# Settle it! Lite-scoop or Light-sphere ?



## ecphoto (Apr 15, 2012)

I've been using both for a while now. I like them both, I usually only use either of them when I'm in a setting where bouncing from the ceiling doesn't work. I don't want to incite a riot over this lol, I simply want to know which other people prefer when a lite modifier is the only option.







or


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## Mike_E (Apr 15, 2012)

The only thing that will soften light is to make the area of illumination larger.

Your strobe/flash has a thin tube that illuminates when energized and that's as big as it gets.  A diffuser takes this light and, essentially, spreads it across the area of the diffuser.  A reflector does basically the same thing.

The first thing you should note after considering this is the area of the reflector/diffuser  ie which is larger.

The second thing to note is that a diffuser becomes a single point light source itself since light is passing through it and the inverse square law is still in effect.  Reflected light on the other hand is much more directional and so the light fall off is less.

They are different tools with different properties so the diffuser cup would be better for close- wide angle shots and the reflector would be better when your subject is further away.

When I use either I find that the reflector works better for what I shoot in most cases.


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## cgipson1 (Apr 15, 2012)

If I could have only one.. it would be the Light Scoop! The larger the better! (And no.. I don't even have a Fong! Don't care for them.. they are good in very limited applications, but have massive light loss)


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## tirediron (Apr 15, 2012)

Of the two, I would definitely go with the scoop.


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## Tony S (Apr 15, 2012)

If I could only have one it would be the Lite-Scoop....... but I have two, and they are both Lite Scoops.


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## ecphoto (Apr 16, 2012)

I made my lite-scoop my self using these plans I found online. For about 8 bucks. I found foam panels at walmart and self adhesive velcro for about 8 bucks. Using an X-acto knife and a ruler I made it look almost professionally made lol. I would love to buy one from litegenius, but I'm broke lol. 
These plans are for a 9x12" scoop so its pretty big. I love that the foam is soft so it never loses its shape from rolling or bending it for storage.


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## Village Idiot (Apr 16, 2012)

Index card and rubber band. That way I'd save about $40.


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## Big Mike (Apr 16, 2012)

As mentioned, they are two different tools for two different jobs.  

The lightsphere is designed to spread light out in all direction...in the hope that there will be surfaces there for the light to bounce off of, and come back to your subject nice and soft.  If there are not surfaces to bounce off of, then all that light is wasted and the subject only gets the light that went forward out of the LS.  Wasted light means slower recycle times and shorter battery life.

The Scoop is designed to increase the size of the light source, as much as feasible on camera, without requiring a surface to bounce the light off of.  

So in a situation where there are nice surfaces to bounce off of, the Fong Dong might be the better choice, but if you don't have bounce surfaces, the Scoop will soften the light better than the LS.


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## Village Idiot (Apr 16, 2012)

Big Mike said:


> As mentioned, they are two different tools for two different jobs.
> 
> The lightsphere is designed to separate a fooltographer and his money...in the hope that there will be more fooltographers there for the idea of amazing marketing to bounce off of, and come back to purchase more tupperware containers for their flashes.



I agree completely!


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## Big Mike (Apr 16, 2012)

Is that what I said?  

Actually, the one time/situation where I would use a LS, would be in a smaller room (good bounce surfaces all around) when I want to easily switch between landscape and portrait orientation.  Because the light is bouncing everywhere, you (can hope to) eliminate the shadows.  Where as with just a flash (or something like the Scoop), if you turn the camera vertical, the flash is then off to the side, which is going to give your subject a side shadow behind them.  You can use a flash bracket to keep the flash above the lens, but with some types of brackets, the flash is turned and an accessory will likely put most of the light off-axis anyway.  

But, you have to think about whether or not you _want_ to eliminate all the shadows.  Shadows and highlights (tonal variation) is how we impart depth into a two dimensional photograph.


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## ecphoto (Apr 16, 2012)

I paid 8 bucks for my LightSphere. Its a knock off from tmart.com lol. I can't bring my self to spend that kind of money on a piece of molded plastic.


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## Village Idiot (Apr 17, 2012)

ecphoto said:


> I paid 8 bucks for my LightSphere. Its a knock off from tmart.com lol. I can't bring my self to spend that kind of money on a piece of molded plastic.



Mine was a $1.95 from Chinatown Restuarant.


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## ecphoto (Apr 17, 2012)

Village Idiot said:


> ecphoto said:
> 
> 
> > I paid 8 bucks for my LightSphere. Its a knock off from tmart.com lol. I can't bring my self to spend that kind of money on a piece of molded plastic.
> ...


 
Which China town?


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