Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser - CANON/NIKON
by Gary Fong
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser - CANON/NIKON
Customer Review: Does what it claims to do.
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this to use with my Canon 40D for those trips where I just don't have enough room to bring along my big flash and Whaletail. This is a nice compact little gadget that comes in 2 pieces. The bracket slips into the hotshoe and then you push the white diffuser onto the little pegs and can adjust it as needed higher or lower for your particular flash. I didn't find it as flimsy as the other reviews, it snapped right into place on my hotshoe without a problem. It is a bit more difficult to attach the head to the bracket, that would really be my one main complaint that I would like this to be easier. As for performance, I was pretty impressed for the most part. Sure, it doesn't come near to the performance of my full-fledged bounce flash setup, but for a $20 gadget it does quite good. I took some photos of my dogs which is usually a huge red eye problem with direct flash (most animals produce far worse red eye than people) and the results were quite pleasing with virtually no red eye and much softer shadows.Customer Review: Perfect results for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I was a little hesitant after reading some of the reviews about how flimsy the mounting bracket was but I decided to go ahead and try it. The only other option was the Lumiquest-Soft Screen and I didn't feel like putting velcro on my Canon 30D. I've had no problems with the bracket and for the price, I think that the construction is strong enough.
The comparison with portraits is amazing. Not only are the shadows softer, but the colors are more saturated and intense...more like an existing light photo. My four favorite nude practice models, our dogs, have little or no red-eye.
One change I did make, was with flash compensation when using the pop-up as fill flash. I usually dial the flash exposure down about one stop. I don't do that when I use the puffer. You also lose a few feet of range on the flash so if your subject is at the outer limit of what your flash will illuminate, you'd better remove the puffer or move closer to the subject.
Customer Review: Delicate but Effective
Summary: 4 Stars
If you've read the reviews that discuss broken or damaged devices, there's a reason for that: This little gadget is made of the lowest quality materials that could possibly be used and still have some sort of functionality.
If you get one of these, and I do recommend getting one (or 2), be very, very gentle assembling and, most importantly, mounting the device. Once on your camera, I use it on a XSi/450, it works very well. Some quick advice if you get one. 1, be gentle putting it on your camera - this may sound redundant but you'll understand. 2, increase your flash compensation to +1 stop and experiment / test from there.
Most Important: The results using the "Puffer" are surprisingly good. I've used it at a couple of family gatherings with great effect. The images, both indoor and outdoor fill light, are much, much better than without.
Customer Review: Works as well as Canon's DPP (Digital Photo Professioal)
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased gary fong's puffer out of pure curiosity. For $19 it didn't seem to bad. I took a handful of shots with my rebel xsi/450D. Looked like a huge difference on the camera's LCD. I loaded it up on the software that comes with most of canon's DSLR line-up called DPP (digital photo professional). All shots I took were in RAW format. After playing with the exposure compensation, I have come to the conclusion that the puffer simply reduced the flash exposure. By bumping up the exposure on the pics taken with the puffer, i was able to get it to look like the pics taken without the puffer. By reducing the exposure on the pics that didn't have the puffer, i was able to make them look like the pics that did have the puffer. Save your money, take pics in RAW format and use the software that came with your camera.Customer Review: Nice to have
Summary: 3 Stars
I've done some test images since getting the Gary Fong diffuser. It does work. When I took some close-up images it removed the specular spots on lips and the shiny areas from people's foreheads. Overall it does its best work at really close proximity. Anything beyond a few feet seemed a waste. The harsh shadows one would get on the wall behind their subject still remained however.
As for the sturdy build I think it's fantastic. Of all the frail things I own this one should last fine. I had read about the difficulty permanently mounting the thing. Personally I didn't shove it all the way into my mount because I wanted to remove it immediately after the shoot. I do indoors and outdoors and don't need the item sticking up when not in use. It's a great invention.
~ Tracy