Spinlight 360. Anyone using one?

dave_bass5

dave_bass5

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Price aside this looks like a great idea for those using on camera flash in different environments.
http://www.spinlight360.com/

Ive recently started to use a BFT and love it, but the Spinlight seems to go one or two steps further and looks pretty convenient, especially if needing to get gels on and off as well.

Im fairly new to using my flashes in creative ways, and im well aware there are 100's of (cheaper) ways to do the same thing, but id like to hear from anyone that has actually used it, the pro's and cons etc.

I did a search in here but couldn't find anything other than a couple of mentions of it, so thought i'd ask.

cheers.
 
I've never heard the Spinlight mentioned on here, though there's something on the POTN lighting forum, most of it not very enthusiastic. It doesn't seem to have caught on, maybe because it's quite new, maybe becuase it's a bit pricey, maybe because you need at least some basic understanding to use it effectively, or perhaps because it doesn't do much that can't be achieved with a Black Foamy Thing for 5p.

Personally, I think it's an expensive piece of tupperware. My favourite speedlight modifier is the Lumiquest QuikBounce, but I'd be quite happy with a Rogue Flashbender that can turn its hand to just about anything if you know what you're doing, including Spinlight techniques.
 
Thanks Richard.
I agree with you about the expense, and yes, I've seen the few reports over on POTN.
I get the feeling that its the price that's causing it to fail.
What I like about it is the convince. The BFT is great but it's a bit fiddly to get on and off, although I'm sure I would get better with practice.

I'm just getting in to using the BFT, I'm not really after any other type of bounce modifier at the moment, although the flash bender does look interesting. I'll check that out as well

Cheers.
 
Yes, convenience is the thing, though it looks a bit cumbersome to carry and set up, but no doubt great once it's working. However, all it does is allow you to aim the flash quickly and accurately to the side/up/behind, while shading the front - easily enough done with a BFT or any simple flag/gobo. I use black wrap/cine foil stuff though I really must get a Rogue FB some time soon.

The basic problem I have with it though is mainly the technique, that I think has more to do with the brilliant way Neil V uses it and balances the light so naturally. That much is not too hard really when you know your stuff, but it needs a nice white wall/ceiling nearby and unless you work a lot in public toilets, they're not easy to find. So you end up using coloured walls and the problems that brings, and also it's a technique that often needs a lot of flash power and/or high ISO and fast apertures. So it's not for everyone and everything.

I guess if I was a wedding photographer though, or shot a lot of events etc where you know the venue and can seek out a few good spots to work in, I'd maybe be getting one. When it works, it looks great, no question :thumbs:
 
Thanks again Richard. I must admit since I found Neil's website and books it's really opened my eyes to what can be achieved with just one on camera flash.

Since my last post I've been looking at the Flashbender. I think I'm going to go for that instead. I've see it before but was put off by the size, but this was before discovering the BFT. At the moment I'm hooked on the look the BFT can give when bounced off a side wall, im trying to get that right, but I can also see a huge benefit the Flashbender can bring used in both ways (not sure I'd use it as a snoot though).

I have a wedding coming up next month in a very small venue. Bouncing won't be a problem even without a modifier but I do want to use the BFT. I'm thinking if I get the small FB this will serve as a BFT and also give me a bit more light when used the other way.
The large one looks great for more light but a bit too big to use as a BFT.
 
:thumbs:

Be interested to know how you get on :)

Edit: With something colour-critical like a wedding, try some experiments with different coloured walls. You should always be able to get the bride about right in post processing, but big shifts there might do funny things to the ambient background colour. TBH I've not done much work with this technique myself other than to fiddle around a bit but I like what I see (tend to play safe with white ceilings when it comes to it :D). There's a guy on POTN who's always banging on about bouncing behind - no accessories, just whacks the flash straight out the back. He takes some amazing liberties bouncing off coloured walls some distance away, but he shoots on full-frame at f/1.4 and high ISO. Still works well tho.
 
