Fong's Lightsphere vs SpinLight 360

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gohan2091

Senior Member
I've been learning photography for about a year now. I have a Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible with Amber and Chrome Dome to use with my SB-700. It's my understanding that it's great if you're indoors because it spreads light in all directions which would then bounce around the room and back onto the subject. I've used it outdoors too as a fill light but realised that I was wasting a lot of light as it had no where to bounce. I do like my Lightsphere Collapsible but I find it large, heavy and it takes up too much space in my camera bag. I also cannot direct the light with this accessory so I am looking into replacing it with something better.

I've discovered the SpinLight 360 Extreme. It can bounce light in any direction you want, if there is nothing to bounce off, you can use the large white or black card that's provided. There is a half dome that can prevent light spill from hitting a subject, and there is a full dome that I assume would do what Gary Fong's Lightsphere does? It looks smaller, appears to be lighter and would possibly take up less bag space. It is however pretty expensive.

Has anyone used both these accessories? What are the pros and cons to each of them?

Thanks for any advice!
 

Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
When you're outside you're just wasting battery power and light by using diffusers and devices like the Fong tupperware. Fill flash, when shooting outdoors can be very effective with no modification to the light source.
 

gohan2091

Senior Member
What about in low light situations outside and when flash will be the primary source of light? Diffusion is then important?

It's good that you're talking about fill flash but my topic isn't about fill flash, it's about replacing my large diffusor with a smaller, lighter one that has additional functions.
 

Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
Adding a piece of tupperware to a Speedlight barely increases the size of the light source and size is what will diffuse and soften the light. From a distance, and with nothing to bounce light off of, you're not accomplishing anything. The Fong doodad is intended for indoor use when there are surfaces to bounce light from.

If you're outdoors you want to bounce into a reflector or have a softbox of some sort.

The ONLY way to create softer light is to increase the size of the light source relative to the subject. Small increases in size, such as with a piece of tupperware, do nothing.

Also, keep in mind that a Speedlight on your camera is not intended to be used a a direct light source if it's the main light source. It does not create directionality. Direct flash from camera position is where a fill source should come from.
 

Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
What about in low light situations outside and when flash will be the primary source of light? Diffusion is then important?

It's good that you're talking about fill flash but my topic isn't about fill flash, it's about replacing my large diffusor with a smaller, lighter one that has additional functions.


If you're using a Speedlight on camera then you have to talk about fill because that's the fill position. A main light source that is placed in fill position is still fill, no matter how bright or what you choose to call it.

Using a smaller modifier won't let you diffuse or soften the light either. All of these things work hand in hand.
 

gohan2091

Senior Member
Ok Robert, lesson learned. When outdoors, use bare flash head pointing at subject at lower power for fill light. If I can bounce off a building outdoors then this would be even better. Diffusers like the lightsphere are useless outside but great indoors. Thanks, I appreciate the lesson and will keep this in my head permanently.

For indoor use now, how does the Lightsphere compare to the Spinlight 360? As I said, I'd imagine the spinlight with the dome would act like a Lightsphere? I'm looking to shave off weight, increase bag space and have an accessory that can block stray light and provide me with directional softer light when I can't bounce off large surfaces in low light. The spinlight seems to do this.... What do people here think?
 
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Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
HI gohan2091,

Even though devices like the Lightsphere 'work' indoors, they're not really the best way to light or the best use of light. I honestly can't think of many situations where I want light to come out from the light source and project 360 degrees. The reason why our flashes tilt and swivel is so that we can precisely place the light based on the reflective surface we want to use for the bounce.

Using a bare flash and bouncing it is far more efficient then firing the flash into a pint of wonton soup.. lol. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I appreciate devices like the Lightsphere but I'm not a fan.

As opposed to having the Lightsphere pointing up and having light bounce in all directions and all over the place, you can direct the flash to a large white wall or corner, include part of the ceiling or not, and create a directional diffused light source for beautiful portrait style lighting. Even if you don't have a white or light colored surface it's a much better way to go. I'd much rather bounce off of a wooden wall that may have a color cast that I can correct for in post than to have a light in fill position and firing in all directions with little to no bounce.

I've never used a Spinlight 360 so I can't answer questions about that device. If it spits out light in all directions and you have no control over that then it won't be any better than the Lightsphere. Perhaps different but not better.

There are many brilliant event and wedding photographers that employ the methods I'm describing and none of them use Stofen's or Lightsphere's, etc. They bounce off large reflective surfaces indoors and outdoors they either get the flash off camera and into an umbrella or softbox for portraits or they're using the flash on camera strictly as fill.
 

Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
Bouncing into a reflector works great but it's not the most convenient thing if you're working by yourself and have to move around a lot. They're great when you have an assistant or use a light stand.

I still prefer to use bare flash.
 

gohan2091

Senior Member
I'm m doing a very low end wedding where I will photograph a couple signing the book in a registry office. The walls are painted red. I own a 5 in 1 reflector but it's not possible to use this as a would be on my own. We would then go outside into a church yard for some shots. This is where I would use fill flash.

I'd like to find people here who have used both accessories. The spinlight 360 looks so versatile.
 
Forget the Fong ..been there done that too big .soaks up vast amounts of power ....main thing is to have the flash over the lens and as close to it as possible ..red walls will be fine and not show the shadows up ...fill flash outside ..waste of time just burn the whites ..if its light enough to read a book you dont need flash ..did some 2 weeks ago 1/2 hr after sunset no flash ..fine @f8

PS the latest fongs have a hole in the top of the white cap to let the light up and out to the ceiling...you done that ?? Still a waste of space like you said.
 
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gohan2091

Senior Member
I disagree with no flash outside. Fill flash prevents the subject being underexposed with an exposure background, plus it fills in shadows on the face.

