Homemade diffusers - silly or smart?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" wrote...

> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
> mind...

Use the white pebble finish (acrylic) fluorescent light diffusers since they
are plentiful and cheap.




Rita

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Sorry BD,
Why "hacked the firmware"? My firmware is 1.02
What's the difference now?
Marcel


"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123090699.142751.216200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hey, all.
>
> I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
> guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
>
> I've bought a Rebel, hacked the firmware, bought a Canon 550EX flash,
> and now I'm thinking about diffusers.
>
> I've read some forums, and some of the posters have made home-made
> diffusers out of white foamcore, velcro, and some translucent material
> - mentioned were commercial products, and even plastic from milk jugs.
>
> A couple of things appeal to me about this idea - one, the unit could
> be made as wide as I like, and two, it could be made to fold up and
> pack away in my camera case.
>
> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
> mind...
>
> Thanks for all thoughts!
>
> BD
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Oh - there's a modified firmware which has been around for some time;
it was made by some Russian dude. It unlocks some functionality of the
D10 which was 'crippled' when the SAME FIRMWARE was installed into the
Rebels.

Of immediate use to me is: When I use a flash indoors in Aperture
Priority mode, the shutter speed locks at 1/60. Useless. The firmware
hack sets it to 1/200. Useful.

There are many other changes, some of which I've found useful -
in-camera FEC, Mirror lock, to name a couple.

Google for 'Wasia' and 'Undutchables'. The latter is a revision of the
former, and was last updated in March 05.

As with any such mod, use at your own risk: It's a popular mod, but not
supported by Canon. Secure a copy of legit firmware before you dive in,
just in case something goes hooey. If you have trouble finding the
enabled functions, they'll appear as 'Custom Functions' on the 4th
tools meny in the camera's LCD menu. Be aware that if you want to flash
back to the default firmware, all these Custom functions will have to
be reset back to their default values first, or the flashback will
fail. I forget the site, but I found one that had the Undutchables
flash, and a small PDF outlining all the changes. Shouldn't be a real
challenge to track down.

Cheers,

BD.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123090699.142751.216200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hey, all.
>
> I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
> guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
>
> I've bought a Rebel, hacked the firmware, bought a Canon 550EX flash,
> and now I'm thinking about diffusers.
>
> I've read some forums, and some of the posters have made home-made
> diffusers out of white foamcore, velcro, and some translucent material
> - mentioned were commercial products, and even plastic from milk jugs.
>
> A couple of things appeal to me about this idea - one, the unit could
> be made as wide as I like, and two, it could be made to fold up and
> pack away in my camera case.
>
> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
> mind...
>
> Thanks for all thoughts!
>
> BD
>

I have made a number of small foamcore diffusers. One issue to think about
is the weight of the diffusion material. I looked at the pebbled flourescent
diffusers and thought that the rigid material was probably too heavy. I
settled on plastic sheeting. Go to the painting section of your local Home
Depot and get thick plastic drop cloth. It's easy to work with because it is
flexible, its lightweight, can be layered for added diffusion and can be
attached with tape. If you need an internal baffle, go to Wal-Mart and buy
some of the white, sheer fabric used to make sheer drapes in the drapery
section. You can even sandwich the fabric between two layers of the plastic
sheeting, combining combinations of layers to get the amount of diffusion
you want.

The shiny side of aluminum foil makes a good lining for the interior of the
diffuser and if you want the diffuser to look good, use black foamcore and
black tape to cover the seams.

Eric Miller

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <1123090699.142751.216200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
bobby_dread@hotmail.com says...
>
>Hey, all.
>
>I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
>guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
>
>I've bought a Rebel, hacked the firmware, bought a Canon 550EX flash,
>and now I'm thinking about diffusers.
>
>I've read some forums, and some of the posters have made home-made
>diffusers out of white foamcore, velcro, and some translucent material
>- mentioned were commercial products, and even plastic from milk jugs.
>
>A couple of things appeal to me about this idea - one, the unit could
>be made as wide as I like, and two, it could be made to fold up and
>pack away in my camera case.
>
>So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
>kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
>mind...
>
>Thanks for all thoughts!
>
>BD

Not silly at all. When I was just starting out, I made diffusion panels out of
1x2 lumber, and used herculene drafting media as the diff source. Later, I
built softboxes out of gatorfoam and herculene. I still carry a bunch of
Rosco-lux diff media and a product called Diff-use in large rolls.

