Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible Gen5

Spreads the flash evenly. Makes shooting portraits and event photography a breeze! In terms of build cost, this is expensive. But definitely worth the money with how easy this makes taking flash photos. One complaint, the dome is a little hard to get seated properly. It's fallen off a couple times. Still 5 stars.

I've heard about these Gary Fong Collapsible Speed Mount Light Sphere (White) light modifiers a long time ago and just ignored them because of the cost and seems a little like a gimmick. While I do sometimes see these used at events by other photographers, it never seemed to be the most popular and so I wrote them off until recently. I had an event where I was going to be using a lot of on-camera flash with possible no light bounce options which I loathe but understand sometimes it's necessary so I decided to try one of these. I had also purchased the mini flash softbox diffuser too and thought maybe this cheaper tool would suffice. My first session I used the mini softbox and while I like it better than the light direct from the flash, it really didn't fill the area as much as I would like. So the next session I used the Fong Sphere and was pleasantly surprised. It did require a bit more light power since some light is lost to the sides and back but the spread of the light on and around the subject was very pleasing. This really made the situation much more tolerable and I was happy I had spent the extra funds to get the sphere. I am sure I will use it more in the future which brings me to another notable point of the sphere. It is a nice thickness of rubber material with hard plastic top and I feel that this material construction will last a good deal of time as long as it is not left out in the sun to bake and dry out.

Obviously I would have like to spend about $30 less on this beauty but the build quality and diffusion are really awesome. It is worth it if you need solid, portable diffusion for your work. Very convenient and packs down easily into any camera bag. That alone adds some serious value to it, imo.

I'm learning photography and I'm very new to flash and off camera flash and while I have been able to bounce flash effectively for more natural effects, sometimes you can't bounce the flash but the straight flash is too harsh. This does a great job diffusing the light and making everything softer, more natural, and eliminate hard shadows. I'm using this with a Neewer TT560 flash (~$30 on Amazon). Despite it being so affordable it has so far been reliable and able to put out a lot of light. While it does have a bounce card attached to the flash, sometimes I need more options for flash. This Light Sphere fits on tight and holds very well. The velcro quality is somewhat questionable but so far it has held up and using it I can easily pick up my flash by the diffuser without worry that it will detach. I don't carry my flash like that but it holds on very well. I also really appreciate the ability to collapse the Light Sphere for compact portability. It is fast to deploy and fast to put away. The materials all seem to be of high quality and I haven't had any concerns of tearing with the softer materials however like I mentioned earlier, the velcro doesn't seem to be of the highest quality and I'd prefer it didn't say "GaryFong.Com" over it because it the print and quality of the velcro makes it look cheap. Nevertheless it does its job and it doesn't matter what it looks like when it does a fantastic job of diffusing flash. I knocked a star mainly for the price. It was difficult to knock the star because it really does an amazing job and seems to be quality made but I can't help but feel this is priced just a bit too high at around $60. I think at $39.99 this would be priced perfectly and would seem like a steal for what you get from it but even $45 price point would have made this a 5 star review. If you are not turned off by the price, this really has been a great product for me and I can recommend it.

What a great device. It does take a bit of practice to use it indoors or outdoors. I hate shadows so when using bare flash or a diffuser like a Stofen, horizontal shots are usually fine for people and groups because the flash goes straight back. When you switch to vertical the shadow goes to the subjects left. This causes a large dark blob behind the person. I have used brackets to eliminate these shadows but it is a hassle to mount the bracket on the camera every shoot. However with the Light Sphere there is hardly any shadows produced. Depending on your location, the best use of this diffuser is in a venue with white ceilings where the light can bounce and also spread the light. With practice you will figure out whether to use the dome or no dome and to bounce or shoot straight on. This thing fits almost all flashes. It does use a lot of battery power but for the what you get in the images it's well worth it. If you want fast recycle times, use an external battery source like a Quantum or the Bolt.

