Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 Ai

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 1/60
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 560
Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere)

 Not all of us can afford the latest greatest lenses Nikon has to offer, so sometimes we have to make due.  When I go to sporting events I like to shoot them.  I happened to be going to a Phoenix Suns game but I was in the real nose bleed seats, 12 rows from the very top.  Not really a premiere vantage point for shooting the game, but I wanted to anyway.  I had nothing near long enough to do anything decent, so I snagged this Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 Ai for a steal of $159 through Adorama's used site.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 1/60
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 140
Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere)

 On my Nikon F4 that I paired it with for that game it works very well.  It is of course manual focus, but it will operate in all the PSAM modes just fine.  My Nikon D80 that I use most often now is a different story.  You don't get any metering at all, so you are on your own with full manual exposure.  That being said, I can safely and successfully use this lens whenever the need arises.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 1/60
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 450
Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere)

 This lens isn't very fast, 4.5 is slow.  Also, and probably the biggest detractor from this lens is close focusing.  It only focuses down to 13 feet.  So if you wanted to do any close-up work with it you will need to use extension tubes to do it.  But, since there aren't any electronics or AF, you can use them just fine.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 1/60
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 500
Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere)

SPECS:

• Focal Length: 300mm
• Aperture: f/4.5 - f/22, 6 blades
• Close Focus: 13'
• Lens Type: Ai
• Filter Size: 52mm
• Weight: 39.8oz (1126g)

Shooting at my standard test target here.  Not quite as square as I'd like, but it will get the job done.  :-)

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 Ai-S
Focal Length: 300mm
Shutter: 2 sec
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

 I really like the optics on this lens.  They are definitely crisp as you can see on this center crop of our test image.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 Ai-S
Focal Length: 300mm
Shutter: 2 sec
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

 And that crispness goes right to the edge of a DX frame.  A very slight red/green color shift can be seen at the edges of the black areas.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 Ai-S
Focal Length: 300mm
Shutter: 2 sec
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

If you can deal with all manual operation then this lens can really add to your arsenal for nearly the same price as an 18-55mm VR.  While I want to upgrade to a newer 300mm AF-S lens myself, I find it hard to justify when I look at what I can do with this lens.  If you don't mind going full manual, or you intend on using a full manual film camera then go for it!

Thanks for reading.

Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR DX

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: Nikon 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/50

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

View my Gallery of photos taken with the Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR DX.

In the short time I have used the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, it has become my favorite DX lens.  It is light, gets fairly wide, and has VR so I can shoot hand held very slow.  At 18mm I have successfully shot this lens hand held at 1 second.  This is an AF-S lens so it will auto-focus on every Nikon auto-focus camera.  Being that it is DX it will not produce a full image circle on FX or film.  It is also a G lens which means no aperture ring, so cameras with no electronic aperture control cannot use this lens in "A" or "M" modes, but since all DX cameras have aperture control, this shouldn't be a problem.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: Nikon 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/50

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

This lens is all plastic including the mount, so it is a lightweight.  The lens is shortest at about 30mm and focused to infinity.  The front element rotates with focusing and the lens gets longer as you get wider or longer than 30mm.  This lens does require a switch to be moved to go from auto-focus to manual-focus.  So far I have only used it in manual-focus for close-ups.  The manual-focus ring is really just a small line of knurls on the front element, but it is so easy and smooth it isn't a big deal.  What is a big deal is that the throw from closest to furthest focus is not much, only about 90 degrees.  I'm not sure if I'll manual focus much beyond focusing for closest focus.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: Nikon 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/50

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

In my current arsenal this lens spends the most time on the camera, it is just perfect for low light and hand held.  I love wide angles so I wish it was 14-16mm on the wide end but that would make it much more expensive as well so 18mm is probably a good compromise.

