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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Zuiko and Lumiquest Big Bounce

A couple of Lumiquest Big Bounce in action!

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED14-35mm F2.0 SWD
FL-50R & FL-36R diffused with Lumiquest Big Bounce

It was about time I got a diffuser to go with the wireless flash. The diffusing kit that came along with the FL-50R was not sufficient for wireless use, as the light dispersion with the kit bounce card and diffuser box was not large and soft enough.

I was thinking of getting the brolly and umbrella kit for my wireless flash setup, but decided against it as I was more of a mobile type of shooter. I like things compact and simple. The whole setup should be able to fit into my Think Tank Urban Disguise 35 bag without being bulky and heavy.

Enter... the Lumiquest Big Bounce.

FL-50R on Velbon Sherpa 250n tripod & FL-36R on Manfrotto 209 tripod
TTL setup: FL-50R channel 1A +2EV; FL-36R channel 1B +2EV.

The design is so compact, that once folded it is only the size of an A4-size paper with a thickness of about 1/4 of an inch. I can fit both Big Bounce in the laptop compartment at the rear part of the UD35 bag. It is so convenient.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED14-35mm F2.0 SWD
27mm, f/3.2, 1/1250s, ISO200, -1.7EV

Outdoor shooting with FP mode is good, as I thought the diffused light loss up to 3EV might provide an under-exposed lighting. But, the pulsed lights held itself, and was strong enough to compensate for the loss. The FP system enabled me to use larger f-stop to get the shallow depth-of-field to render the background blurry. Great!!!

Indoors, it was not much problem with lighting as I did not have to worry about strong sunlight.

E-3 with Zuiko Digital 35-100mm F2.0
62mm, f/2.0, 1/125s, ISO100, -1EV

The light distribution from this little gadget astounded me! Looking at how the light was broken up and softened, I am very satisfied. It can cope with the big boys brolly setups of umbrellas and softboxes. In no means I am saying this is much superior than the big boys setup, but understanding its limitation, any competent photographer is able to harness the Big Bounce strength.

E-30 with Zuiko Digital ED50mm F2.0 MACRO
50mm, f/2.0, 1/250s, ISO200, -2EV

All I can say about the Lumiquest Big Bounce is that it is a definite winner!!

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