Review: Fstoppers flash disc
Posted: April 23rd, 2015, 3:32 pm
I use softboxes on my flashes almost all of the time now, but they can be a pain to set up in the field, so in the never ending quest to find a quick and easy softbox, I purchased an fstoppers flash disc. I think it looks a bit gimmicky, is overpriced, and I couldn't find any in depth reviews or test shots online other than those provided by the company. But it seemed like it would be much easier and quicker to set up than the other two softboxes I own and I had some amazon points to burn so I pulled the trigger.
(photo borrowed from their website)
Test shots with the three softboxes I own (RAW files converted directly to jpeg, no editing done):
Bare flash: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flast at 1/16 power
Lumiquest softbox III: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/4 power
Lastolite ezybox: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/2 power
Fstoppers flash disc: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/4 power
My thoughts:
Lumiquest softbox III: I've owned a pair of these for 3 1/2 years. They are falling apart and the velcro has long given out, but with a little duct tape, they still work well. For $35, they are well worth it. They fold up nice and flat, taking up almost no room in the bag, and give very good results. (note: The test shot was a little overexposed. I probably could have dropped the flash power as it seems to let more light through than the other two softboxes)
Lastolite ezybox: Looks nice and is well constructed, but at $75, very overpriced. I also don't like the way this attaches to my flash, it doesn't feel very solid. I had to increase the power of my flash for the test shots using this softbox due to the dual layers of diffusion (which I don't think does anything except block more light). This also seems to have the harshest shadow of the three. Even though it folds flat, it is not very compact and takes up a decent amount of space in the bag. More of a portable studio softbox, than a field device.
Fstoppers flash disc: At $50, this is overpriced, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Possibly the best of the three. It is nice and compact when folded up, and pops open like a collapsible reflector when pulled out. It is very easy to attach to the flash head, but sits a little too far down. You can't easily angle the flash head when it is attached (if you don't insert the flash all the way, the elastic that holds it in place will block the flash). This is not a problem if you have the flash on a tripod or in hand, but on the hot shoe with a close subject, you cannot angle the flash down. Perhaps the biggest problem with this device is commonly mentioned in the product reviews, which is that top does not stay open on its own, as you can kind of see here:
This does not allow the light to bounce around inside properly and produced an unusual shadow:
Flash disc with the top held open held open (same shot as above):
Flash disc with the top closed:
Overall, I am pleased with the test results, if I can just find the best way to wedge the top open when in the field. I don't understand having the gray card on the back. If you are using a gray card for exposure or white balance, you want to be using the flash, not having it in the photo. So you would need an extra flash disc to use as the gray card while you have one on your flash. Perhaps they could have reduced the cost if they just used one material. Anyways, I'm rambling, but I am excited to try this on an actual animal and see the results. The flash disc should produce a round catch light, which might be a nice change to the large rectangles of my other diffusers.
-Kevin
(photo borrowed from their website)
Test shots with the three softboxes I own (RAW files converted directly to jpeg, no editing done):
Bare flash: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flast at 1/16 power
Lumiquest softbox III: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/4 power
Lastolite ezybox: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/2 power
Fstoppers flash disc: 1/125, f/18, ISO100, flash at 1/4 power
My thoughts:
Lumiquest softbox III: I've owned a pair of these for 3 1/2 years. They are falling apart and the velcro has long given out, but with a little duct tape, they still work well. For $35, they are well worth it. They fold up nice and flat, taking up almost no room in the bag, and give very good results. (note: The test shot was a little overexposed. I probably could have dropped the flash power as it seems to let more light through than the other two softboxes)
Lastolite ezybox: Looks nice and is well constructed, but at $75, very overpriced. I also don't like the way this attaches to my flash, it doesn't feel very solid. I had to increase the power of my flash for the test shots using this softbox due to the dual layers of diffusion (which I don't think does anything except block more light). This also seems to have the harshest shadow of the three. Even though it folds flat, it is not very compact and takes up a decent amount of space in the bag. More of a portable studio softbox, than a field device.
Fstoppers flash disc: At $50, this is overpriced, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Possibly the best of the three. It is nice and compact when folded up, and pops open like a collapsible reflector when pulled out. It is very easy to attach to the flash head, but sits a little too far down. You can't easily angle the flash head when it is attached (if you don't insert the flash all the way, the elastic that holds it in place will block the flash). This is not a problem if you have the flash on a tripod or in hand, but on the hot shoe with a close subject, you cannot angle the flash down. Perhaps the biggest problem with this device is commonly mentioned in the product reviews, which is that top does not stay open on its own, as you can kind of see here:
This does not allow the light to bounce around inside properly and produced an unusual shadow:
Flash disc with the top held open held open (same shot as above):
Flash disc with the top closed:
Overall, I am pleased with the test results, if I can just find the best way to wedge the top open when in the field. I don't understand having the gray card on the back. If you are using a gray card for exposure or white balance, you want to be using the flash, not having it in the photo. So you would need an extra flash disc to use as the gray card while you have one on your flash. Perhaps they could have reduced the cost if they just used one material. Anyways, I'm rambling, but I am excited to try this on an actual animal and see the results. The flash disc should produce a round catch light, which might be a nice change to the large rectangles of my other diffusers.
-Kevin