SPECS:

• Focal Length: 18-55mm
• Aperture (18mm): f/3.5 - f/22, 7 blades
• Aperture (55mm): f/5.6 - f/36, 7 blades
• Close Focus: 6"
• Lens Type: AF-S
• Filter Size: 52mm
• Weight: 9.4oz (265g)

Here are some test images for comparison.  This is the overall image and is shot at the closest focus distance, so only about 7 inches or so from the target.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 2.2 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

I don't see any discernible distortion in this shot.  Everything looks straight.

The next image is the very center at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-.6 G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 2.2 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

I am going to do some re-shoots, but all of my images shot at my "target" appear just a little soft.  This is the case even though the focus confirmation was lit.  Even though it is soft, it is nothing to worry about for most images and I don't let it bother me.

And this final image is from the left corner at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR
Focal Length: 55mm
Shutter: 2.2 seconds
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Flash: None

A little softer still at the edge.  For most images it is a non issue.  If I want to make a large 50" print I'd see it, but I don't view 50" prints from closer than 6-7 feet, so it wouldn't be noticeable at that distance.

In the end I'd freely recommend this lens.  It is a lightweight go anywhere lens that can shoot most everything I shoot.  I've shot landscapes as well as waist-up portraits with it.  And hand held with VR it is a joy.  Most of the time you can get it kitted with a camera, so that makes it really cheap.  Are you a beginner?  If yes, just use this lens until you outgrow it.  I know that is hard to do, we all want new toys, but you'll progress faster just learning this lens and everything you can do with it first.

View my Gallery of photos taken with the Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR DX.

Nikon EM: Can You Live With This Little Gem?

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/5.6

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

This is the Nikon EM.  This camera is very very small as small as many rangefinder cameras.  Is it worth a shot?  This was my first Nikon camera.  It will work with any Ai, Ai-S, AF, AF-n, AF-D, or AF-I lenses.  Non-G AF-S lenses will also work with this camera, but not G series AF-S lenses.  Note though that this is a manual-focus only camera, so while the auto-focus lenses work properly, they will not auto-focus on this camera.  This camera is an auto exposure camera that provides Aperture Priority mode only.  The extent of it's controls are a shutter release, a switch that provides Bulb/M90/Auto modes, an ISO selector, a self timer, and a back-light button.

I do like this little camera, you have to get creative for some situations, but it can do most anything.  When I was shooting film I usually took this when I wanted to travel light.  I would usually pair it with the 24mm AF-D lens seen here.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/5.6

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

You have three modes of operation, of which most of the time you will use Auto.  In Auto you select the aperture and the camera will select the appropriate shutter speed and display it for you with a matchstick in the viewfinder.  It displays from 1 second to 1/1000 second in one stop increments with 1 - 1/30 second in red.  If your shutter speed goes faster than 1/1000 second the camera will beep to warn you of the over exposure, and if you go into the red zone at 1/30 second or slower the camera will also beep to warn of possible camera shake.  One of the more interesting features of this little camera is the back-light button.  This is the little silver button on the front of the camera.  When you press this button in Auto mode it slows the shutter speed 2 stops to increase the exposure 2 stops so if you a back-light subject they wont just be a black shadow in your picture.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/11

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere, off-camera)

You also have a M90 mode.  This mode is a mechanical shutter release at 1/90 of a second for in case the battery dies.  You can also use this if you are using an older, or non-Nikon flash that doesn't command the camera to use 1/90 second.  In the 6 years I've owned this camera, the battery is still good, so it isn't really needed for the battery but I did use with a generic flash.

There is also a Bulb mode that is also mechanical that will hold the shutter open as long as you want.  It does have a provision for a shutter release cable so you can do timed exposures, and since the shutter operates mechanically for Bulb those timed exposures can go for as long as you like.

