DIY Macro Flash Modifier
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- Опубліковано 8 жов 2019
- How to build your own $5 macro flash modifier for any speedlight. Light as a feather, built like a tank, highly versatile, and great fun to build (and use!). You should give this a try unless you're not allowed to play with knives.
The cutting diagram can be found here... www.allanwallsphotography.com...
this is the Macro flash diffuser tutorial I've been looking for! it's AMAZING!!!! thank you so much for sharing this!
I just saw your videos for focus stacking the other day and was thinking about making my own light diffuser, and you just so happen to give me all the info I needed. Especially thankful for the idea with the translucent binder and aluminum tape which I have PLENTY of.
Awesome! Thanks for the comment. You will love using this thing - very useful in the field!
Thank you. I wish I had seen this diy project twenty years ago. Got some work to do now.
So impressive. love your idea, craftsmanship and little story.
Hi Allan, Thank you very much for the perfect instruction. Next days I' ll search in Construction markets for the material. I'm keen on building those reflectors for my macro photography.
Thank you for your other videos too. They are well explaining what I always wanted to know.
great video Allan and I've just made one and its amazing. I'm new to your channel but I will be watching more of your videos. thanks
Excellent job, I am impressed with all your jobs 👌👌
Nice tutorial with clear instructions. Think I will try one myself.
Impressed me. Great works & details. Thanks for sharing. Will make 1 to try.
Awhile back, while my dog and I were at her doctor's office, I noticed that the veterinarian's hair looked great, and I asked for a recommendation to his barber. He said that he cuts his own hair with a dog groomer's clippers.
I don't know how he did the rear of his head so well, so I'll be going to your channel page to search for your tutorial.
Hair's to you for providing a great diffuser fabricating tutorial (I've the same flash unit, and have just gotten into macro photography), thanks!
Thanks for a well produced video. It's given me some ideas.
Allen, I did some tweaking while making your flash modifier that I felt was worth passing along. I found that if you use a heavy-duty set of scissors it relieves any tearing that happens if your exacto blade is dull. You will still need to cut any inside dimensions with the exacto knife. The next thingI did was double up on the thickness of the part that mounts onto the flash, this makes it really stable. The next thing I did because I was unable to locate the material for the sides that you recommended was to use the same material I used on the top and bottom.
Wow, so helpful, gonna give this a try!
Hi Allan, Happy New Year to you! A couple of months ago I made one of your excellent flash modifiers out of craft foam and shiny tape etc. It works very well thankyou. I wondered thereafter, whether the diffuser could be modified to add what I would describe as an aperture that sits in the plane of the diffuser front panels? What I had in mind was, using some opaque card/sheet, cut out a pair of right angles and then slide these on top of each other so to produce some further collimation of the flash beam? The cut outs could be attached using Velcro to to the front face of the diffuser so different apertures (or indeed slots) could be set as required. Is this a solution looking for a problem I wonder? If the right angle corner were radiused at 5mm, it would be possible to produce a pencil 'beam' of flash light? I'd be interested in your thoughts please?
Think I've watched a few of these designs I think I definitely like yours best Cheers sir Thanks ....
Brilliant! I'll be building one just as soon as some of the crafts shop open again for business.
Stay safe.
BTW, like that framed batik print on the wall!
Thanks, it’s brilliant and saved a bundle, appreciated
This is what im looking for. Thank you sir!
Awesome Allan, thank you very much......!
Thanks Allan sure I try to do one or two but sure it's gone be difficult to make with one hand.But sure i take the challenge.
Nice detailed Video. A ruler is a Monarch, a rule is used to measure. Best macro dity light build for solid build Iv'e seen.
Thanks Mike... all those English nuns who taught me to call it a ruler, while they were whacking my knuckles with it, led me astray. I'll be more careful in the future! Thanks for the kind words!
