Omnibounce vs softbox?

Hi all

I have an stofen omnibounce, which I use almost always bounced against the ceilings.
I have just seen an add for a softbox like the one below (roughly 30 usd).

Has anyone any experience with both of these? What are the main differences - and what produces the best results for alround in-door flash shooting (including portraits with one flash)?

Thanks
Morten

the omni bounce is far better.

Hard to comment without knowing what you're shooting but,

here's my $0.02 (at todays inflation rates, that's about all it's worth)

The Omni for portability and set up speed...but the soft wrap of softbox light is hard to beat...

You have to weigh the options...set up speed VS quality of light...not saying that the Omni cannot produce great light, but I LOVE softbox light...and if time permits I ALWAYS use it....

The softbox pictured, I wouldnt use it (caveat: I don't nor ever have owned one, so am speaking from a personal perception of small softboxes being simply oversized clunky Omni's)...I would just go Omni if that was my only other option.

If I was going to set up a softbox, I have three 60cm x 60 cm that I use with 580EXII's when I have time to set them up...when I dont, the Omni's go on...

Weather is also a consideration, on a windy day, when those big 2ft x 2ft softies are getting blown all over the place, well, either I haul some heavy sandbags along to keep the stands in place, or, use Omni's

Options are wonderful though, and you should consider having both and knowing both tools are in your arsenal....

Here in Vancouver I was able to locate Omni's on craiglist for $10 each and 3 x 60x60cm softboxes (including speedlight brackets) for $55 each...all told, $225 for a complete solution of softboxes and OmniBounces. (I have 5 x 580EXII and 2 x 430EXII's)

And speaking of stands...no more spending $150 and up for "photography lighting stands" I now shop at the local Music Store and buy high quality boom microphone stands for about $50-60 each

http://www.k-m.de/en/products/category/starline-32/?no_cache=1

--
Whatta Hobby this Photography stuff is! Expensive!

thanks, I will probably stick to my omni - since it is the pictured soft box I can pick up - and it is certainly not 60x60 cm!

Morten

Take a look at PRESSlite.

http://www.amazon.com/PRESSlite-Vertex-Modifier-Portable-Electronic/dp/B001AS315W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1285698476&sr=1-1

I have PRESSlite, Stofen, and softbox and find myself using PRESSlite more often then other two.
-Au

You are trying to compare two completely different light modifiers (intended) to be use in different situations.

It is important to understand the principles behind them. When you “bounce” the light to any other surface, you are using that surface as your light.

The omnibounce (as the name tries to imply) will provide a light towards the entire surrounding of the flash head. It is excellent when shooting indoors at low ceilings AND close walls. It is sending light to the front, top, bottom, left and right; so, if you don’t have any surface to at least 2 sides… you’re only wasting power in your flash. Funny when you see people using this outdoors… since you can always powerdown your flash or use another bouncing modified like a card or the such.

A softbox refract the light via the translucent material. This one does NOT need any bouncing and the light is soft controlled by the flash (power).

Main difference… easy example, you’re taking pictures indoors where ceiling is too high and walls are painted in red… with the omnibounce, since your are bouncing the light, you are introducing a red color cast, while with the softbox you won’t. That easy…

--
Jorge

Topaz Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/topaz/

atncentral
http://www.atncentral.com/

I really like the Fong Lightsphere. It really performs better than the omnibounce - albeit at a higher price - and also allows you to duplicate the effect of a softbox.
--
Gary

furano said:

The omnibounce (as the name tries to imply) will provide a light towards the entire surrounding of the flash head. It is excellent when shooting indoors at low ceilings AND close walls. It is sending light to the front, top, bottom, left and right; so, if you don’t have any surface to at least 2 sides… you’re only wasting power in your flash. Funny when you see people using this outdoors… since you can always powerdown your flash or use another bouncing modified like a card or the such.

A softbox refract the light via the translucent material. This one does NOT need any bouncing and the light is soft controlled by the flash (power).

Click to expand...

In my experience the Omni is very useful outdoors..yes it scatters light slightly...as far as power waste, maybe 1/2 a stop at most...but using an Omni outdoors doesn't affect the quality of light except to enhance it...I wasn't sure whether or not use Omni's outdoors until I read Joe McNally's take on it in "The Hotshoe Diaries"

Page 21:

"Hence, if I have a flash on camera, I'm looking for as much light scatter as I can get. The dome diffuser stays on.