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I'll be sure to post back if and when I get it. I've just got to decide on the size now.

I've been using the fire over your shoulder method for a while at home and it does work better, for me, than the ceiling. We have quite a low ceiling so I would get to much downward shadow if I wasn't careful. Bouncing back in to the corner, using the same settings produces a much nicer light.
I'm not gong to get any time to practice with different colour walls before the day, but i did take a couple of test shots when I saw the venue a few weeks ago so ive got a good idea about how much power ill need. The Venue has white ceilings and cream walls, as do I at home, although ours are lighter.
I've got a set of flash gels so ill take those. I've been using various strength CTS and CTO at home, just playing around with them and I like what they do.

Thanks again.
 
Had a look at your Flickr - seems like you've got the technique working well :thumbs:

I was thinking about the small RFB for me :)
 
I use a BFT and a flashbender when I can.
I had a look at the Spinlight when I saw it on the Tangents site but again thought it was expensive tupperware. After all the idea behind the BFT is as a flag to prevent spill forward.

For the BFT you might want to look at foam can coolers, that's what I have on mine and it slips straight on holding itself on with no faff of elastic bands, you obviously have to cut off part of it so you don't end up with a snoot :)

and Re gels again have a look at the rogue ones, with a bit of practice they slip in the foam can cooler part around the flash :)
 
Thanks Steve, good info there.

The reason i was thinking of the Spinlight was so i can have a BFT, bounce light and bare flash at a moments notice, but yes, its a lot of money for a bit of convenience.

I got a couple of black hair bands off the GF but ill look in to the coolers, they sound a bit more practical.
 
Calzor Suzay said:
I use a BFT and a flashbender when I can.
I had a look at the Spinlight when I saw it on the Tangents site but again thought it was expensive tupperware. After all the idea behind the BFT is as a flag to prevent spill forward.

For the BFT you might want to look at foam can coolers, that's what I have on mine and it slips straight on holding itself on with no faff of elastic bands, you obviously have to cut off part of it so you don't end up with a snoot :)

and Re gels again have a look at the rogue ones, with a bit of practice they slip in the foam can cooler part around the flash :)
Click to expand...

Can cooler sounds like a flash of genius :D

Can I ask, if you cut the end at an angle to allow more light out behind, can you rotate the foam easily, without actually removing it first? That would be brill, thanks for the idea :)

Also, from those that have more experience of this technique, does a White Foamy Thing (but opaque) look much different to a BFT? I would have thought little or nothing in it, but white would put out a bit more brightness?
 
I like what you did with a flash of genius :)

I bought these as I'm a MotoGP fan, the only problem with the black exterior one is the inside is red, they must invert it for each option.

I cut it down where the stitching is so it didn't all unravel, this happened to work out well as it covers the back and one side when spun round or half up each side if slid to the back.

It slides on real easy as it's quite stretchy and can spin round just as well, I have a 430 EXII so slightly smaller than a 580 but it should easily stretch over.

A couple of quick pics below :)


IMG_2125 by Calzor Suzay, on Flickr


IMG_2124 by Calzor Suzay, on Flickr
 
Yeah, thanks Steve. I order the exact same one as Richard :-)

I managed to get my Flashbender on back to front, so that the black side faces the right way for the BFT effect, but its just a bit too long to be as effective as the foam, as Neil recommends it to not be too long.
 
dave_bass5 said:
Yeah, thanks Steve. I order the exact same one as Richard :-)

I managed to get my Flashbender on back to front, so that the black side faces the right way for the BFT effect, but its just a bit too long to be as effective as the foam, as Neil recommends it to not be too long.
Click to expand...

Hi Dave, you may be right about the Rogue FB being a bit too long for this. If my previous comments led you to buy the RFB in error, let me buy it from you for whatever you paid. I could do with one anyway, so no worries.