Made one today. Not as nice as yours, but cheaper. I had used contact cement in the seventies to add a butcher block Formica top to our dining table, a 2nd hand heavy duty business table. Today I remembered that contact cement binds aluminum foil to different surfaces. I used only the foam mat from Harbor Freight and cut the pieces as you suggested. The flash connector I cut from the piece of foam salvaged from the frontal frame and obviated the "bump". Covered all parts that needed a reflective surface with glued-in heavy duty aluminum foil. This is cheaper than the adhesive foil that you used and that I am returning to Home Depot tomorrow. After a dreadful visit to the dentist! There goes the prime lens I wanted to buy. Thank you for your great videos.
Excellent! That is a great idea to glue tinfoil to the inside. I tried doing that, but I used the wrong kind of glue and it all peeled off. I'm actually using one of these diffusers in today's video - they are very helpful. Sorry to hear about your encounter with the dentist - but look on the bright side... you may need to delay getting that prime, but thanks to you, your dentist can get another Leica now!
@@AllanWallsPhotography LOL. My wife was stunned at the bill. I took it in stride. He needs the money for his new building. Today I used the the "contraption" for shooting bees and moths in my backyard. Now I know what I was missing not taking my flash when shooting insects and flowers. Fitted the very light "contraption" with 2 plies of styrofoam of a take-out container attached with sewing pins as the diffuser. Tomorrow, will go to see if orchids are in bloom in my preferred park in Tampa. Thank you.
@@dro7684 I'd love to see how the orchids turn out. They are among my favorite subjects for macro with flash - so many interesting shapes and shadows. If you want to, send a couple of your images to contact@allanwallsphotography.com and I will show them off in an upcoming video.
Allan, did u ever get any more of these? I had written u a few weeks ago about getting one? Thanks! Ron. Steinsplace3@cox.net
@@AllanWallsPhotography I Leica that sense of humor!
lol @ your comment "At University they let me play with Particle Accelerators" .... now you're playing with sticky bits of rubber mat, silver paper and velcro - couldn't help but laugh :) :) :)
Terrific video of a great DIY project - thanks Allan, great channel you have.
Fantastic!
what cool video am going try and make one thank you
From a fabric store you can find silver and gold lame cloth. It's very reflective. I've also seen it in other colors. Just wondering if you ever used it.
Peter Young
Hi Allan, Great video, no annoying background music, nice precise explanation. Great dry sense of humour, keep em coming mate!
Cheers Peter! Thanks for watching!
you are awesome!
Hey everyone... I've been asked to post a cutting blueprint for the flash modifier. I am too old to figure out how to add an image to these comments so you will have to go to my website (www.allanwallsphotography.com) and click on the BLOG page. The drawing will be there. If you want a full size drawing, message me through the website and I'll send it to you. Thanks!
Excellent method... would love to have the diffuser curves
Brilliant thank you so much for sharing ❤ it
Great DIY project Allan. Will need to try this as I currently dont have a ring light for my flash. I do have a mini softbox that I can put over my flash though so somewhat redundant but this will shoot out a brighter light due to the reflective tape. Dont you want a softer light for macro flowers? Maybe for product (watches/jewelery/etc) would be good to use the foil one? Thanks
The foil is to prevent absorption of the light by the black foam. But it also scatters the light, resulting in a softer, omnidirectional light, that then passes through a diffuser. It results in a very soft, flattering light for macro subjects.
Nice. That's the diffusor I would like to get ! Most of models project light too far forward. That one seems to be better.
Fantastic! You should get them made commercially. I'd love to buy one
Thanks Brian! I just made a video this afternoon, out in the woods, where I used the latest prototype. They really are ideal for field macro. I'll add your name to the list and when I get around to making another batch, I'll be happy to send you one. I've given away 13 so far - I had to make the one I used today! I should look into making them commercially!
@@AllanWallsPhotography
Considering that I've the same TT600 flash, I'd be interested in buying one - what would the total cost be to Florida?
(The Florida in the USA).
how do you not have more lkes and follower??? you are awesome
Hey Lisa. You are much too kind! I started this channel as an experiment about 8 months ago. For the first 4 months I had about 20 subscribers. But I loved making the videos and I felt like I had something to offer. So I never paid attention to the analytics and just kept making content that I thought would be useful. In the last couple of months my subscribers have gone from 200 to nearly 2,000, and I couldn't be happier. I don't know where this is going, so I will just keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens. Thank you for the kind words - messages like this give me a lot of hope!
