-
Would certainly be no good amongst the push and shove of a press pack, I know which I would use every time 
Stephen at 07:48pm on Friday, March 19, 2004
-
What i would like to see is whether it's good for portraits or not. The builtin flash is practically useless for portraiture, and i'm curious if this softbox would be helpful. I'm pretty sure it will soften the light, but will it be enough?
Oleg Kikin at 08:17pm on Friday, March 19, 2004
-
Could you post some images with portraits? Would be nice to see how that would look like.
So far, it looks pretty good, and will probably make it into my bag 
at Oleg: it's not for the internal flash, but for system flashes (the ones you pop on the hot shoe)
Marco F. at 06:27am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
Remember, that You can use Sto-Fen effectively only, if there is a ceiling to bounce light off. Or if the ceiling is wrong colour, then You can't use Sto-Fen. Or if You are outside, then Sto-Fen isn't any use.
Matti Harju at 07:15am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
Thanks for the comments everyone 
I would like to try the Micro Apollo for portraits, but unfortunately I don't have a willing model readily available. I'll see what I can do but I can't promise anything.
Oleg - As Marco F has pointed out, the Micro Apollo is only for use with a flashgun mounted on the hotshoe - it won't work with a built-in flash unit.
Mark Goldstein at 09:07am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
Of course it is some use Matti. I have mine on almost permanently when photographing people both indoors and outside. The Stofen Omnibounce diffuser softens the output of the flash whenever it is used and for fill in I often use it pointed upwards when outside. Remember the flash does not need to take over and only a little soft light to fill in shadows is often all that is needed
Stephen at 09:12am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
I did check the Stofen website after reading your feedback Matti, and it does say that it should be used indoors, bounced off a ceiling at a 45 degree angle.
http://www.stofen.com/Info/infoWithWithOut.htm
http://www.stofen.com/Info/HowItWorks.htm
But then, like Stephen, I've been using it outside for fill-in flash purposes, and it seems to effectively soften the flash, add a sparkle to the subjects eyes, and adds a very slight warm glow.
Mark Goldstein at 09:27am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
Of course You can use Sto-Fen for fill-flash, but on some situations You can't use it as You can use Lastolite Micro Apollo. There are a lot situations, where You can't bounce light.
Matti Harju at 10:37am on Saturday, March 20, 2004
-
First class review of the item. I liked the fact that your tests were practical and not some unrealistic set-up that issometimes used in such matters. Your conclusions are thus far more beneficial to an enthusiast like me who does not always understand where reviewers are coming from.
Regards
Mike Ebbs
Michael J Ebbs at 04:42pm on Sunday, April 25, 2004
-
Thanks Mike - that's exactly what I am aiming for in my reviews I'm glad you found it useful.
Mark Goldstein at 06:55pm on Sunday, April 25, 2004
-
Such a diffuser is a must for (outdoors) close-up and macro, for which an omnibounce is useless because it doesn't enlarge the light source area.
Jacob at 10:45am on Sunday, August 08, 2004
-
Excellent, comprensive and useful review. I am in the process of buying a variety of lighting for a Historical Society which will be doing a lot of macro artifact and old document photography. I have the SONY F828 with the F32X Flash. Your review was helpful as I am evaluating cool lights from Sell It On The Net and decided to look at additional flash options. By the way, I think the SONY F32X flash is excellent for the camera.
Thanks
Bill
bill at 10:33pm on Monday, August 16, 2004
-
You acheived similar effects with the Stoffen omnibounce and the apollo because both tests were performed in a house with light colored low ceiling and close walls.
If you are in the typical wedding senario of a dark cave-like reception hall, the light from the omnibounce which reaches the subject is a the the same point source as the bare flash. Everything else is lost.
The Apollo under these conditions still give a larger more difuse light source
Mark at 12:56pm on Tuesday, October 05, 2004
-
Thanks so much for your practical review. I have found it sooo helpful!
Kate at 09:55pm on Saturday, January 15, 2005
-
Glad to be of assistance Kate
Mark Goldstein at 12:07pm on Monday, January 17, 2005
-
First class review of the item. My flashfoto's today i like walking fra night too day.. Tanks
Mogens Thomsen at 06:16pm on Saturday, January 29, 2005
-
Hello
Has anyone used the similar "mini softbox" made by Lumiquest? If so, what did you think of it?
Thanks
Russ
Russ at 03:14pm on Monday, January 31, 2005
-
GREAT review and comparison of two different types of diffusers. It was exactly what I and many others on Photo.net were looking for. One QUESTION: When you shot your photos (shown in your review) with the Sto-fen omnibounce, did you have the flash pointed straight ahead or angled 45 degrees up? My guess is it was angled upward, but please confirm.
dave at 04:53pm on Saturday, March 05, 2005
-
It was actually pointed straight at the subject.
Mark at 09:58am on Tuesday, March 08, 2005
-
Hoiw do you attach the Apollo micro to your flash. I received one, but it won't stay attached or centered on the flash unit. It appears to be a nice unit, other than the attachment method.
Russ
Russ at 02:41pm on Tuesday, March 08, 2005
-
The version that I tested came with a set of velcro pads, which you stuck to the flashgun head.
Mark at 08:00am on Wednesday, March 09, 2005
-
a really useful review-thanks
charlene kuye at 11:51am on Wednesday, November 15, 2006
RSS Feeds
The Lastolite Micro Apollo is a hot-shoe flash soft box, which fits all makes of flashguns via velcro fasteners and folds flat into a camera bag. It is designed to combat the harsh lighting of flash photography that can be a problem for most photographers. Does the Micro Apollo fulfill its promise of delivering more natural looking photographs? Find out in my review.
