Lighting & Studio flash modifiers

[kzurro]

I've done a small comparison between the 3 flash modifiers that I currently have. I've tried to get the exposures and the framing the same in all pictures, though I moved the camera a bit when I installed the last modifier.

I hope this might help you decide which modifier you'd like to use or skip.

the gear: Sony A6000 + FE 90mm f/2.8 + Godox V860IIS (mounted on the camera hot-shoe) Manfrotto X190PROB + Junior Geared Head + unknown Chinese manual macro rail.
the settings, these are the same for all 4 photos: sync. speed 1/160, aperture f/8, ISO 100, focus at MFD, flash zoom 20mm.
I had to change the flash power for each modifier. all photos edited in Camera Raw, with the following corrections only: exposure -1EV, daylight WB and lens corrections applied.

first photo, flash only, 1/8 flash power:



second photo, using a modifier similar to this one, 1/4+0.7EV flash power:



third photo, using a modifier like this one, 1/4 flash power:



fourth photo, using a modifier like this one, 1/4+0.3EV flash power:



as Dalantech pointed in another thread, the apparent size of the light source makes a big difference. the 4th modifier is the biggest of the 3 and provides the softest light. as the modifier is not far enough from the flash, it doesn't fully diffuse the light and that produces the specular reflections.

 

[kzurro]

now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm.

for some reason, that doesn't make sense, but I'm not sure if this is how it should work and I'm too numb to see it or if there actually is something wrong.

 

[Dalantech]

Even in the last shot the light isn't diffused enough -there's a loss of detail in the specular areas (a solid white patch in the leading eye). Definitely a hot spot in that diffuser.

"now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm." Do you mean focal length or working distance?

 

[kzurro]

Even in the last shot the light isn't diffused enough -there's a loss of detail in the specular areas (a solid white patch in the leading eye). Definitely a hot spot in that diffuser.

"now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm." Do you mean focal length or working distance?

the flash has a zoom setting.

 

[Dalantech]

Even in the last shot the light isn't diffused enough -there's a loss of detail in the specular areas (a solid white patch in the leading eye). Definitely a hot spot in that diffuser.

"now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm." Do you mean focal length or working distance?

the flash has a zoom setting.

At the 200mm setting it's throwing out a wider beam, and more narrow at 20mm

 

[kzurro]

Even in the last shot the light isn't diffused enough -there's a loss of detail in the specular areas (a solid white patch in the leading eye). Definitely a hot spot in that diffuser.

"now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm." Do you mean focal length or working distance?

the flash has a zoom setting.

it is supposed to be the other way around. you set it to 20mm to cover the field of view of a 20mm lens and to 200mm to cover the field of view of a 200mm lens.
also the GN of the flash is 60 (190) at 200mm and the GN goes down as the zoom goes wider.

 

[Dalantech]

Even in the last shot the light isn't diffused enough -there's a loss of detail in the specular areas (a solid white patch in the leading eye). Definitely a hot spot in that diffuser.

"now something I didn't expect: the flash was brighter at 20mm than at 200mm." Do you mean focal length or working distance?

the flash has a zoom setting.

Sorry, I got that backwards. Maybe it's brighter because at 200mm there's a motor in the flash head that's pulling the flash tube back into the flash at 200mm and pushing it toward the front at 20mm.

 

[Jack]

Thanks for the info K kzurro . I think it's better to write this in resources page, as is more informative and will get lost in forum threads.

 

[Helix_2648]

Thanks for your effort and your tutorial. Really cool and helpful!