When I go to remote sources, it is more of an issue, though I still keep the dome on most of the time, even when running through diffusion. You are losing a bit of power, but the return on quality- essentially double diffusing the light- is significant."

furano said:

--
Jorge

Topaz Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/topaz/

atncentral
http://www.atncentral.com/

Click to expand...

--
Whatta Hobby this Photography stuff is! Expensive!

7DVancouverite said:

In my experience the Omni is very useful outdoors..yes it scatters light slightly...as far as power waste, maybe 1/2 a stop at most...but using an Omni outdoors doesn't affect the quality of light except to enhance it...I wasn't sure whether or not use Omni's outdoors until I read Joe McNally's take on it in "The Hotshoe Diaries"

Page 21:

"Hence, if I have a flash on camera, I'm looking for as much light scatter as I can get. The dome diffuser stays on.

When I go to remote sources, it is more of an issue, though I still keep the dome on most of the time, even when running through diffusion. You are losing a bit of power, but the return on quality- essentially double diffusing the light- is significant."

Click to expand...

The quality of light is not an argument. It will be diffused nicely; if you’re not using the flash extensively; then you won’t notice a big difference in power; but say, a wedding photographer would.

Per Sto-Fen site “The only thing that happens with the Omni in place is the Maximum Distance of the flash is reduced by a factor of 2.5. For example if your Max Distance is 50 feet divided by 2.5 now equals 20 feet with the Omni in place.” This is a big difference; regardless what Mr. McNally has to say (by the way, I didn’t like his book at all); that is a reduction of more than 50%; which in real life, not firing the flash all the time will diminish the batteries about 30 to 40% of their life.

For Mr. McNally, who travels with many helpers and gear may not be a big issue, but if you’re alone, carrying and changing batteries can make a big difference.

The products I like best are Lumiquest, here is a comparison photo page where you can see the different effects with their modifiers.
http://www.lumiquest.com/compare.htm

For me, as a “workhorse” I like the Ultrasoft (which is always in my bag); but depending on the circumstances, I use the ultrabounce (similar as the omnibounce), the softbox or even some gels.

For a great book regarding flash use I love On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography from Neil van Niekerk; and all the resources from Strobist.

Please, don’t get me wrong when I said “people using it outdoors”; I was writing from my work and quickly; I mean to talk about those tourists in the middle of Times Square taking pictures to the buildings with flash and the omnibounce; because sometimes, it is required to use it; but again, depending on the situation as shown here:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html Check March 27.

--
Jorge

Topaz Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/topaz/

atncentral
http://www.atncentral.com/

furano said:

7DVancouverite said:

In my experience the Omni is very useful outdoors..yes it scatters light slightly...as far as power waste, maybe 1/2 a stop at most...but using an Omni outdoors doesn't affect the quality of light except to enhance it...I wasn't sure whether or not use Omni's outdoors until I read Joe McNally's take on it in "The Hotshoe Diaries"

Page 21:

"Hence, if I have a flash on camera, I'm looking for as much light scatter as I can get. The dome diffuser stays on.

When I go to remote sources, it is more of an issue, though I still keep the dome on most of the time, even when running through diffusion. You are losing a bit of power, but the return on quality- essentially double diffusing the light- is significant."

Click to expand...

The quality of light is not an argument. It will be diffused nicely; if you’re not using the flash extensively; then you won’t notice a big difference in power; but say, a wedding photographer would.

Per Sto-Fen site “The only thing that happens with the Omni in place is the Maximum Distance of the flash is reduced by a factor of 2.5. For example if your Max Distance is 50 feet divided by 2.5 now equals 20 feet with the Omni in place.” This is a big difference; regardless what Mr. McNally has to say (by the way, I didn’t like his book at all); that is a reduction of more than 50%; which in real life, not firing the flash all the time will diminish the batteries about 30 to 40% of their life.

For Mr. McNally, who travels with many helpers and gear may not be a big issue, but if you’re alone, carrying and changing batteries can make a big difference.

The products I like best are Lumiquest, here is a comparison photo page where you can see the different effects with their modifiers.
http://www.lumiquest.com/compare.htm

Click to expand...

No problem if you dont like his book...but I dont know that we can argue he doesn't know how to make awesome light and that his results are generally spot on!

