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Is Gary Fong's Lightsphere Warm?

Mike Spinak

pro member
I bought a Lightsphere II Clear Photojournalist diffuser for my 550EX flash. I am very impressed with its quality of diffusion. I have noticed, however, that the Lightsphere seems to act like a warming filter. It seems to be filtering the light coming out of my flash from ~5300-5450 k to ~5750-5900 k. It may be a bit early to tell, and perhaps I'm being confused by other variables. So, I'm checking here for confirmation. Have any of you noticed a tendency of the Lightsphere to behave like a warming filter over the light coming through the flash?

I hope not. I though it would be color-neutral, and for my usage, I would prefer color-neutral.

Please let me know whether you've noticed any warm tendency with the Lightsphere.

Thanks.

Mike

www.mikespinak.com
 
Have you tried measuring it? Shoot a grey card with and without it and then used automatic white balance (bia the dropper tool) in a RAW developer and compared the readings.

Personally, I have only seen the online ads for the lightsphere and am curious about how well it diffuses light in larger spaces (where the majority of my people photography occurs). I already have a Lumiquest "soft box" which is not terribly useful for diffusion unless shooting insects in terms of quality of light. Although, I have been told by human subjects that the Lumiquest softbox is very nice on the subjects eyes as it is not so d#$%ed bright which has a values immeasurable in the final print. And truth be told, with 1:1 macros the 550-EX is many times the subject and resembles a Hollywood diffuser/bounce panel for shooting cars.

all the best,

Sean :eek:
 

Sid Jervis

pro member
I haven't tried the Lightsphere, I'm an advocate of Stofen diffusers or a Lightdome Q39.
However, a 'tog' I have worked with mentioned he believes his images were warmer when he uses his Lightsphere.
 

Mike Spinak

pro member
Have you tried measuring it?

Yes. That's how I came up with the numbers, above. However, I tested fairly casually, so I would be unsurprised if such variables as ambient light, or variations in flash color temperature from flash charge levels may have have crept in.

Anyway, it sounds like it is warm. That's not how I'd prefer, but I can live with it. It's worth it, because its abilities at diffusing light are impressive.

I'm not sure how well it lights up a large space. It can be used in a variety of ways (dome on, dome off, aimed at the subject, bounced off the ceiling, etc.), and I need to experiment with it, more. My initial impression is that that flash does not have quite as much "throw" with the Lightsphere as with the Stofen Omnibounce.

I have both the Lightsphere and the Omnibounce, and I don't see them in an either/or way. So far, I see them as having different capabilities, and complementing each other.

Mike

www.mikespinak.com
 
Mike Spinak said:
Yes. That's how I came up with the numbers, above. However, I tested fairly casually, so I would be unsurprised if such variables as ambient light, or variations in flash color temperature from flash charge levels may have have crept in.
You might try your measurements with fresh batteries outdoors during a new moon to eliminate slightly warm white paints that "brighten" a room up using a grey card. Not too exciting , but it should yield some helpful if not 100% accurate data to feed a RAW converter.

Sadly, 90%+ of my people shots are in such awful or wondrous (the golden hour) light that I just shrug off white balance and precise skin tones.

Mike Spinak said:
Anyway, it sounds like it is warm. That's not how I'd prefer, but I can live with it. It's worth it, because its abilities at diffusing light are impressive.
After a talk with a sadly now non-existent local photo lab they often set their printer to warm up shots for people (more so in winter). So I suspect that additional warming may be something that generates a more positive general reaction from consumers. And that is a business mandate outside of niche products (i.e., Canon L lenses, ....).

On a positive note, the defunct local photo lab has been replaced by a print shop and digital "studio" for PS work. While I do not need the PS work, a little extra cost on a 16x24 can be covered by shipping and the tax can be written off as paying my way in society.

Intriguingly, for lesser prints (good enough, but not exact) I just found out today that the local drug store (3 stores, so barely a chain) has a Fuji Frontier 550 which means up to 12x18 prints in roughly an hour. And while they do not beat Wal-Mart and online labs for prices beyond 4x6 (top notch $0.29 4x6 print price) it is something that is worth encouraging. I should note I live in a semi-rural area where the largest employer is a custom boat/ship builder specializing in catamarans.

Mike Spinak said:
I'm not sure how well it lights up a large space. It can be used in a variety of ways (dome on, dome off, aimed at the subject, bounced off the ceiling, etc.), and I need to experiment with it, more. My initial impression is that that flash does not have quite as much "throw" with the Lightsphere as with the Stofen Omnibounce.

I have both the Lightsphere and the Omnibounce, and I don't see them in an either/or way. So far, I see them as having different capabilities, and complementing each other.
Well, please share your impressions when you develop some. I know I would be interested in hearing them and I suspect others would too. Convenience in improving lighting while shooting people in dynamic social situations is a real plus as it beats fixing excessive contrast in PS. Plus, a fancy looking huge flash device impresses people which will generate more "bona-fides" than a D/SLR as it is unusual.

all the best,

Sean
 
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