Absolutely brilliant! Just made your macro flash modifier and it is great. The light is very good and I didn't have to go broke to get it. The only change I made, was to add 4 inches to the length for my 180 mm lens. Thank You.
Excellent! I'm glad it worked for you! I use mine all the time. Very handy!
Many thanks for this, Allan. 'A night on the tile(s)' was never this economical. I visited a forum earlier which debated which £150 ready-made diffuser (flash modifier) was best. My conclusion, at that ludicrous price, was none of them.
I won't ask whether the craft knife or the sharpened spatula caused the injury on the Elastoplated(?) back of your right hand.
Good video. Sorry I missed this three years ago. I saw a lot to like here but the design only works well for horizontal macro and I shoot some both horizontal and vertical so I would like s design equally even and directed from a 45 degree angle (my upper right on horizontal and upper left on vertical). That lack of symmetry will make the design much more complex but I suspect the materials can handle it. Want a real challenge? Design one that is foldable and takes minimal use in the case when not in use.
Contact Adhesives are usually pressed together after they are touch dry.
That's what I learned doing this video - I had been using them incorrectly for 50 years!
When using this, do you leave your lens hood on? I've a Signa 180mm lens and I wondering how this neat item would work given that the lens (+ hood) is so long...
Hi Allan, it's quite a neat job fully fitted for your purpose.can you please add a sketcy file or cut out messurements in the description please?
Hi! I can't figure out how to add the diagram into the show notes but if you copy and paste this link it will take you directly to the diagram my website.
www.allanwallsphotography.com/blog/2019/10/9/the-flash-modifier-cutting-diagram
If this doesn't work, please let me know and I'll email it to you.
I’m impressed 👌
Fantastic looking diffuser, A bit of work to do it but it turns out real professional. Could you by chance put an image copy of your template just save us time drawing it out?
Hi Dean. Drop me an email (contact@allanwallsphotography.com) and I will send you the template in a separate file.
Hello Allan
What was the brand of the glue? Would like to make one too:) thank you
Hi Celina. The glue made by DAP Weldwood and it's called Contact Cement. Any contact cement will do though. I use this one because it comes in small bottles, and costs about $5. The material I used was EVP, the same thing as foam rubber, in Europe. Hope that helps!
Just came across this video. Excellent video with very detailed information on how to make this diffuser. However it's a non starter for me because I cannot find a single black floor tile. I cannot find any black floor tiles. I am looking at other materials about 2 mm thick that have some flexibility which might be suitable.
Hi Bellva. If you have a hobby shop in your area, they usually carry sheets of foam, for use in crafts. The regular material is too thin to hold up, but they also carry a double thickness sheet which I have used to make a few of these diffusers. I can't recall the name of the product, I'm afraid. Good luck!
I found the floor tile at a regional sports store. However, 4 tiles were $30. I also found 6 mil thick (9 x 12) high density black foam at JoAnn Fabric which should work for everything except the sides. The current layout won't work for me since I have a long macro lens and a flash head which is less than 2 inches above the lens. This gives me about 22 degrees and the design uses 45 degrees. Still the best design on UA-cam.
Hello Allan, thank you very much for your videos, you could explain some day how to do the flash ring diffuser please?
Thanks! That is something that I have been meaning to do for over a year. I will certainly move this request to the top of the list and start gathering the materials. Thanks for the reminder!
@@AllanWallsPhotography thank you very much Allan. Greatly appreciated
Just curious was it DAP contact adhesive ?
So what is the purpose of all these DIY diffusers when they can be purchased for fairly cheap online? Do the DIY diffusers provide better quality or performance?
Absolutely - I only make stuff like this if the end product is either better at doing what I need it for, or cheaper to make than to buy. In this case, I wanted a speedlight diffuser that allowed me to direct my flash down onto a macro subject when using a 100mm macro lens, without the end of the lens casting a shadow. I also wanted to be able to quickly change the diffusion material (density and color) while working in the field. This device meets those needs better than anything I can find on the market. I made about 100 of the things and gave away 99 of them. I have heard no complaints so far!