As for small strobe diffusion, before Sof-ten, and others, an editorial
shooter that I know, used various milk jugs on his Vivitar 283's with good
effect.

Experiment with what you like best. Remember, the best diffusion will place
the medium farther in front of the strobe, and something to allow side/top
spill onto ceilings and walls will provide fill. Just be prepared for the rude
comments of some of your subjects, as you tape on the jug! :-}

Hunt

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123101873.686530.52430@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> That sound like a good way to go.
>
> I think that for 'rev.1' I'll just get the functionality, and consider
> aesthetics in 'rev.2'.
>
> Having said that, it sounds as if I'll reach the price point of a
> generic commercial diffuser fairly quickly, for buying dropcloths and
> such. Not that the whole point is to save a few bucks - I'd hoped that
> something I made like that could be 'foldable', and easily packed away
> in my camera case. But it also sounds as if doing something this way
> may give me some more 'versatility' in being able to use different
> diffusion levels.
>
> Thanks!
>

The plastic "drop cloths" are pretty cheap, just a few dollars. I found that
getting the supplies, like a t-square to score and cut the foamcore and the
various adhesives and tapes did push the initial cost up, but I ended up
with four 9"x9", on-camera (for hot shoe flash) softboxes for about $40,
with enough supplies to build that many more for only the cost of the foam
core. Not only could I not find diffusers that size for the use I was
putting them to, but even the smallish on-flash diffusers were $25 each.

Eric Miller

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

One of the best items I have found are shower curtains. The clear embossed
ones work great. Just enough texture to diffuse and still let thru plenty of
light. Get the tinted ones if you want to play.

Move the light closer or farther to change the relative size of the light.
Easy to hang on suspended ceilings or stretch between light stands. (you can
build that too). Fits in a camera bag, and is easy to clean or $6 to replace
at Wal-Mart.

For reflectors get auto reflective sun protectors. The kind that go in the
windshield. They fold up or some actually have the spring like the big photo
ones. Look for best prices.


On Wed, 3 Aug 2005 13:38:19 -0400, BD wrote
(in article <1123090699.142751.216200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com> ):

> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
> mind...

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

BD wrote:
> Hey, all.
>
> I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
> guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
>
> I've bought a Rebel, hacked the firmware, bought a Canon 550EX flash,
> and now I'm thinking about diffusers.
>
> I've read some forums, and some of the posters have made home-made
> diffusers out of white foamcore, velcro, and some translucent material
> - mentioned were commercial products, and even plastic from milk jugs.
>
> A couple of things appeal to me about this idea - one, the unit could
> be made as wide as I like, and two, it could be made to fold up and
> pack away in my camera case.
>
> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs
> to mind...
>
> Thanks for all thoughts!
>
> BD

One word of advice. Think BIG. A small defused source is not going to
work much different than a non-defused source.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

If you are working in an indoor situation where mobility and compactness are
no real issues, then 12"x6" is way too miniature. For any kind of
studio-type situation (even in a small room in your home) start thinking
much larger. 30"x40" is a good place to start for a homemade softbox.
3'x6' might be a good place to start for a reflector panel. These are just
starting points, don't hesitate to go larger. As someone else said earlier
in this thread, small light sources that are diffused aren't all that much
different from undiffused. When it comes to diffusion of light, bigger is
better.

KB



"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123111632.656904.19410@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> That's curious - the commercial diffusers I've seen are translucent
> plastic that slide right over the flash! So are these not useful??
>
> Or perhaps the ones I've _seen_ are just small, and larger ones are
> more expensive...
>
> So, what's 'BIG', then?? Say 12" across by 6" high? I can see physical
> support issues arising from that - but hey, if it works, I'll try it.
> ;-)
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Uhhh... I can't even envision what that might look like, let alone how
one would mount it.

I think that for starters I might whip up something like this:

http://www.lumiquest.com/lq931.htm
http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/lq/
http://www.pbase.com/john_down_under/image/45802617

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

BD <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote:
: Uhhh... I can't even envision what that might look like, let alone how
: one would mount it.