If that would suit, you'll have to put it up for sale in the classified section as per forum rules. Just let me know if you do :)
 
Keep your hands off my bender lol.

Seriously, when you mentioned it at first, that was the selling point for me, but after actually seeing pictures of it mounted to a flash, and seeing a couple of videos I could already see it wouldn't be ideal as a BFT.
I suppose I could try and bend it back but its actually quie fiddly to put on reversed anyway, so ill keep to the cooler or foam for that, and keep the FB for more general flash shots.

It's going to be ideal when I do the outdoor shots at the wedding next month and I'm sure I will use it a lot (its hardly been off my 580EXII since I got it)

Thanks for the offer though. Rest assured you didn't cause me to waste any money :-)
 
dave_bass5 said:
Keep your hands off my bender lol.

Seriously, when you mentioned it at first, that was the selling point for me, but after actually seeing pictures of it mounted to a flash, and seeing a couple of videos I could already see it wouldn't be ideal as a BFT.
I suppose I could try and bend it back but its actually quie fiddly to put on reversed anyway, so ill keep to the cooler or foam for that, and keep the FB for more general flash shots.

It's going to be ideal when I do the outdoor shots at the wedding next month and I'm sure I will use it a lot (its hardly been off my 580EXII since I got it)

Thanks for the offer though. Rest assured you didn't cause me to waste any money :-)
Click to expand...

:thumbs: :)
 
Let us know how you get on guys :)

BTW with the Rogue filters I find it best to tuck the thin tab down the back of the pull out diffuser on the flash then tuck the other thin tab between the flash and beer cooler then pull it down tight(ish). The gel just covers the 430 head and with the beer cooler just slightly proud of the flash head stops any leakage.
 
Calzor Suzay said:
Let us know how you get on guys :)

BTW with the Rogue filters I find it best to tuck the thin tab down the back of the pull out diffuser on the flash then tuck the other thin tab between the flash and beer cooler then pull it down tight(ish). The gel just covers the 430 head and with the beer cooler just slightly proud of the flash head stops any leakage.
Click to expand...

Will do an update when the can cooler arrives, but I had a go yesterday with a bit of DIY after I remembered I'd actually got some foam and felt somewhere, from Hobbycraft. Turned out they were both self-adhesive, which was handy.

I simply cut the A4 foam in two and stuck the two halves together to give a bit more rigidity, then stuck some black felt around the bottom to help it rotate and attached to the flash with velcro ties. Also tried those hair rubber-band things and that was just as good - not sure which I prefer. It looks very like this, but the self-adhesive material saves any stitching :thumbs: http://fotopraxis.wordpress.com/201...ben-und-xe847-smart-deblur-neues-bft-mp-e-65/ Scroll down a bit.

Works well too, at least in principle. Not had a chance to try it in earnest as everyone was asleep. First impression is that the BFT technqiue is very environment dependent, as I first suspected, and needs a bit of 'reverse engineering' for best results - basically, first find a friendly bit of wall/ceiling, then position the subject to suit. Especially for the 'short lighting' technique as Neil VN calls it, throwing the light behind/side of the subject and having it bounce back. Looks great though, like a huge back-lit window :thumbs: Need to get some real practise in, maybe next weekend; it's not quite so point-and-squirt as regular bounce methods ;)
 
I took this over the weekend. Using just the black foam. Its not perfect but it was what i was aiming for.
I got him to angle his body towards the wall slightly, so his chest would get a bit more light.
Its funny but he knows the score now, as soon as dad has his camera and flash out he has to find a wall and smile lol.

Another BFT test. by dave_bass5, on Flickr
 
Well ive just tried my cooler out with my 580EXII and it what a great idea.
Not only does it work just as well (to me eyes anyway) but its a lot more manageable getting it on and off.

Ive cut it down a bit more than Steve's but it seems to work ok.

Thanks again Steve, great idea.:thumbs:
 
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