If you want even better reflectivity (about 10-20%) use reflective mylar - for nicer diffusion already from the reflections choose the diamond patterned option.
Great idea! I just ordered some. That never occurred to me before! Thanks!
Thank you! I'm going to make one asap. The one iuse now is way to heavy. Is there ant chance I could get a digital file of the blueprint if you have one?
Hi and thanks for the comment. I stupidly tossed the original one right after making the video! I will make a fresh one tomorrow and I'll post it in the comments section tomorrow. I should have done that in the first place!
@@AllanWallsPhotography Ah, Thank you so much! I really dig your videos, they inspired me a lot to do macro.
Allen, why did you hold back the foil tape from the edges on the first two pieces for glue if you never assembled the sides to the inside where you held back the tape?
That is an excellent question, with a complicated technical answer that may be hard to follow. So I'll paraphrase - I'm an idiot. I was woking from my head, not the plans, and forgot which bit ended up getting glued. And that was the predictable outcome. It is my "cut twice, measure never, and redo the whole thing" approach to making stuff!
@@AllanWallsPhotography It's nice to see I'm not the only one that makes those types of mistakes. All is well that ends will and your project ended will, thanks you.
I wonder if the angel does matter. That is if the with of the flash is is X and the end of the diffuser is 2X? It seems that in your blueprint, that the flash is X and the diffuser is almost 1,5X. Just looking and estimate. What happens if the width of the diffuser is 3X of the flash? Than is the volume or area that is inside the diffuser. Does it matter what or do I have to take care of the power of the flash?
Really interesting point that you raise! Certainly the size of the light source does make a difference, but it comes down to a matter of scale. It is true that this diffuser does not have a huge spread at the output end, but it doesn't really have to, given that most of the subjects that I shoot are under 10mm in size. If I were using it for larger subjects, like flowers, for example, it might be a little harsh at this size. The power of the flash will always be important, but I seldom use much more than minimum power (1/128th power) with my Godox V860IIN speedlights. I have upgraded this device a couple of times - it might soon be time for a new video!
Hi Allan, Would it be possible to send a link to enable me to copy & print the drawing you have done for your macro defuser, thank you in advance.
Hi Dennis. Here is a link to the .pdf. Let me know if you have any problems. drive.google.com/open?id=16Zx2qOlwvYu4FMrgicdeNHa-PKYSuN_t
Can you please provode the link of material (black board) that you used?
Hi Yogesh, I bought these foam tiles from a hardware shop in the US. The name of the shop is Harbor Freight and the item is known as "Anti-fatigue Foam Mat Set". You get 4 mats for $8 (US). This a link to the page... www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-anti-fatigue-foam-mat-set-94635.html Many other stores, like Amazon, also sells a similar product. If this doesn't help, let me know and I'll help you find something similar. Good luck!
I am impressed Mr.Allan, I lake uounsaid in your video you send if you want on, if you still have any left I would like to have one, please 🙏
Thanks
Do you have a zoom / pdf of the necessary shape. I want to make one but I think I will fail.
I finally made one, using a screenshot where you show the full diagram and measurements. Took about two hours. Thanks for the very detailed instructions. Having no velcro yet to finish things I'm holding my milk bottle material in place with some thumbtacks
Alan, I saw in another one of your videos that you changed out the diffuser that you used in this video. Since I am attempting to avoid people at the moment and only hanging out with insects, I decided to build your flash diffuser. It was a breeze after watching your video. That thing is as solid as a rock. I have not put a diffuser on and am wondering what you have found to work best. If you have a moment, let me know after your trial and error what you might recommend. Thanks.
Hi Stephen. I made a bunch of these modifiers but ended up giving them all away. But I recently made another batch and was out using one this morning. I do love the flexibility of the device. Anyway, after trying dozens of diffusers I have finally decided to stick with architectural tracing paper. It is a little heavier than regular paper but has amazing diffusion characteristics. I actually use it to make all my diffusion panels (scrims), one of which is 6ft x 6ft. But for the flash modifier you could use any good quality artists tracing paper. I sometimes use two layers but like to be able to switch back and forth, so I cut the tracing paper pieces to size and attach them to the modifier with drawing pins. They hold very well but are a breeze to remove when I want to add another layer of diffusion. You could also tape them on. Let me know how it works for you.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you, Alan. I appreciate the quick reply.