A few nights ago I watched some of Gary Fong's videos talking about the Lightsphere and really liked the guy - he seemed down-to-earth, didn't excessively sugar-coat his product, was honest about past shortcomings, and seemed sincere about wanting photographers to have a quality product. In other words, he didn't annoy me like many people do pitching their products. The Gary Fong Lightsphere just arrived a few hours ago while I was taking some macro pictures of a .45 bullet, so I don't have any real-world experience with it just yet. However, to make up for my lack of an extensive hands-on review I decided to take some comparison pictures and let you do your own review. Nothing scientific, but I hope it helps show how it performs compared to a few different scenarios. Each picture was taken with a Nikon D810, SB700 Speedlight, 1/60, f/2.8, ISO 400 with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, RAW, no Lightroom adjustments, and aimed at the pivot point of the flashlight on the table...I mean my photo lab. :) I really couldn't tell much difference between the ceiling bounce with just the SB700 vs. the Lightsphere w/o the dome, but with a person the Lightsphere should provide a nice catchlight. The biggest difference was when shooting with the flash pointing straight at the subject and you can really see the soft shadows with the dome attached to the Lightsphere. I guess my one gripe at this time would be a wish for a quicker mounting dome given the price. It was sort of like trying to snap on the lid of a Tupperware, working and molding the edges until it's finally lined-up. I'm sure it will get easier with more practice, but throwing it on and letting magnets catch it would seem more appropriate for the price-point. A funny side story - the product was delivered to my neighbor by mistake, and opened by mistake. The daughter yelled to her mom, "What is this Gary Fong thing?" The mom saw a picture of it on the box, along with the name "Gary Fong", panicked a little, and quickly told her daughter to put it back in the Amazon bag as it must be something her dad ordered. That's when they noticed it was for me and brought it over. I thanked the mom and told her anytime she wants to borrow my Fong Dong, just let me know. lol

Works as described. Diffuses the flash nicely, fits snug on the speedlight. It collapses easily and becomes compact. Seems to be durable, the dome surprisingly stays in place (based on the design, it seemed questionable, but I've had no issues with it coming out during event shoots). The only downside is that it's fairly bulky.

This is a great attachment to any flash. The results are amazing. It's very simple to set up but the only flaw it has is it's a little big. It's perfect for indoor event photography and it gives out a great deal of light. I would recommend this product to any photographer who is wondering if this really has any effect on your photos. It's a night and day difference when you use this. It brings out the harsh shadows if you're taking photos in the middle of the day. Buy it and see for yourself! You will never go back to anything else because this thing is amazing!

Sono un fotografo professionista e utilizzo spesso diffusori per flash durante gli eventi. Devo ammettere che questo prodotto, giunto alla sua quinta versione, risolve vari problemi che avevo incontrato con altri. Precedentemente utilizzavo un diffusore tipo mini softbox che ha una resa molto piacevole, ma essendo più ingombrante e collocandosi di fronte al raggio infrarossi che viene utilizzato per la messa a fuoco in situazioni di buio, molto spesso capita di ritrovarsi con foto non a fuoco! Con questo diffusore invece il raggio é perfettamente libero di lavorare... Cosa non da poco! Un altro aspetto che ho apprezzato é la rapidità con cui si può passare da un'inquadratura orizzontale a una verticale. Il trucco sta nell'utilizzare il flash in posizione verticale e ruotato di 90 gradi, così da tenere verso il soggetto il lato stretto della testa. La lumisphere anche in foto verticali rimane abbastanza in alto e in asse col soggetto, senza creare quelle fastidiose predominanze di luce e ombre che ritrovavo con altri diffusori più sporgenti sul lato destro o sinistro. La possibilità di far "collassare" il diffusore, lo rende poco ingombrante e di facile trasporto. Personalmente non ho comprato la cupola gialla perché suggerisco, qualora fosse necessario, di montare una striscia di pellicola CTO direttamente sulla lampada con dello scotch, ottenendo un risultato molto preciso in termini di colore e risparmiando di gran lunga sul costo dell'accessorio originale. L'attacco al flash é rapido ed estremamente versatile, anche su modelli e marche differenti; personalmente lo adopero su un 580EX II senza problemi: una volta stretto il laccio in velcro non lo perderete mai. Unica pecca forse il prezzo ma comprensibile visti i risultati e la comodità. Se ci fossero delle domande specifiche, risponderò nell'apposita sezione.

Si que hace su función bien. Además, al ser de silicona, se pliega sobre si mismo para guardarlo mejor. El "pero" está en que ahora, a finales de 2024, hay opciones más baratas y que pesan menos. Lo siento señor Fong, fuieste un visionario, pero los años pasan.

Light diffuser is perfect for indoor use.

Le résultat est vraiment très bon ! diffuse l'éclair du flash à 360° le système de rangement est bien pensé.

It's an amazing product and helps me create beautiful images with soft and balanced light through my flash. Must have for all photographers on the move.