Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser - CANON/NIKON
by Gary Fong
|
List Price: Our Price: $9.99 You Save: $15.00 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $6.99 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser - CANON/NIKON
Customer Review: A must have accessory for all pop-up flash DSLRs
Summary: 5 Stars
If you own a DSLR with a pop-up flash, there is no reason I can think of not to have this product. Amateurs and professionals alike can benefit from this inexpensive yet effective tool.
The primary reason why you should avoid using your pop-up flash whenever possible is that the light is too harsh and also too weak. I would only use it in a situation where there was no other alternative and I did not have a flash with me.
This product enables you to take the very harsh and very narrowly projected pop-up flash and both diffuse it and spread it out coverage-wise. Will the result be as good as an external flash with a diffuser? No, of course not. In my opinion, however, it will be at least half as good which is saying a lot since this item costs about a 1/15 to 1/20 the cost of an external flash and diffuser.
The thing is, though, I don't think this is meant as a replacement for an external flash. In my mind, it is intended for the following situations:
1. Someone on a budget who wants better flash quality but doesn't have the money for a Speedlight yet
2. Someone who prefers a lightweight solution over having a heavy flash on top of their camera
3. Someone who wants to travel light and not bring an external flash, yet who wants to be able to diffuse flash if need be in a pinch
4. Someone who wants to keep this as a backup in case they have forgotten their external flash, don't have it with them, or had it break.
Again, you will not necessary get professional results from this item (although I'm sure a competent professional could make it happen) but I don't think that is what this item is intended for. It is intended for the situations I detailed above, and in my experience it has fit the bill.
Another home run for Gary Fong's products.
Customer Review: better then nothing
Summary: 3 Stars
I don't know what these other reviewers are doing that can break the Puffer on first instillation. The Puffer is very sturdy and I can't see it breaking anytime soon. I just toss mine in the bottom of my bag and it survives just fine. They are ether installing it with a sledge hammer or there is a bad batch of them out there.
Tested on my Fuji s602 Zoom:
The Puffer does not work with the s602. The s602 has a sensor right next to the flash that is used to control the flash strength. With the puffer on the flash is turned all the way down because it's reflected right into the sensor. Putting tape over the sensor increased the flash strength but it was still to weak to be useful. It was only good for objects with in about 3 feet from the camera. I think it's a combination of the s602's weak flash and the Puffer blocking too much light.
Tested on my Canon XSi:
It works much better then it did on the Fuji. It still blocks some light and you get reflected flash back into your eyes sometimes. When I need flash I use the Puffer but at the same time I really wish I had a faster lens instead.
If you're looking for a pop up flash diffuser you might want to check out the one sold on ebay too. Search for "Soft Box For On board Flash". Also called the "Shoestring Studio OnBoard Flash Diffuser". It works a bit differently but I think it might have better results. The trade off is a less convenient attachment method. I might give it a try next.
EDIT: It looks like the diffuser I was talking about is now available on Amazon too.Flash Softbox Diffuser for Digital or Film Camera Photography Fits on Board Flash
Customer Review: Not the best fit for the shoe mount. Very effective in select circumstances.
Summary: 4 Stars
Will you like this? I would suggest that depends on you expectation. Do you want it to make all your pop-flash photos lock like they are professionally lighted? It won't do that! Do you expect it to make ALL your pop up flash photos look better? It won't do that either. Occassionally, when you are shooting something close but significantly higher or lower than you (and depending on the angles) it can even make it look worse (note the very horizontal shape). My point? Use it thoughtfully and selectively, and manage your expectations. Bc it IS useful to soften flash in your average snapshot. It's great for when you need a fill flash but you know it will be too close and harsh. Use it selectively, and you may find you really like it, as I do. And DON'T use it as an excuse to shoot with flash "on" all the time; I don't imagine you'll be happy with the results of that. There ARE generic version out there; I wasn't aware of them when I bought this. There are also other types of cheap/inexpensive/portable diffusers (like this: Opteka Universal Soft Screen Flash Diffuser for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, & Kodak On-Camera Pop-Up Flashes) that you can try. You can even make your own. The biggest draw back of this one is that I DO very much find it difficult to mount onto the camera, and slightly awkward to remove. That is why I deducted a star. All in all, I think this (or another diffuser) is a great product for beginners bc it gives you more control over light with a minimal investment. If you stay with your hobby, you will want to improve that control. But I think this is simple place to start.Customer Review: does the job
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had a Rebel XT for several years and I've very seldom used the popup flash on it because coverage was so poor and uneven and it was harsh. Even with the flash compensation dialed down a little it was just ugly to use. I'd use available light and do the best I could with higher ISO and slower shutter speeds. (I'm not against popup flashes. My Minolta Maxxum 5 film SLR had one that was better that I used a lot more more)
Anyway, recently a family friend showed me his puffer one evening and I shot some comparison shots, generally in a pretty dark room; portraits, and wider whole-room shots. The puffer really made a big improvement in the evenness of the flash coverage, removal of the harshness on nearer subjects (portrait subject's face), and generally getting a nicer color balance on auto.
As a result I bought one a few days later. I've only used it a little so far but it seems to make my popup flash worth considering again.
Cons:
It is a bit kludgy in design, and I'd love something that would fold up smaller/easier for my small camera bag, but this *does* fit if I separate the parts. Also, as some mentioned, it can be tough getting it into the hotshoe or getting the diffuser part onto the black part. I find a little spit on the tips of the black bracket help with the latter. (Don't do that to get it into the hot shoe or you'll short it!)
Overall it is inexpensive and seems to do a really nice job of making my rebel's popup flash usable. I presume if I'm careful with it it'll stay with me in my short set of priority gear that I usually carry.
Customer Review: The foot broke after less than a week.
Summary: 1 Stars
I had high expectations for this product but, the foot was way too stiff to be used in the hotshoe of a camera. The type of plastic they use is highly brittle and it isn't flexible at all. By the design of the foot, they are supposed to flex inward to hold the diffuser on. This is absolutely poor design however, as I stated, because the plastic does not give at all. It snapped like cheap plastic as I inserted it into my hot shoe on my Nikon.
The overall quality is poor. The diffuser section is extremely hard to remove from the black arms and adjust to the various heights using the built in holes.
If they had used a better plastic for the black part of the product (the arms and foot) then I might be okay with it but, as of now I think it is supremely cheap. Judging by the material, it seems like it costs them less than a dollar to make these. They are so poorly made. I was highly disappointed.
Compared to another product that I purchased, (it will remain unnamed) that reflects the built in flash to the ceiling using a mirror, the plastic used and overall build quality was MUCH HIGHER than the Gary Fong Puffer.
Judging by the materials they used in this product, I doubt I will be buying any more Gary Fong products unless they make changes and announce them. A Puffer version 2.0 would be nice. They could learn something, from the previously unmentioned competitor in my review, about foot mounts and what to make them out of.