsphere II has the advantage of making the light source quite large, and working in both vertical and horizontal orientations without needing a flash bracket. It also works well for direct flash, as it still increases the size of the flash profile and still offers frontal diffusion (like what the Promax does).

Here's what a 550EX looks like naked:



And here's what the 550EX looks like with a Lightsphere II's Internal Dome cap sitting on top of it, so you can see the resulting increase in frontal size (and by the way, the picture is actually a bit smaller than it should be, so the frontal size should actually be a bit larger than what you see):



Plus, the LSII is still spraying light omnidirectionally through its side even when shooting direct flash because the Internal Dome is redirecting a portion of light radially. This light bounces off surrounding walls and ceilings for added light diffusion.

hockeynut said:

Before buying I talked to several wedding shooters.
I don't think they had many positive things to say about anything
except the Pocket Bouncer or the Omnibounce. Of course, this was
before the Lightsphere was available. Frankly, I think the
Lightsphere is overpriced by about $30 or more. Last week, there
was a post here about a guy who built his own lightsphere with a
plastic Deli container, and in his posted samples, the output
looked the same as a Lightsphere.

Click to expand...

Obviously, when you make things yourself, you always have the potential to save a lot of money. For example, you can make a do-it-yourself electronic cable release for a fraction of the cost of an OEM one:

http://www.chantalcurrid.com/remoteControl.htm
http://www.chantalcurrid.com/Remote/RemoteLinks.html

And you'll get the same results, too.

But when some people pay for something like an LSII, they aren't just paying for particular results. They are paying for a well-made, finished product that might have a bit more visual acceptance than a deli container sitting on your flash.

Besides, if you compare the price of the LSII ($50) against the Omnibounce ($20), I figure that the Omnibounce's material worth is equivalent to just the Internal Dome cap on the LSII. So think of the remaining $30 being accounted for my the LSII's body, which is only $10 more than the Omnibounce's "body". But given that the LSII's "body" is much larger than the Omnibounce's "body, it makes sense that the LSII's

body would cost more than the Omnibounce's body (in this case, $10 more). So when you combine the Dome Cap with the LSII body, you arrive at a $50 cumulative some, which I don't think is out of line. Certainly not $30 out of line. But who cares about all this, as long as you feel that using the LSII is worth that investment. Personally, my LSII's (I have the Cloud and the Clear) have paid for themselves many times over, not only in client satisfaction, but also my own. Deli containers are great for the home photographer shooting for just family and friends, but at a certain point, you would just rather have the real deal.

These are great shots, perfectly lit. I am becoming impressed by the lightsphere. Your outdoor shots look reminisent to having a reflector.

I agree. Was not sure if I wanted the Lightsphere II or the Ultimate Light Box System, but I think those pictures just made up my mind for me.

dewayne howse said:

These are great shots, perfectly lit. I am becoming impressed by
the lightsphere. Your outdoor shots look reminisent to having a
reflector.

Click to expand...

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