DIY diffuser for the pop up flash

OlyFlyer · 17th January 2007

A while ago I have commented another persons DIY diffuser on another forum. This guy simply covered his flash and proudly presented the results. Not that there was anything wrong with the image quality, much better than the direct flash could provide but the methode was all wrong. The pop up flash gets quite hot so I would not cover that, at least not if the flash is not allowed to cool down in between shots. When I read about his diffuser, I came up with a better idea. It works very well, not risking to cause fire and can be used in any orientation. It takes only a few minutes for somebody who is handy and maybe one hour for somebody who is not handy to make. It is made out of plastic coated fence wire. It is not necessary to use plastic coated wire but it protects your camera, bag and everything else it comes into contact with during use and storage. As a diffuser a white paper napkin can be used, fixing it to the wire frame with some scotch tape.

You can see more pictures of it here. I don't think there is a need for detailed instructions on how to do it, my pictures are explaining all there is to know.

I have also found another link and this guy has also done a good job. I believe it takes longer to make but the results may be better than with my diffuser since the light loss is much less with his more closed solution. I would be very careful even with his because just like the simple, covered flash, I guess it can get very hot inside that hood.

I just thought I share the idea here, in case somebody is interested.

btfiend · 18th January 2007

Originally Posted by OlyFlyer

This guy simply covered his flash and proudly presented the results.

Theres no faster way to blow the flash bulb.

Your DIY diffuser looks interesting. Tried mylar yet?

OlyFlyer · 18th January 2007

Originally Posted by btfiend

Theres no faster way to blow the flash bulb.

Your DIY diffuser looks interesting. Tried mylar yet?

No, I haven't. Actually, what is "mylar"? The only thing I found about is:

Quote:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate (boPET) polyester film is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, gas and aroma barrier properties and electrical insulation.

A variety of companies manufacture boPET and other polyester films under different trade names. In the US and Britain, the most well-known trade names are Mylar and Melinex.

What I know it is a reflective material, so using that in front of the flash would reflect the light back into my face. Or? Did I miss something? Anyway, I am not using the pop-up flash except in case of emergency. The only reason for this quick project was to warn others about the risks and to show there is a safer way to do the same as the guy who covered the flash did. I have several external flashes, so I am not going to spend more time on any DIY fix for the pop-up flash. Maybe with one exception, that is to lead the light to the front of the lens to form a sort of TTL ring flash for macro and close up.

megaweb · 18th January 2007

Adding a diffuser to internal or pop up flash will weaken the flash exposure, thus only for short range photography.

OlyFlyer · 18th January 2007

Well, the pop up flash is only for short range anyway.

Adding any kind of diffuser or reflector shortens EVERY flash's range dramatically but will improve the end result. The loss of light can be compensated easily. Firstly, the camera does a quite good job on that due to the TTL. Manual compensation is also easy, just set +1 or +2 for the flash and it is solved for most cases. Increasing ISO is also an option. What you also gain is that aside from nice and soft shadows is that you will never get red eyes. But yes, the more powerful your flash is the more you can do with it. That is the main reason why I have a total of four external flashes and the weakest has GN30(m) based on ISO 100 and 14mm lens, not 13 like the pop-up flash.

If you want to make it or not is up to you, but I would never recommend covering the flash with a napkin to get softer shadows which is what that guy did. I just wanted to show there are better and safer ways to get that effect.

17th January 2007	#1
OlyFlyer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Europe, Sweden, outside Lund Posts: 2,055	DIY diffuser for the pop up flash A while ago I have commented another persons DIY diffuser on another forum. This guy simply covered his flash and proudly presented the results. Not that there was anything wrong with the image quality, much better than the direct flash could provide but the methode was all wrong. The pop up flash gets quite hot so I would not cover that, at least not if the flash is not allowed to cool down in between shots. When I read about his diffuser, I came up with a better idea. It works very well, not risking to cause fire and can be used in any orientation. It takes only a few minutes for somebody who is handy and maybe one hour for somebody who is not handy to make. It is made out of plastic coated fence wire. It is not necessary to use plastic coated wire but it protects your camera, bag and everything else it comes into contact with during use and storage. As a diffuser a white paper napkin can be used, fixing it to the wire frame with some scotch tape. You can see more pictures of it here. I don't think there is a need for detailed instructions on how to do it, my pictures are explaining all there is to know. I have also found another link and this guy has also done a good job. I believe it takes longer to make but the results may be better than with my diffuser since the light loss is much less with his more closed solution. I would be very careful even with his because just like the simple, covered flash, I guess it can get very hot inside that hood. I just thought I share the idea here, in case somebody is interested. Last edited by OlyFlyer; 17th January 2007 at 05:33 PM.

18th January 2007	#4
megaweb Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Posts: 8,125	Re: DIY diffuser for the pop up flash Adding a diffuser to internal or pop up flash will weaken the flash exposure, thus only for short range photography.

18th January 2007	#5
OlyFlyer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Europe, Sweden, outside Lund Posts: 2,055	Re: DIY diffuser for the pop up flash Well, the pop up flash is only for short range anyway. Adding any kind of diffuser or reflector shortens EVERY flash's range dramatically but will improve the end result. The loss of light can be compensated easily. Firstly, the camera does a quite good job on that due to the TTL. Manual compensation is also easy, just set +1 or +2 for the flash and it is solved for most cases. Increasing ISO is also an option. What you also gain is that aside from nice and soft shadows is that you will never get red eyes. But yes, the more powerful your flash is the more you can do with it. That is the main reason why I have a total of four external flashes and the weakest has GN30(m) based on ISO 100 and 14mm lens, not 13 like the pop-up flash. If you want to make it or not is up to you, but I would never recommend covering the flash with a napkin to get softer shadows which is what that guy did. I just wanted to show there are better and safer ways to get that effect.