Fits great on my flash and makes a noticeable difference in the quality of my photos. A portrait taken wiht a dead-on flash (without a diffuser) looks pale and washed-out, but the diffuser allows the light to be spread out across the whole picture, not just the subject alone.
The first few times I used this particular diffuser on my Canon Speedlite, it kept popping off. I quickly realized, however, that this was a user error. The diffuser snaps right on when put on correctly :-)
I would highly recommend this diffuser! SBM Supreme Light Diffuser for the Canon 430EX Flash
This product is a good option and has the exact same diffusing characteristics as the Sto-Fen one. We made test shots with both and have found that the Sto-Fen was a bit more red-yellowish, the SBM one (this product) has a more natural-to-slightly-bluish tint, but nothing that cannot be overcome by White Balance (the difference is very subtle).
The Sto-Fen is much thicker and, therefore, we believed the light might be diffused differently. It isn't. We would not have been able tell one from the other had it not been for the slightly different tint.
Just to get this clear for other customers: the 430EX version of this diffuser fits perfectly both the 430EX and 430EX II, but, since the design of the flash is not symmetric, you need to put the curved part of the diffuser to the upper part of the flash.
That said, I agree with other reviewers that it fits a bit loose and, therefore, is prone to accidental falloffs. My experience was that the Sto-fen product was exactly the same though, hence our need to purchase a new one, as the old Sto-fen fell from the flash.
So, to sum it up:
- Great Quality
- Slightly loose fit.
Hope this helps others.
Used this for a party and was very pleased with most of the shots. Probably most effective when used at a 45 degree angle. Gives a warmer feel to the shots, you might have to adjust the white balance. A great alternative when you don't have a white ceiling to bounce the flash.
At first it was just a novelty, but the more I grown to use it, the better my indoor photo are becoming. Not more harsh shadows. It takes some time to get use to using it, but with a little practice, you will see the improve with your indoor photos.
I realize this is an inexpensive item but I just haven't been able to get good results from it. I feel like it was basically a waste of money. I know it's not meant to make a huge difference, but since I haven't seen any improvement by using it verse using direct flash in any situation. I am not very experienced with flash photography so I don't think this review should sway you one way or the other, but if asked I would not recommend this product. I would have rated it worse, but the product does fit well and is priced reasonably, and may work well for others so I couldn't merit overly bashing it.
I went ahead and purchased this with my flash as my first diffuser to start using. It works great for the price and really helps to tone down some of the direct light. I even use it on my Flash outside for portraits and still get great shots with it. If you've already spent the money on the flash this fits on, go ahead and get the diffuser too. You'll be glad you did.
provides ample diffusion, causes a lot of light loss, falls off easily, very expensive for a piece of plastic. I am going to try making my own with a less opaque plastic, and with a larger surface area a la Gary Fong. - Flash - Canon - Speedlite - Camera Accessories'
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