Diffuser question

[scubaguy655]

Of all the material I read, I get conflicting information on how much a diffuser will do for me........so, here is my question.

I have the Oly 5050 PT015 w/Inon D180 flash (single). Most/all of my dives are in relatively clear tropical water. Will I see much benefit with a diffuser on the flash?

Thanks for the help.

 

[justleesa]

Well last week Wildcard and I went out to try his new strobe and I screwed my diffuser on his stobe ( newer model) and he says he saw a big difference when using the diffuser. I have the same set up as you and would say that the light is much "softer" with the diffuser.

 

[Jcsgt]

I like to shoot silvery fish, like 'cudas. I found that with the diffuser, I get a much more natural look to the fish, not as much reflection off their scales.

 

[Gilligan]

Of all the material I read, I get conflicting information on how much a diffuser will do for me........so, here is my question.

I have the Oly 5050 PT015 w/Inon D180 flash (single). Most/all of my dives are in relatively clear tropical water. Will I see much benefit with a diffuser on the flash?

Thanks for the help.

I am using the C4000Z with Inon Inon D-180.

I quit using my diffuser as it robbed me of too much light for the more distant strobe shots, especially when using the wide angle lens.

I was using it on the macro shots and believe I did get a better photo on the lighter colored subjects. I just didn't think it was worth carrying in my BCD pocket and threading it on and off on a shot by shot basis.

Overall, it was more trouble than it was worth.

 

[djanni]

Imagine Gilligan's "NOT an EXPERT" picture here.

The Manual for the Z-240 recommends the -0.5 diffuser for most situations. For what it's worth, the red filter is recommended in all situations except when the blue filter is needed for some cameras including most Canon models.

Me... I'm just waiting to illuminate the tower on the Oriskany in 2 weeks. Meaning I haven't used it yet.

 

[discrepancy]

scubaguy655

Diffusers are not too hard to work out...They spread a small, intense light source into a wider "diffused" one.

A diffuser doesn't add any light at all - it just absorbs flash energy (bad) and spreads it wider (good).

This is normal in photography: everything's a compromise and there are no free lunches.

Typically, with a diffuser, the downside is you will lose 1 or 2 f-stops flashing through a diffuser. In well-lit conditions that is acceptable. In marginal conditions it's death.

The upside is that if you have lots of light to shoot with, a diffuser will give you noticeably softer (but weaker) light. Also, you will have a slightly wider field of light to work in.

It comes down to your photographic desires and the conditions you're in.

 

[scubaguy655]

Thanks for the replies everyone. This really confirms what I thought....which is that I might see some slight difference but probably not enough to make it worthwhile. It is rare that I end up with an overflash situation unless it is shooting silver scaled fish.

I may try a diffuser at some point just to see, but I don't think I am going to make it a priority.

Thanks again.