SB600 Diffuser

[r3g]

Now that my VR 55-200mm is sold I want to invest that money into an SB600 seeing as I wont be doing commander mode any time soon. But there are so many diffusers out there Im not sure which one to choose O_O. Help! :)

[dxrocnxj]

so far, ive been doing fantastic without one!

[Jason25]

The Sto-Fen Omnibounce diffuser is a very popular one :)

[Prospero]

I have heard lots of good things about the Lightsphere diffuser too.

Personally, I don't use a diffuser either. I try to bounce the light as much as I can, and if I really need softer flashlight, I just use the build in wide angle converter. It widens the angle of the light, which is essentially the same as diffusing it.

[Jason25]

I have heard lots of good things about the Lightsphere diffuser too.

Personally, I don't use a diffuser either. I try to bounce the light as much as I can, and if I really need softer flashlight, I just use the build in wide angle converter. It widens the angle of the light, which is essentially the same as diffusing it.

I usually bounce as well. Every time I think about buying a diffuser, I wind up just forgetting about it. Bouncing does just fine for me.

[hankbeblazin]

good thing i read this i was thinking about buying a diffuser but i didn't know if i REALLY needed it

[Rooz]

diffusers also help with bouncing though. its not just for direct flash. sometimes if you bounce at 45deg or narrower it makes an even bigger difference.

i just use the stofen one. i don't think its the best performing one, the lightsphere is supposed to be better, but its certinaly the cheapest and most portable. alot of other diffusers require more room in your pack.

[domenic]

Hi Guys,
Going off on a slight tangent, what is the general opinion on the SB-400 Vs SB-600.

My Initial intention is to be able to shoot sport scenes in places with very poor lighting,i.e boxing matches/ well Thai boxing to be a lil more precise. Initialy using My D40 with 18mm-55mm kit lens.

My ethos is to purchase something within a reasonable budget, but something that will still serve me as I develop my skills.

Kind Regards

Dom

[hankbeblazin]

hey don

might want to consider the sb-800, i have the sb-600 its pretty sweet but i think the 800 is more powerful. depends how close you are to the boxers.

i read in the manual the sb-600 and go to 62ft

[achuang]

Hey r3g, I used to have a stofen omni bounce, but my cousin thought that when i said he could use it, he could have it. Oh well, i haven't bothered to ask for it back. I also have a Flip-It. When I had both i never used the stofen because it just cut out too much light when shooting in places with high ceilings. I always bounce when I can and that's why I love the flip-it. You could always make something similar, but I just liked being able to change the angle of the reflector. Jamison55, one of the wedding photographers over in the canon section suggested it to me as he had been getting good results. Have a look at http://www.dembflashproducts.com/

[Jason25]

hey don

might want to consider the sb-800, i have the sb-600 its pretty sweet but i think the 800 is more powerful. depends how close you are to the boxers.

i read in the manual the sb-600 and go to 62ft

This is true. It all depends on how close you can get. The 800 can go farther than the 600. The 800 will also command other 800s and/or 600s for wireless flash. I'd only use the 400 for a portable flash while hiking out in the woods or something, but that's just me.

[r3g]

Thats for all the info every1!

[domenic]

The distance invloved would proberlly be ringside or very close to ring side. Obviously I want something that I will be useable in range of different situations.

I take it the general feeling of the SB-400 is thats it's simply not powerful enough for this kind of situation?? Is it better to spend a little more on the SB-600.

Can I expect reasonable results using something like the SB-600 and the 18-55MM Kit lens, or will a lens with a larger aperture be requried?

P.S if I have phrased any of the wrong, I apologise, Im a total beginner.

Cheers

Dom

[Rooz]

sb600 as a minimum, sb800 will give you a bit more punch though. a wider aperture for flash is almost irrelevant in your situation so the kit will be fine. check out these photos which all use d40, kit lens and sb600. (your kit).
http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34447

[tcadwall]

Yeah, don't get the SB-400 if you see yourself getting at all more serious. It may not be powerful enough, but also, if you ever decide to upgrade to CLS it won't even be able to contribute at all. The SB-600 can at least be used as a smart remote flash.

I have had great results with the SB-600. The price difference between the SB-600 and SB-800 is about $130 here, and unless you know why you are purchasing one over the other, it is a bit harder to justify than the difference between the 400 and 600 considering the cost / benefit ratios in my mind. One thing that we often seem to forget is that the SB-400 doesn't provide the kind of focus assist / metering / etc. that you get with the SB-600 or SB-800. This REALLY helps you get a focus lock in lower light.


Back to original topic...

Rooz, no suggestions to just use a business card for your bounce? lol. I think that is a great start before one starts purchasing a trial / error set of diffusers.

At one time (over 10 years ago) I was developing digital booking software for jails. We were providing a complete package with hardware and software. This is before digital cameras were any good. We used a sony video head, with a capture card that sync'ed flash (this was really bleeding edge technology at the time and was pretty cool by the way). I tested about 10 different flash units and about 30 different diffusers, and found that some diffusers worked better in certain environments, but at the time only a couple were good enough to adapt to almost any environment. They were also a pain in the butt to get setup correctly.

Today's SB600 / SB800 flashes are just phenominal compared to what I had to deal with back then. The discussion that they have with the camera is really amazing compared to what I was dealing with back then. I would really suggest that you play around with some different setups at a camera shop as well as seeing what you can do with household items like a white card rubber banded (or velcro'd) to the back of the flash as well as some tissue paper to diffuse, etc. Then maybe you won't have to buy one, or maybe you will have a better idea of what exactly you want in a diffuser/bouncer.

- just a thought.

[Wowzer]

Go to the website and read about the abetterbouncecard. I got the foam from Walmart for about 1 dollar each. I was able to make a great bounce card which works wonders.

If you really want to have a diffuser, why not an old alcohol bottle? cut the top until it fits the SB600. It works really well, from what I've read. I'll have to try it someday, but I dont really need the diffuser all that much...abetterbouncecard does the trick for me.

GL