: I think that for starters I might whip up something like this:

: http://www.lumiquest.com/lq931.htm
: http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/lq/
: http://www.pbase.com/john_down_under/image/45802617

I am suspecting that some of the confusion is due to different people
using a diffuser for different reasons and different situations. For
example a seperate flash in a large box that diffuses the flash in a
portrait studio works good, but is impractical for carrying around for
getting pictures of jewelry in a store without bright spot reflections.
Also if the reason for a diffuser is to cut down the harsh light and red
eye effects from a flash in a carry-around form, a seperate box or stand
mounted diffuser may not be practical. It is true that when a dedicated
studio space can use a large (or a series of large) diffuse lighting
sources will likely give a more controlled lighting situation. But if you
are walking around a wedding reception, such large complex devices would
stifle the creative process.

So making a diffuse reflector to mount on your camera mounted flash to
give you the option of a more soft light may give you what you want, but
don't count on it to replace a large studio setup.

Now as to how to make an inexpensive flash mount diffuser, almost anything
will work (with varying results) if you keep in mind that anything that
you bounce the flash off of (diffuser, wall, ceiling, etc) will effect the
light from that flash. So both color and finish of the surface will effect
the light. Also you need to be aware of how much of the flash will be
striking (and reflecting off of) the bounce surface. A wide angle flash
that bounces off a narrow reflector will only have a percentage of the
flash output going in a useable direction. So experiment with your flash
to see how large a reflector you need to capture the light output. Also if
the reflecting surface is semi-opaque (like a plastic milk bottle used as
reflector/diffuser material), a portion of the light will penetrate the
surface and not be redirected toward the useable direction. But since the
intent is to reduce the harshness of the flash, such a reduction of light
output may be just the thing. Also remember that if your design allows you
to reverse the mount you could have both a reflector/diffuser, you could
also have a transmittion/diffuser (where the light is behind the diffusing
material).

So when you begin to design your device, experiment a lot, and try many
different ideas. Maybe you will find several ideas that work for you in
different situations, and you may want to have several forms of device for
use in varying situations. And never give up at trying new ideas.
Sometimes even something as easy as a white hankerchief draped over the
camera mounted flash will give you the result you want.

For those of you in the US that remember the TV show, I think of such
situations as a McGyver view of making do with what you have. Just
think of what you can do with an empty soda can and several layers of
tissue paper.

Randy

==========
Randy Berbaum
Champaign, IL

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

In article <1123111632.656904.19410@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote:

> That's curious - the commercial diffusers I've seen are translucent
> plastic that slide right over the flash! So are these not useful??
>
> Or perhaps the ones I've _seen_ are just small, and larger ones are
> more expensive...
>
> So, what's 'BIG', then?? Say 12" across by 6" high? I can see physical
> support issues arising from that - but hey, if it works, I'll try it.
> ;-)

For me, the Canon diffuser I bought for $20 when I bought my Canon flash
two months ago works fine on my Digital Rebel. My diffuser does take up
a bit of extra space in my camera bag, but its worth the space. I can
definitely see a softening of the light with the fuser, verses a
harshness in the light when I don't use it. YMMV.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Just this morning I came up with an idea for a collapsable diffuser
that would be roughly 16" x 10", and that I could roll up and stuff in
a little addon I'd lash to the side of my camera bag - if it works out,
maybe I'll post a link to show y'all the design I ended up with.

But yeah, it sounds like there's lots of options that can be pretty
effective for not a lot of money.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"ecm" <thedeepabyss@whoever.com> wrote in message
news:1123168048.690143.128190@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> BD wrote:
> > Uhhh... I can't even envision what that might look like, let alone how
> > one would mount it.
> >
> > I think that for starters I might whip up something like this:
> >
> > http://www.lumiquest.com/lq931.htm
> > http://www.wrotniak.net/photo/lq/
> > http://www.pbase.com/john_down_under/image/45802617
>
> I have a similar Lumiquest product, and I'm quite happy with it. It
> really does make a big difference; I use it routinely with the flash.
> Note that if your flash is TTL, it'll automatically adjust to the loss
> of light from the diffuser. I don't do "studio" or portraits, so I've
> not needed anything else; it's nice to have something so portable in
> your bag. The milk-jug material really does work, BTW; it's a good
> emergency diffuser. I've also used white plastic grocery bag material
> in a pinch. Still, the Lumiquest is nice. Other things I've used as
> diffusers include those pop-out car windshield sun shades(great as
> ambient light reflectors, too) and a white toy umbrella.
>
> My only experience with cheap studio-style lighting comes from a
> relative of mine who is an artist (the starving type). She needed
> studio quality photos of her artwork for a variety of reasons, not the
> least of which was for reproductions. We built her a couple of 1.5
> meter square wooden frames covered with cheap, thin white fabric; she
> uses a couple of 500w halogen shop lights about 1 meter back from each
> panel, which are placed on either side of the painting. This gives her
> excellent, non-directional light, for a total outlay of about $40.
> Colour repro isn't spot-on, though; she uses manual white balance with
> a card she got, and she's computer savvy enough that she can fix any
> remaining color issues.
>
> ECM
>

