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<blockquote data-quote="WayneF" data-source="post: 500476" data-attributes="member: 12496"><p>I'm going to have to be out, so I apologize for starting something and then leaving... But I do hope you stop and think.</p><p></p><p>Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to admit I paid $60 for a small piece of molded clear plastic. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> It would be a great sales business to get into though, people will buy anything, if you can market it.</p><p></p><p>It cannot help. One, it's for bounce, which you said was out. Its instructions show it aimed up. The purpose of the domes is to be clear to allow the bounce to go up (better done without the dome), and the clear front allows some direct light forward spill to add catchlights in the eyes (the pull out bounce card does that better). People like to imagine that the clear sides lets light out in all directions, to imagine it somehow reflects back from all the room walls, but the most casual inverse square law investigation shows how futile that is (maybe in a small closet?) What the dome actually does do is to require higher flash power, which lowers the color temperature, warming the light slightly. People that don't know what soft is like that.</p><p></p><p>Marketing words like this are simply false:</p><p></p><p></p><p>As to any direct diffusion properties, all any diffusion does is to scatter the light. The dome being so tiny (about same size as the flash head, smaller than the subject), it can only scatter the light outwards, missing the subject altogether, so this light is no longer of any interest.</p><p></p><p>Larger diffusers (say 3 or 4 feet, umbrellas or softboxes) are large enough, and close enough, larger than the subject, to be able to scatter outward reaches inward, back to the subject, but specifically, now from different directions to provide fill. If close enough, say a 4 foot light at 4 feet, is 2 feet either side of subject, directing light inwards from 2 feet out, from 45 degree angles. This size (and multiple paths to subject) is what fills shadows and makes soft light. Soft is purely about size... and close helps make size.</p><p></p><p>This from <a href="http://www.scantips.com/lights/flashbasics3.html" target="_blank">Creating Soft Light from the Flash</a></p><p></p><p>Examples of light size, which causes this softening; wraparound and fill: (light size as seen by the subject) </p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A light at a distance equal to half of its size: seen as 90 degrees width </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A light at same distance as its size: 53 degrees width (this will be quite soft light) </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A light at 2x the distance as its size: 28 degrees width </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A light at 5x the distance as its size: 11 degrees width </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An 8 inch softbox at 6 feet (9x): about 6 degree width </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A 2 inch flash head at 9 feet (50x): about 1 degree width </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Our Sun (865,000 miles diameter, 100x): 0.5 degree size. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The trigonometry: degrees of angle = 2 arc tan(radius/distance) </li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p>Size is what makes soft. If diffusion does not also promote large, it merely wastes light. For example, hanging a sheet and aiming the flash through it (from a few feet back), makes the small flash be much larger on the sheet. Same with bouncing from ceiling or wall, the bounce surface becomes a much larger light. Soft is about size. And close helps size be large.</p><p></p><p>The tiny softbox could be marginally better than the direct dome (8 inches vs 3 inches?) but both are very small compared to say 8 feet distance. At normal distances (6 or 8 feet), you won't notice much difference from direct flash. Perhaps detectable if close enough, but not major (better for macro). If you get one of these, you should set it up, and compare carefully with and without, and actually try to literally see the difference you imagine might exist. If you can't see it, it isn't there. Maybe also compare it to a larger light. Expectations should be reasonable. There is no magic. Except Large is much like magic. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayneF, post: 500476, member: 12496"] I'm going to have to be out, so I apologize for starting something and then leaving... But I do hope you stop and think. Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to admit I paid $60 for a small piece of molded clear plastic. :) It would be a great sales business to get into though, people will buy anything, if you can market it. It cannot help. One, it's for bounce, which you said was out. Its instructions show it aimed up. The purpose of the domes is to be clear to allow the bounce to go up (better done without the dome), and the clear front allows some direct light forward spill to add catchlights in the eyes (the pull out bounce card does that better). People like to imagine that the clear sides lets light out in all directions, to imagine it somehow reflects back from all the room walls, but the most casual inverse square law investigation shows how futile that is (maybe in a small closet?) What the dome actually does do is to require higher flash power, which lowers the color temperature, warming the light slightly. People that don't know what soft is like that. Marketing words like this are simply false: As to any direct diffusion properties, all any diffusion does is to scatter the light. The dome being so tiny (about same size as the flash head, smaller than the subject), it can only scatter the light outwards, missing the subject altogether, so this light is no longer of any interest. Larger diffusers (say 3 or 4 feet, umbrellas or softboxes) are large enough, and close enough, larger than the subject, to be able to scatter outward reaches inward, back to the subject, but specifically, now from different directions to provide fill. If close enough, say a 4 foot light at 4 feet, is 2 feet either side of subject, directing light inwards from 2 feet out, from 45 degree angles. This size (and multiple paths to subject) is what fills shadows and makes soft light. Soft is purely about size... and close helps make size. This from [URL="http://www.scantips.com/lights/flashbasics3.html"]Creating Soft Light from the Flash[/URL] Examples of light size, which causes this softening; wraparound and fill: (light size as seen by the subject) [LIST] [*]A light at a distance equal to half of its size: seen as 90 degrees width [*]A light at same distance as its size: 53 degrees width (this will be quite soft light) [*]A light at 2x the distance as its size: 28 degrees width [*]A light at 5x the distance as its size: 11 degrees width [*]An 8 inch softbox at 6 feet (9x): about 6 degree width [*]A 2 inch flash head at 9 feet (50x): about 1 degree width [*]Our Sun (865,000 miles diameter, 100x): 0.5 degree size. [*]The trigonometry: degrees of angle = 2 arc tan(radius/distance) [/LIST] Size is what makes soft. If diffusion does not also promote large, it merely wastes light. For example, hanging a sheet and aiming the flash through it (from a few feet back), makes the small flash be much larger on the sheet. Same with bouncing from ceiling or wall, the bounce surface becomes a much larger light. Soft is about size. And close helps size be large. The tiny softbox could be marginally better than the direct dome (8 inches vs 3 inches?) but both are very small compared to say 8 feet distance. At normal distances (6 or 8 feet), you won't notice much difference from direct flash. Perhaps detectable if close enough, but not major (better for macro). If you get one of these, you should set it up, and compare carefully with and without, and actually try to literally see the difference you imagine might exist. If you can't see it, it isn't there. Maybe also compare it to a larger light. Expectations should be reasonable. There is no magic. Except Large is much like magic. :) [/QUOTE]
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