This camera is before TTL flash, so you have to go manual.  It will automatically set the shutter speed to 1/90 second when you put the flash on if you are using a Nikon flash that provides that information to the camera.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/11

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (w/ Gary Fong Lightsphere, off-camera)

I have 2 complaints with this camera.  I don't like the ISO selection.  You lift it up to change it, but the detents aren't deep enough and sometimes it gets inadvertently changed.  Since there is no viewfinder verification, there is nothing to warn you.  The other is that there is no shutter release lock.  So if you advance the film and then decide not to take the shot there is no way to lock the release.  I wish the B/M90/Auto switch had one more position, but it doesn't.

You can get creative with this little guy if you want to.  There is no manual mode except for M90, and there is no exposure compensation... or is there?  You may notice my little origami film reference card, the reason for this is because the ISO that is selected may not be what is in the camera.  I often used the ISO selector as my exposure compensation to adjust for different lighting situations.

SPECS:

• Media: Film
• ISO Range: 25-1600
• Shutter Speed Range: 1-1/1000
• Operating Modes: Aperture Preferred only.
• Flash: Manual
• Weight: 16.7oz (473g)

This camera won't be for everyone, it requires you work around it's limited controls.  But if you want the absolute lightest SLR film camera you can get that uses the Nikon lens system it is hard to beat this one.  In the end I chose to use this camera because it gave me the opportunity to always have my superb Nikon optics even when I needed to travel at my lightest.  Some people will look down on this camera, but don't let that stop you.  It is about image quality, and this can provide you Nikon optics in a package not much larger than a point and shoot.  And in the end EVERY film SLR body is nothing but a controlled shutter.  As long as the shutter timing is correct your optics are the only difference in the photo, and this EM uses the same quality optics of my F4s.  

Nikon 100mm f/2.8 Series E: Small, Light, And Powerful

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

When I am shooting film, this is usually my number 2 lens.  It is the smallest, lightest 100mm/105mm lens you can get.  It is manual focus, but for shooting things that don't move, that isn't a big deal.  The ergonomics on this little guy are butter smooth.  The focus ring feels precise and the aperture ring moves smoothly with sharp detents.  The optics are wonderful.  In everyday shooting I don't see any discernible distortion or light fall-off.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

Being a Series E lens means that this is also an Ai-S lens.  An Ai-S lens will not function anything on the D80 I use, or any of the lower tier cameras.  Unless you are shooting a pro tier camera, you will have no metering and your camera will only operate in M mode.  This isn't a complete tragedy as with a little practice you can use it manual.  The product shot below was actually done with this lens, on a D80, and even with a SB-600 flash (which also has to be used in manual mode), and it came out fine.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

There is an option, you can have this lens chipped and then it will fully operate on the low and mid tier cameras (no AF of course since it is manual focus) with full metering and full PSAM.  I am considering this since I really do like this lens for its light weight and I think it will work well on DX as a headshot lens.  If/when I do have this lens operated on I will update the review.

SPECS:

• Focal Length: 100mm
• Aperture: f/2.8 - f/22, 7 blades
• Close Focus: 38"
• Lens Type: Ai-S
• Filter Size: 52mm
• Weight: 7.9oz (223g)

Here are some test images for comparison.  This is the overall image and is shot at the closest focus distance, so about 3 feet or so from the target.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 4 seconds

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

Except for the fact I have the camera a little crooked, there is no discernible distortion in this shot.

The next image is the very center at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 4 seconds

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

As expected, the lens is very clean in the center, looks great.

And this final image is from the left corner at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 4 seconds

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

Here is the proof that the Series E lenses are of excellent optical quality.  There is nothing to complain about in this image.

I love this lens on my F4.  I could live my entire life with just this lens, and the 24mm f/2.8 AF-D on a 35mm/FX camera and never need another lens.  This one is a keeper which is why I am considering the Ai-P (chipping) upgrade.

Nikon 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

View my Gallery of photos taken with the Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n.

