Flash diffusers for digital SLR cameras

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How Flash Diffusers can Improve Your Photography

Flash diffusers come in all sizes and shapes. They are a device that attaches to your external flash to soften the light. They also prevent shadows and provide an even illumination of light for a more natural look.

A flash diffuser is a piece of clear or cloudy plastic is custom-fitted for a flash head. It can be rectangular, cylindrical, large or small in shape. The key is to increase the light source because the larger the light source, the softer the shadows. Flash diffusers are also known as light modifiers. With that being said, lets look at four of the most popular flash diffusers on the market today.

Lumiquest offers a variety of flash modifiers. Their Pro Max system has six pieces that are a mix of direct and bounce flash modifiers that can all fit in your camera bag. Each piece can also be purchased separately.More information can be found on the lumiquest website

The Lumiquest bounce card

Gary Fong, a former wedding photographer from California, has been selling products that includes diffusers for the last couple of years. His more recent invention is the Lightspere. It is a rather odd shaped plastic dome (pictured below) that fits on to the flash head. His claim is that while most diffusers point light forward, the lightspere lights up the entire room.

Click on the image below for more information.

Another popular system is the Ultimate Light Box Kit made by Harbor Digital Design. They claim to not be just a flash diffuser but a full-fledged lighting system. They offer a Pro-kit which includes a dome that enlarges the diffusion. They also offer a larger domes design that spreads light more evenly and over a wider are than a small flat surface.

More information on this system can be found by clicking on the image below (kits vary depending on if you own a Canon, Nikon or Sony camera)

Omni-bounce by Stofen is a small white plastic covering that is custom-made to fit flash units.It is the exact size as the flash head so softening is kept to a minimum because it does not increase the light source significantly.

More information on this diffuser can be found at the Stofen website

The Stofen Omni-bounce

Pictured below is a globe shaped flash diffuser I purchased many years ago. I could not find it online anymore. It looks like it could be made out of a plastic milk container. See the results below to see how this light modifier softened the light and caused only a minimal shadow.

I decided to test each one separately under the same conditions. Here are the results.

The globe-shaped flash diffuser

Lumiquest Bounce-card

Stofen Omni-bounce

The Ultimate Light Box

The Ultimate Light box with the large bounce card

Gary Fong's Lightspere

All six photos above were shot at ISO 400 at f/8 in ETTL mode. I own all five diffusers. Recently I purchased the Lightsphere. It is less bulky and awkward than the Ultimate Lightbox, however it appears that both achieve similar results. I would recommend either the Lightsphere or ULB for the best results.

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