#1 Stephen

Would certainly be no good amongst the push and shove of a press pack, I know which I would use every time ;)

8:48 pm - Friday, March 19, 2004

#2 Oleg Kikin

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?

9:17 pm - Friday, March 19, 2004

#3 Marco F.

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)

7:27 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#4 Matti Harju

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.

8:15 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#5 Mark Goldstein

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.

10:07 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#6 Stephen

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

10:12 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#7 Mark Goldstein

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.

10:27 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#8 Matti Harju

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.

11:37 am - Saturday, March 20, 2004

#9 Michael J Ebbs

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

6:42 pm - Sunday, April 25, 2004

#10 Mark Goldstein

Thanks Mike - that's exactly what I am aiming for in my reviews :-) I'm glad you found it useful.

8:55 pm - Sunday, April 25, 2004

#11 Jacob

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.

12:45 pm - Sunday, August 8, 2004

#12 bill

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

12:33 am - Tuesday, August 17, 2004

#13 Mark

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

2:56 pm - Tuesday, October 5, 2004

#14 Kate

Thanks so much for your practical review. I have found it sooo helpful!

10:55 pm - Saturday, January 15, 2005

#15 Mark Goldstein

Glad to be of assistance Kate :)

1:07 pm - Monday, January 17, 2005

#16 Mogens Thomsen

First class review of the item. My flashfoto's today i like walking fra night too day.. Tanks

7:16 pm - Saturday, January 29, 2005

#17 Russ

Hello

Has anyone used the similar "mini softbox" made by Lumiquest? If so, what did you think of it?

Thanks
Russ

4:14 pm - Monday, January 31, 2005

#18 dave

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.

5:53 pm - Saturday, March 5, 2005

#19 Mark

It was actually pointed straight at the subject.

10:58 am - Tuesday, March 8, 2005

#20 Russ

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

3:41 pm - Tuesday, March 8, 2005

#21 Mark

The version that I tested came with a set of velcro pads, which you stuck to the flashgun head.

9:00 am - Wednesday, March 9, 2005

#22 charlene kuye

a really useful review-thanks

12:51 pm - Wednesday, November 15, 2006

#23 Neil Mackenzie

would off loved to seen the flash use off camera

3:33 am - Tuesday, November 9, 2010