I can only reflect on the fact that I have found that even my Energizer NiMH rechargables used in 580EXII's with Omni's on, outdoors, with the flashes doing gymnastics...(i.e. FEC @ +2) have had no issues making it through a half day...more in many cases...

If i want harder light, I take the Omni's off...

furano said:

--
Jorge

Topaz Group
http://www.flickr.com/groups/topaz/

atncentral
http://www.atncentral.com/

Click to expand...

--
Whatta Hobby this Photography stuff is! Expensive!

I believe that most of what other posters have mentioned here will be very helpful for you. But, if you understand the principles of diffused lighting a little better, you might better be able to figure these things out by yourself.

Lighting on your subject from a single source will look more diffused (less contrast by "flattening the curve" to yield less intense highlights and shadows, as compared to uniform midtones) as the light source - assuming you maintain uniformity of its character or eveness of its illumination - increases in surface area size while maintaining the same distance from the subject or move the same-sized light source closer to the subject. Thus, if you move a light source closer or increase its area size, or both, it will yield a more diffused look, and vice-versa. People are often confused about how a lot of other related but irrelevant factors affect lighting contrast, such as the particular reflecting or diffusion material, but, in this case, only size and distance really matter (no pun intended).

Applying this principle, it is easy to see that a softbox with a front surface area larger than the front surface area of a transluscent plastic bounce cap will yield softer light, unless the cap's light reaches walls or ceilings or other additional reflective surfaces which cast light on the subject by adding to overal size of the total light reflecting surface area, then making it larger than the surface area of the mini bank and whatever other surfaces off of which it might reflect.

The advantage of the plastic cap design is that it is shaped in 3-D to have several light projecting surfaces facing different directions, thereby allowing it to throw light in those several directions at once, while the two dimensional design of the front surface of the mini bank can only throw light in relatively one direction. Therefore, if you do use the plastic cap diffuser design outdoors or in a very large room with very tall ceilings and walls very far from your shooting position, the only practical diffusion will be from the surface area of the front-facing panel, and comparing that to the front surface of the mini bank, it is clear that the minibank light will be softer. In those same circumstances, the diffusion cap design is still softer than a bare flash unit as most unmodified flashes can be characterized as behaving nearly as what you would call a theoretical "point source of light," the least diffused light possible, and even the front surface of the plastic cap is a much bigger surface area than that.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
David
--
Keep learning; share knowledge; think seriously about outcomes; seek wisdom.

Omnibounce: yes, inside it's okay, never outside.
Small softbox: save your money, far too small.

The longer answer:
The omnibounce is one of the best, cheapest and most used diffusers out there.

If put in a straight upward position it will work the same as the fongdong, but that is not how it's used most.

Most of the time it's used at a 60degree angle forward. It will work nicely that way.

Bear in mind that a really good bounce (with or without the omnibounce on the flash) will yield superior results.

Outside an omnibox doesn't produce better light than a direct flash and wastes a huge amount of light. Save your flash and take it off outside.

The small softbox is just that: too small to do much good. It might be good for macroshots of insects and flowers but it's not the right size for humans. Even a 40x40cm softbox (while much bigger) is still small and can only be used at short range when doing portraits.

Always remember this: the softness of the light comes from the relative size of the light source. That small softbox is just a small lightsource when used at 2 or more meters/yards distance. And since it's is still direct flashlight you won't be gaining much (if anything) in terms of softness with a box that small, it's simply a direct flash from a rather small lightsource.

MortenJensen said:

Hi all

I have an stofen omnibounce, which I use almost always bounced against the ceilings.
I have just seen an add for a softbox like the one below (roughly 30 usd).

Has anyone any experience with both of these? What are the main differences - and what produces the best results for alround in-door flash shooting (including portraits with one flash)?

Thanks
Morten

Click to expand...

Inside with too high ceilings: omni with 45 or 60 degrees flash-angle.

Inside with low (white) ceilings or walls: bare flash bounced (in this case I do not use the omni, because it does not help to soften the shadows, and you only lose light).

The little softbox I only use when taking macro's.

Jeroen
--
JEHE

how about a ring flash? like those from ray ring flash or orbis?

the reuslts i have seen in daylight are very good (at night outside its good too)=

for indoors gary fong or omnibounce or presslite vertex are good