Gary Fong Lightsphere

Scottie68

Scottie68

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Hi, can anyone recommend the Gary Fong Lightsphere or a similar diffuser?
I do like the reviews of the Gary Fong but is it worth the money?

Any advise more than welcome ....
 
Go to Microglobe and get a Lightsphere from them, it's a knock-off and much cheaper and bloomin' brilliant (in my opinion!)
 
Thanks for the heads up! Was wondering though how these compare to the Gary Fong Lightsphere? Ive bought cheap before and they never quite live up to the real thing or they never seem to last.

But in general, can anyone give me some feedback from using either the microglobe lightsphere or the Gary Fong lightsphere?
 
Yes, the Microglobe Lightsphere is never off my flashgun at Weddings and brochure photoshoots - it's tremendous.

I don't tend to use the Orange cup as it casts an odd light, but usually just use the cloud one, or nothing depending on the ceiling height and colour.

It's the best diffuser out there, in my opinion!
 
I've got the Gary Fong, bought it cheap from Flash in the Pan on here when he was selling them off.

Works a treat in softening flash, it really takes out the harshness that flash can create. I use it heavily in indoor shots, parties etc.
 
PSILVERMAN said:
Another vote for it. Its fantastic for shots inside but don't use it for outside shots. Also have the collapsible version and its much better.
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Are you talking about the Gary Fong Lightsphere?
 
I had one and sold it on eBay :( The problem for me is that they waste a lot of light - as much goes behind the camera as it does above and in front! If you're shooting in a room with a high ceiling, you'll lose even more light.

I bought a Stofen diffuser and have invested in a second flash, which I can use to provide some fill-in and bounce off ceilings etc.

The Gary Fong is ridiculously expensive too :nono: There's a reason why the guy is a millionaire.... £50 for a bit of moulded rubber? :nono:

A.
 
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Try this quick guide.
 
Anorakus said:
I had one and sold it on eBay :( The problem for me is that they waste a lot of light - as much goes behind the camera as it does above and in front! If you're shooting in a room with a high ceiling, you'll lose even more light.

I bought a Stofen diffuser and have invested in a second flash, which I can use to provide some fill-in and bounce off ceilings etc.

The Gary Fong is ridiculously expensive too :nono: There's a reason why the guy is a millionaire.... £50 for a bit of moulded rubber? :nono:

A.
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Agree. Fong is not nearly as good af GF's marketing suggests, or it would defeat the laws of physics. If you so much as mention the F-word on some forums, you get lynched. It works right enough (in the same way as a zero-cost bounce card) but is very wasteful of light, is big and clumsy and looks ridiculous. You can improve the efficiency a bit by lining the back with kitchen foil.

I think the Lumiquest Quik Bounce is the single best flash accessory out there. Does everything the Fong does but doesn't waste a ton of precious light out of the back and sides. It's very fast to use, vertical or horizontal, and with the flaps closed it's great for fill-in outdoors where the Fong is hoplessly wasteful just when you need maximum efficiency with high speed sync for example. One of its best features is that it folds up flat and packs away anywhere. About £40 http://www.lumiquest.com/products/quik-bounce.htm Good tutorials and vids on that site.

Tip: zoom the flash head to 24mm for max softness, filling the reflector right to the edges - makes a useful difference. With a high ceiling, zoom the head to 105mm - you get an extra stop or so that way.
 
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£40 for the lumiquest is still quite a lot when you can do a similar setup for about £3 using the instructions here. I get the foam for them from Hobbycraft at about 80p per sheet. Works a treat, lasts well and gives nice soft illumination. Takes less than 5 mins to make too!
 
Cuchulainn said:
£40 for the lumiquest is still quite a lot when you can do a similar setup for about £3 using the instructions here. I get the foam for them from Hobbycraft at about 80p per sheet. Works a treat, lasts well and gives nice soft illumination. Takes less than 5 mins to make too!
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True enough, but that idea doesn't do ceiling bounce-fill. For that, all you need is a simple bounce card which (as I mentioned above) takes two seconds to make with any old bit of white card and a rubber band. Something like this www.abetterbouncecard.com Even the little pull-out hilight panel fitted to many guns works pretty well.

The advantage of the LQ Quik Bounce is it does both bounce-fill and direct fill-in, efficiently and quickly. 40 quid is a lot for what it is, but not for what it does.

DIY works great with flash accessories. If you want a Fong-alike, a plastic milk bottle does brilliantly (really excellent light :)) and with a bit of kitchen foil and gaffa tape you can fashion it into a very versatile and effective tool. Not so good in the cool stakes though.
 
The version further down the page is the one I use and it does bounce fill - just close the velcro tabs when you are outdoors/in a super high ceiling, or open them up if you want to bounce off the ceiling. You're right that the first version on the page is a bit more limited.
 
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