I remember wanting that Lumiquest 80-20 rig so that I could get direct and
bounce lighting at once. Then I heard about someone getting the same effect
from a business card. After laughing at myself about the simplicity of the
business card solution, I went and bought a pack of white PostIt notes. Just
angle your flash unit to the ceiling and stick a note from the pad onto the
lens so that it extends straight out from the top front of the flash unit
and it will give you just the right amount of fill. You can even experiment
with different color notes if you want to. If you need a portrait oriented
shot, no problem, just rotate your flash unit and reposition the note on the
the side that faces up (always the right side for me).

Eric Miller

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Looks a lot more stable than something you'd stick on with the flash
facing forward. You could get some pretty darned big ones going, too.

Can I ask what you used for the internal surfaces? Black foamcore lined
with aluminum foil, with a fabric or paper face would seem reasonable.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

That's funny. I was actually tempted to fork out the $60 for the 80-20
kit - not now. I tend to like bodging my own solutions for stuff
anyway. ;-)

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

BD wrote:

> Hey, all.
>
> I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
> guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
....

A $3.00 silver mylar emergency blanket makes a very cheap material for a
silver reflector (for on floor or glue to piece of foamboard). But when you
can spring for it a 5-in-1 42" circular reflector, collapsible, is
incredible, so worth it for outdoor shoots especially (collapses to about
12" diameter!).

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

BD wrote:
> Maybe I'll pass on the aluminum foil and just leave it matte white
> inside, then.
>
> I believe I've seen the translucent plastic material, but not
> necessarily in the size I was thinking about (2ft x 3ft). I'll hunt
> around Office Depot and see what I can scrounge up.

Trudge over to Home Depot instead. Replacement pieces for overhead
fluorescent lights, in a variety of diffusion patterns. 2' x 4'.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

It's perhaps out of your budget, but there are several manufacturers of
softboxes (Chimera, Wescott, etc) some of which are designed for use on
portable electronic flash units (e.g. Wescott Micro Apollo). At a
certain point, the uncertainties of putting a color cast into the light
output, due to optical reflectance off color or due to optical
brighteners put into yardage not intended for photographic use, makes
it much better to buy what is commercially available rather than
inventing your own!

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Well, my 'palate' is very likely not educated enough yet to appreciate
that level of distinction in output. I'm at the 'get rid of red-eye'
and 'give me soft shadows' stage.

As to coloring uncertainties, I'll be doing considerable post-work in
any image I plan to 'showcase', and I expect that many of these issues
can be addressed at that point too.

Basically, if I can get 80% there for 20% of the cost, that's good
enough for me.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"BD" <bobby_dread@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1123090699.142751.216200@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hey, all.
>
> I'm diving headfirst into portrait photography, with considerable
> guidance from a very knowledgeable friend.
>
> I've bought a Rebel, hacked the firmware, bought a Canon 550EX flash,
> and now I'm thinking about diffusers.
>
> I've read some forums, and some of the posters have made home-made
> diffusers out of white foamcore, velcro, and some translucent material
> - mentioned were commercial products, and even plastic from milk jugs.
>
> A couple of things appeal to me about this idea - one, the unit could
> be made as wide as I like, and two, it could be made to fold up and
> pack away in my camera case.
>
> So is this idea just silly? If not, if it actually has merit, what
> kinds of materials might be suitable? thin frosted plexiglas springs to
> mind...


It's neither silly nor smart, it's just something that works. Take a
phenomenological approach: make a diffuser, and if you like the results,
keep on using it. I have a home-made diffuser I keep in my bag that's made
from one of the sides of an old Tums EX bottle and it works great with my
Sunpak 383 on those occasions when I need to splash a whole bunch of diffuse
light over a large area.

I also keep a white plastic garbage bag in my camera bag along with several
wooden clothespins in case I need to throw up an impromtu refector in the
field. "Pro" quality? Not really, but the photons don't seem to notice.