Any chance you have a scale pdf of the plans we could print?
Hey Joshua. I do have a cutting diagram that should give you everything you need. If you could shoot me an email (contact@allanwallsphotography.com) with "diffuser" in the subject line, I will send you the .pdf right away.
Couldn't read name of Glue can you let me know please TIA .
I don't know if your offer still stands, but I'm rubbish at building things and would be glad to send you $20 for one of those!
awesome, did you have any template for this? thank you
Hi Ardani - you can find it here... www.allanwallsphotography.com/blog/2019/10/9/the-flash-modifier-cutting-diagram
@@AllanWallsPhotography thank you very much,
all this time i use popup flash diffuser for my close up macro,, but since today my godox on the way, i guess i will try to make your flash diffuser, thank you
Trick.....lacquer thinner to unstick your mistake if it dont melt the rubber. Use sample piece first.
Safe around glue and knives. Ha Ha! Nice job.
Hello Allan I love your invention, can u send me one? Please let me know. Thank you in advance.
Hi Ernest! I am so sorry, but I just sent the last one I had to a subscriber in Australia! I am going to be making another batch, using a lighter material, in the next few weeks. If you go to my website (www.allanwallsphotography.com) and send me an email with your address, I'll make sure you get one of the new prototypes. Thanks for getting in touch!
@@AllanWallsPhotography What is the lighter material you decided to use instead?
@@sjsphotog I have made a number of improvements to the design, but the most important was to select a much lighter, 3mm foam sheet and adding a couple strips of the heavier foam for bracing. It wasn't heavy with the original design, just a couple of ounces, but with the new build it weighs less than a folding soft box, and works far better.
whats the name of the glue....PLEASE!!!!
amzn.to/3vaiGmO that is the stuff!
Still waiting for dog clippers vid
what is the name of the material?
The foam? It is closed cell EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) - you get it at hobby shops in thickness from 2mm to 2 feet. Light, strong and easy to cut and shape.
I just don't have the time to make this. Can I pay you $30 and send one to me?
You should have put the aluminium foil to the edges of the inside
I made a couple of different versions after making this video and that is exactly what I did - and it helped. Thanks!
J
That was amazing.
wal marts are everywhere mate...
Aluminium....not aluminum!
You'll not get a blue peter badge as you didn't do it in under 5 mins
Hahaha... That's a throwback! I loved that program as a youngster but never got close to getting a badge!
44 minutes. Dude.
Hi Allan, well I tried to watch this video but the music in the beginning put me off. I find it a little odd because you look the same age as me however the music choice you made seems like its for teenagers or the twenty something crowd. Hey if its your thing then all right but I cant get past it so I cant watch this, to bad because it looks interesting. I wanted to sub but not if this type of music will be played all the time. Music is a funny thing and not everyone enjoys all the different types, I will purposely avoid restaurants and shops that play music for a particular age group. I have music running in my videos and I know that not everyone will enjoy it but whats a guy to do.
I must be a lot older than both of you, WELL over 70 and I thought it was great!!!! Good channel Allan 👍 (as Peter Young says bellow - I like the "dry sense of humour" too)
I don't like the music but... wow such useful videos! Check out his "Nikon, I'm sorry" video if you want to know what kind of person Allan is.
Seriously, if you want a BIG help in getting up to speed in shooting small, Allan is the best I've found. I'll be doing a donation soon.
I'm 56 years old and I loved the music and the video. I was hoping in the comments somewhere somebody would tell me the name of the song so I can buy it.
Again great job on the video!! And I think it's fantastic that you have lent your skills to everyone and giving away so many of these! you're a good guy !
Ты крутой! А разборную конструкцию не пробовал сделать? На съёмку идти с таким рефлектором не очень удбно, лучше быстросборная конструкция....