This lens has been serving me for many years, and in day to day shooting, the optics are great.  Although the auto-focus is fairly slow, I have used it to successfully shoot football games with no complaints.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-D

Focal Length: 116mm

Shutter: 1/1000

Aperture: f/11

ISO: 500

Flash: None

Shooting static objects the auto-focus has always been accurate with no complaints.  That is not to say I have no complaints with this lens.  This is the only Nikon lens I have ever owned, that has failed.  I was shooting a NASCAR event and I swapped this lens on and the auto-focus did not function.  After checking all of the camera settings I pulled the lens off and noticed that the auto-focus screw drive wasn't flush with the lens mount like normal, but inset a few mm.  At first I thought that something had happened inside the lens, but then I found the little button on the ground that had actually fallen out.  I have since been able to get the button reattached to the lens, but the manual focus while never smooth is now nothchy and atrocious.

UPDATE:  This lens has now had it's second failure, and again, it is the only lens to ever fail on me so I have concerns for it's durability.  As for the second failure, I was shooting a wedding with it when I noticed that the focus had all of the sudden gotten jammed when zooming.  So if I left the zoom in one position it was fine, but when zooming and focusing at the same time it would stick.  At this same point I noticed that the zoom ring, which should feel solid, seemed to have some play in it.  I moved it back and forth and while it felt horrid I could not see anything out of place.  I went back to attempt a shot with it and when I zoomed in the zoom ring and front element came right off the front of the lens.  Luckily I had a backup camera and another long lens to complete the shoot.  When I got home I found two screws floating inside the barrel and noticed that there are supposed to be 3 holding the zoom ring to the rest of the lens (you can see the screw heads if you look through the front element).  Being someone who never likes to toss something out I have reassembled it, but it will never see professional work again.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

The zoom on this lens is a bellows type.  While it seems that most lenses nowadays are a twist zoom, I actually prefer and feel that I have more control with a bellows zoom, so this is a selling feature for me.  The zoom is spaced well through the entire zoom range with no crowding at either end.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

Being an AF-n lens the aperture ring only has a small button to lock it in the tightest aperture position.  I hate this tiny button.  It is so easy to hit that I constantly have to put it back to f/32.  This is a pain when you are in a hurry.  Invariably when you are in a hurry you'll snap it on, put the camera to your eye, and see FEE in the viewfinder as nothing happens.  This ergonomics problem wont hurt your photos, just keep you from getting them.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: VR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G

Focal Length: 55mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600

SPECS:

• Focal Length: 70-210mm
• Aperture (70mm): f/4 - f/32, 7 blades
• Aperture (210mm): f/5.6 - f/45, 7 blades
• Close Focus: 36"
• Lens Type: AF-n
• Filter Size: 62mm
• Weight: 21.9oz (620g)

Here are some test images for comparison.  This is the overall image and is shot at the closest focus distance, so only about 9 inches or so from the target.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n

Focal Length: 210mm

Shutter: 1.6 sec

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

Maybe a little hint of pincushion distortion but not enough to worry about.

The next image is the very center at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n

Focal Length: 210mm

Shutter: 1.6 sec

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

To my eye this image looks very clean and sharp, but that is pretty much as expected.

And this final image is from the left corner at full resolution.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n

Focal Length: 210mm

Shutter: 1.6 sec

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: None

The corner shows this image is very crisp and clean out to the corner and I cannot see anything here to complain about.

So the final thoughts.  I find this lens serviceable with excellent optics.  As far as reliability, it is the only Nikon lens that has ever failed on me.  Ergonomically I personally like the bellows zoom, but hate the aperture ring lock.  If you need this focal length and can find it cheap go for it, but I will be replacing it with either the VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G or VR 55-300 f/4-5.6G for a DX camera, or the VR 70-300mm f/4-5.6G for FX.  You'll get those reviews when I make the purchase.

View my Gallery of photos taken with the Nikkor 70-210mm f/4-5.6 AF-n.

Gary Fong Lightsphere: Does It Work?

The Gary Fong Lightsphere, an interesting attachment for your on camera flash that gives the promise of studio lighting anywhere!

