dvcrn Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Hi guys! I own 2 Amaran hr672 lights (one wide, one spot) and love them! But even with the gels, I found them a little too harsh. I am looking for a cheap way to diffuse the lights to make them usable indoors. I saw the Aputure EX-box kit but didn't read good things about it, plus the size of the box seems like it won't really do much. I checked a bit and thought I could maybe shine them through a cheap umbrella, or use some sort of octobox but I have no experience with either option. The octobox I was looking at is this one here: https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Octagonal-Speedlite-Speedlight-Photography/dp/B00PIM3I7W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475333551&sr=8-2&keywords=octobox. Though I am a bit worried if I have both light and box behind each other, that the bounced light will cast a shadow from my HR672 light. The umbrella I was looking at is something simple like https://www.amazon.com/StudioPRO-Photography-Translucent-Umbrella-Modifier/dp/B00FG5DRWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475333524&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=translucent+white+umbrella&psc=1. This makes more sense to me (whatever that means?) as the light doesn't bounce back in the direction of the light. So I could use that to cast a diffused light. I am using the HR672's in the HR672s (spot with 25 degree beam angle) and the HR672w (wide with 75 degree beam angle). If you have any tips for a beginner, please share! Is anyone using HR672's here? If yes, how do you diffuse the lights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamoui Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 50 minutes ago, dvcrn said: Hi guys! I own 2 Amaran hr672 lights (one wide, one spot) and love them! But even with the gels, I found them a little too harsh. I am looking for a good softbox that I can put on top of them to diffuse the light a little. I saw the Aputure EX-box kit but didn't read good things about it, plus the size of the box seems like it won't really do much. Is anyone using HR672's here? If yes, how do you diffuse the lights? Look up the D-Fuse softbox solution. I believe they make an aputure-specific softbox edit: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1258826-REG/d_fuse_df_amaran_d_fuse_collapsable_softbox_for.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvcrn Posted October 1, 2016 Author Share Posted October 1, 2016 2 minutes ago, iamoui said: Look up the D-Fuse softbox solution. I believe they make an aputure-specific softbox edit: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1258826-REG/d_fuse_df_amaran_d_fuse_collapsable_softbox_for.html Whoops - I just edited the initial post. Thanks for the link, will check the D-Fuse box out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozmorphasis Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 The D-Fuse softboxes are great. I own a 672s and the D-Fuse. It will help, but it won't be a truly wraparound kind of softness since the size of the softbox is really not that big. If your subject can handle the light getting in real close, then it will be better. In general, I don't find the power of the 672s to be enough for a key in a lot of situations once you diffuse/soften it. It makes for a fantastic hair light, great for background, and in some situations a good key. I am thinking that I need an LS1s or something similar to be able to soften enough (need to light up enough surface area of a larger source...softbox, diffusion panel/scrim, etc) and still have enough punch to deal with a variety of situations, backgrounds, practicals, and/or distance needed from subject to avoid making them feel uncomfortable and still get foreground/background ratios to sit right. But yes, the D-Fuse are great, and crazy inexpensive. Portability and speed to set up is also really great. dvcrn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvcrn Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 I did some more research yesterday and saw that the HR672 included mount comes with a drilled hole for umbrellas! How did I never see this? Now I'm wondering if a umbrella for some indoor lighting setup (with limited space) might actually be a viable option. I did my homework on umbrella differences but quickly found myself in shoot-through vs silver reflective vs white reflective battles and am more confused now than I was in the beginning. Most resources available focus on photography where the shoot-through umbrella for example is very very close to the source which is most of the time not possible on videos. Reflective silver umbrellas seem to make sense. A good amount of light is reflected because of the surface, and more directional than shoot-through. Anyone here experienced with umbrellas for videos? Would love to hear your thoughts! Michael Coffee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozmorphasis Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Yes, I've also used the 672s with umbrellas. Again, not enough power for a key in some situations, but it does soften it nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IshootbeforeItalk Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I bought the biggest and cheapest umbrella's I could find on aliexpress. They work great. I also want the honeycomb, softbox and still looking for a beauty dish that works with the Amarans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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