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at the aniversary dinner Gary gave me a Lambency Lightspere, based o the Gary Fong Design to review
its been 2 weeks now so instead of a long essay ill show you my pics

initially i was sceptical about it because it acts like a spreader more than a difusser by spreading the light all around the place 360 degress and up the ceiling(if there is one) so in this case most of the softening of the light is just reflected(bounce) light of surrounding walls if shot in a white room

since there are so many variables with this thing and the way it acts in certain environments ill just show you real world examples


i had to modify if because i was loosing too much light wanted more directional light around 180 degrees coverage


front:

for more directionl light i could of blocked off the top cone but i wanted to test the bounce abilities

all images here are out of the camera d200 17-35
lightsphere used in conjunction with sc-29 for off camera flash freedom
no post apart from resize and sharpen

we all know how a lightsphere performs indoors


so i took my tests outside first under the shade
loosing light here because of the open top bit of the spehere
so image underexposed, this can of course be compensated but in a crunch yeah inherantly the sphere looses heaps of light so outdoors stuff where there is no ceilign for bounce you need to rethink the way you use it


flash on high intensity has minimal effect, more loss of light with backlit subject/ high contrast scene


so this thing is really meant to be used indoors with a ceiling for bounce

lets start with high ceilings(minimal bounce) indoors so lower ambient light, flash position direct
it performs well

even light distribution, this image is not affected by the thrown light to the ceiling, its direct light from the side of the lightsphere

on the red carpet high ceiling, close range though
even flat lighting nice softening under jawline


close range mix of tungsten lights, direct flash flattens image still nice light distribution


indoors low ambient light high ceilings no bounce effect
the spere even at 180 degrees at the right angle has good even light coverage im impressed, mind you in this pic i know the irradecent lights are affecting is a variable in this scene


judging difussion this is relative to how far or close you hold the flash to the subject but some shadows are still hard edged
but id say its much better than naked flash
also light fall off is distributed well depending on the angle i was holding the lightsphere, lightwrap around subject is good


close range low ambient light ceiling bounce, almost purrfect


because of its design i think the lightsphere works more as a light spreader than a proper difusser


verdict not for my style too much light but for portraiture its great for closerange work

that said

i found a better use for it as an edge softener
attach to lens like this

take off top cap

you get this:



sweet as!

now im not a reviewer nor i claim to be one one of the deals for me obtainign this thing was to write a review i did the best i could
there are so many vartiables to using this sphere properly that i cant cover so i just share as my experience with it under different on the fly situations.

but is it broken...... it is covered in tape......

EDIT: nice pixs

interesting.
nice review, id rather pictures rather than words

can the inverted dome be used as a white balance tool???

Wendell you never cease to innovate and experiment and that's your biggest strength, nice review mate.

Laurie wrote:can the inverted dome be used as a white balance tool???

Yes.

I may be reading this wrongly, but it seems for the outdoor shots you shot with the flash head pointing straight up? This is not the advised usage with a Lightsphere (or clone), you're supposed to shoot through the dome at the subject. As you correctly say, unless you've got something to bounce off you lose waaaay too much light! Apologies if I've misinterpreted your technique!

Good review Wendell with some great images of yours  PS love the way you have modified it so that if you break it the Gaffa tape is already installed

MCWB wrote:I may be reading this wrongly, but it seems for the outdoor shots you shot with the flash head pointing straight up? This is not the advised usage with a Lightsphere (or clone), you're supposed to shoot through the dome at the subject. As you correctly say, unless you've got something to bounce off you lose waaaay too much light! Apologies if I've misinterpreted your technique!

o.k amendment there
imade a mistake i wasnt usign the sphere the right way either way if the doem was pointing right at the subject you would still loose light from the sides

i conclude its prob not best for high contrast outdoor use unless you really adjust exposure and flash output to compensate

Glen wrote:Good review Wendell with some great images of yours  PS love the way you have modified it so that if you break it the Gaffa tape is already installed

your a funny man

but really how col does it look with gaffa tape on it, it looks mean

Great work Wendell, and if you ever need anyone to carry your camera bag, let me know!

Well Done Wendell.
Cheers
Poon

Lol love the lens diffuser mod Works better I think.

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to put that together Wendel. It was interesting.