I believe I'd be shooting in a small room so I would think the lightsphere would be best to bounce all over the room. Anyway... No one has spoken about the spinlight 360 so I'm not really getting the information I am seeking.
 
the lightsphere is only good for making the photographer look more professional ......how can a flash make the shadows in the face lighter without making the lit parts brighter as well.....its bullshit..if you have put your subject in the shade you wont have any "shadows" on the face...

You spinlight is just a load of light modifiers to fit to your flash ..you got to carry it and deceide which to use in an instant... now no 1 rule is KISS ..your main concern should be getting the flash over the lens for landscape and portrait shots and as close to the lens as possible to minimise shadows ..diffused shadows are more of a pain to remove than sharpe edged ones..if you do what I say you will totally minimize the shadows to the point where they are not important

oh yes you want the shot underexposed so you can lift it in lightroom ..if its over the detail is burnt and you will not bring it back....

Dont listen to old peope. When they die you will live on in ignorance.
 
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Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
I disagree with no flash outside. Fill flash prevents the subject being underexposed with an exposure background, plus it fills in shadows on the face.

I believe I'd be shooting in a small room so I would think the lightsphere would be best to bounce all over the room. Anyway... No one has spoken about the spinlight 360 so I'm not really getting the information I am seeking.


As I said previously, the Lightsphere is not the best bet for the very reason you think it will be best. You don't want light bouncing all around the room. That serves no purpose, it wastes light and does not produce the best images.

Even though we have not specifically addressed the Spinlight 360 we've given you enough information for you to understand what would make it good or bad. If it's at all like a Lightsphere or any other tupperware that you mount to your flash to give you light in all directions, then it's not a great device and would be a waste of money. If it can produce directional light, giving you the ability to tilt and swivel your flash to choose where to bounce light from then it stands a chance but based on the name I would guess that it's just a variation on the Lightsphere.

Learning to use your flash as intended without the tupperware will teach you more about correctly using your flash and will ABSOLUTELY produce the best images. You may disagree but as you've already stated, you don't have the experience or knowledge to know that. That's why you posted and asked for help.

We're trying to offer you that help but if you want to disregard that help and choose what you think is best, so be it. I have no ulterior motive other than to help you. As I said earlier, the best event and wedding photographers that make a living shooting in less than perfect conditions, do not use those devices you're talking about.
 

Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
I just took a quick look at the Spinlight 360. Forget it. It's another overpriced gimmick. Learn to use your flash and forget all that nonsense. Seriously.
 
robert is dead right ...what you need to cocentrate on is your shoot list..use the flash in a straight forward way over the lens as much as possible and write out a list of what you are going to shoot ..nothing worse than thinking "what the f am I going to shoot next" ..remember everything that happens before the wedding and then after the wedding is controlled by you the photographer.
Aperture mode F8 min 1/30 iso 100-6400 and only use the flash for the signing...ps you cannot photo the real signing (illegal) you have to pose it .
After hundreds of weddings I still have to have the bride and grooms names written on the back of my hand because the concentration level is so high....
Study other peoples weddings on the net...

Photos are made (by you) they dont just happen
 
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AC016

Senior Member
I have watched David "The Strobist" Hobby use a Buzz Light Year camera and some cheapo flashes - Fuqs?? - to take some pretty decent pictures. The marvel in it, is how he uses such a cheap camera and manipulates the light to get the results he wanted. He has a blog-site (is that the right term?) : Strobist I think you can learn something from him, as we all can i am sure.
 

gohan2091

Senior Member
What if I want to bounce flash off a wall but I don't want it to spill on the subject and only have indirect light hit them? The spinlight allows you to flag the flash (like the black formie thing) What if I don't have anything to bounce off? Such as a large church with high ceilings. The spinlight has a large white card that can act as a surface to bounce off. These are the advantages I see in these "tuppaware" but if I am wrong, then ok.

What I learnt with fill light is it's useful to use in bright areas when the subject is back lit. It fills in the shadows if the flash output is low. Every video I watch on fill flash confirms this. Yes, shooting in the shade is always preferable in my opinion but what if you can't? Such as on a beach? This is where I would use fill flash. And I'd use fill flash in the shade too for basic catch lights in the eyes.


When taking this staged signing of the book, I will bounce light behind me (to the left or right) and towards the ceiling. Now why suggest I use f8? and why such a slow shutter speed? Can bounce flash freeze the subject like direct flash can? Can flash freeze motion all the time? What situations can flash not freeze the subject when using low shutter speeds?
 
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Robert Mitchell

Senior Member
Look for a video on "a better bounce card". You can make or use any number of things as a white card to bounce light from when there are no surfaces to bounce from and you don't need to spend $100+ to do it. An index card, rubber band or piece of velcro gets the job done for about $3.

I don't understand your statement about wanting to bounce flash and not have indirect light hitting the subjects. You're overthinking this and making it much more difficult than it needs to be.

You seem to really have your heart set on one of these devices but you're ignoring the fact that ALL great wedding and event photographers work year round in all sorts of conditions without the use of such devices.

If you want to dig in you should check out some of the top wedding guys like Joe Buissink, Denis Reggie and Parker Pfister.
They're out there every day shooting the kinds of events you're describing and do brilliant work with amazing lighting and not one of them ever uses the gimmicky junk you want to buy.

I don't know which YouTube videos you're watching but the reality is that YouTube and the internet in general has a lot of crap, misinformation and people with agendas.

Once again, if you take the time to learn and practice proper flash techniques you'll discover that I'm not just blowing hot air.

You can also look at Neil van Neikerk's blog to see his work and learn techniques. No tupperware and beautiful wedding images in all scenarios with all sorts of lighting.
 
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