At 15:59 12/4/02, Robert F. Man wrote:
At 09:06 AM 12/4/2002 -0800, Winsor Crosby wrote:
...I read an informative article with lots of pictures some time ago that
dealt with diffusers. They don't really work unless they are really
large and really close like umbrellas and light boxes. The harshness is
inversely dependant on the size of the light source and directly
dependant on the distance. Notwithstanding all the gadgets for sale out
there, unless you can bounce a lot of light off other sources like
ceilings and walls you are pretty much stuck.
--
Well OK, but all I want is less harsh pictures, like the one my wife gets
w/ her digi-cam :-) I mean it is embarrassing for me to tout the virtues
of my OM system, while her dinky little C-3000 gets better flash pics!
I agree with Winsor about size of diffuser versus distance. For my
cousin's wedding I used a Sunpak 555 potato masher with a Lumiquest Softbox
(the full size one, not the mini). Near zero suitable ceiling or wall to
use for bounce in churches and large reception halls. When using it I must
watch to keep in close, otherwise its effect is lost. Stuck with the fast
50mm for that reason, even though there's some perspective risk getting in
close.
Remember that not only is light quality important, but its direction is
also. Using the handle mounted flash for close in shots of dancing couples
created some nice modeling of facial features, and its offset creates a
different light direction compared to using the rotating camera bracket
that keeps the flash directly above the lens. I will likely use it again
for shooting dancing couples to see how consistent the effect is. BTW,
when using the rotating bracket, I usually have a Metz bounce card mounted
on the 40 MZ. Its panel is about the same size as the Lumiquest Softbox
panel and it raises the light source a little more. Both are significantly
better than a shoe mounted T series flash.
You ought to be able to get better flash pix than the C-3000. Most cameras
with built-in flash are pretty harsh, provide very frontal lighting and are
high risk for red-eye.
-- John
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|