What it is, is a dome that that attaches to your flash to soften the light.  It comes in "Cloud" or "Clear" versions and you can have several choices of domes that cover the top.  The one I am using here is the Lightsphere Universal Cloud with a Cloud dome.

INDOORS:  Flash photography indoors presents a problem, you have to balance the light from the flash with the available light in the room.  If your indoor setting is lit with incandescent light and you are using a flash, you need to cover the flash with a filter to balance the "daylight" flash to the incandescent room lighting.  If you do not and you light the subject the subject will be lit (most likely with the correct color balance since your camera will Auto WB to daylight) but the surroundings of the the room will turn red orange.  Same with fluorescent except that the surroundings will be more green.  The Lightsphere can help you overcome this by for the most part overpowering the ambient room lighting.  The big dome on the flash with the flash standing straight up blasts the entire room with a soft daylight balanced light, and it really works.  The downside is the amount of power it takes.  Even in a normal size living room so much light is used to light the entire room that you are running near full power blasts which eats up batteries.  Shooting one wedding reception I shot through 2 full sets of batteries and part of a 3rd, so it uses a lot.

OUTDOORS:  Flash is a must for shooting people outdoors.  At short distances with the flash head aimed forward instead of up it can do the trick to give a nice soft light, but I am not sure that the light produced is any softer than the SB-600 provides with the built-in diffuser.  If you have your subject at a decent distance you need remove it, it wont let the light make it.  You can leave it on if you already have it on and just pull the dome off it, that is how I do it if I already have it attached.  Difficult to find a place to put the dome though, if I have jeans on I can usually get it into my back pocket, just don't sit on it.


So down to business, I have shot numerous shots for comparison and am putting them in what I think is the worst to first order.  We have bounce flash at 90 and 45 degrees with and without diffuser, straight on with and without diffuser, a full studio light set up, and the Gary Fong Lightsphere.  All of these have been shot with a 100mm f/2.8 Series E lens.  The aperture has been varied as needed to get proper exposure, but we are looking at lighting in general, so for our comparisons here it is irrelevant. Lets see how it fares!


#8  Here poor Karli is just being blasted head on with the SB-600.  The light is harsh and there is a very crisp shadow on the backdrop from the flash.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/16)

#7  Dropping the diffuser down but still pointed directly at her made it a little better, but not much.  Here features are softend and the shadows are less harsh, but still not great.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/2 w/Diffuser)

#6  Oddly the 45 degree bounce with diffuser is next.  As we continue we see the light getting softer and more attractive and we are starting to get a more attractive photo here.  Obviously the shot would be helped by having an uplight lighting the backdrop to get rid of the shadow, but if we are going through that effort then why not get out the studio lights.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/1 w/Diffuser 45 degree bounce)

 #5  Here is the 45 degree without diffuser.  I really expected 5 and 6 to be reversed, and maybe this was due to the reduced power needed to run without the diffuser, but I like this one better.  There is even less shadow behind, maybe the tighter light source helps get it lit better.  I may play with this a bit more in my studio and see what comes of it.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/1 45 degree bounce)

 #4  And for my eye, they swap around again here.  This is the non-diffused flash at 90 degree bounce.  As the story continues to go, the lighting gets more even as we go.  However, one note to look at, the lighting is noticeably picking up color from the room paint which is brown.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/1 90 degree bounce)

 #3  Not much different from #4 is the 90 degree bounce with diffuser.  To my eye this is just a little better than the prior shot.  Again, getting color cast from the room paint.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/1 w/ diffuser 90 degree bounce)

 #2  The Gary Fong Lightsphere. As you can see here, the lighting is still as smooth and even as #3, maybe even a little more so, but the color cast from bouncing has gone away even though the flash head is in the 90 degree bounce position.  Since most of the bounce is happening off the dome of the Lightsphere you wont pick it up as much.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 100

Flash: SB-600 (M 1/1 Gary Fong Lightsphere)

#1  And of course, here is why studio strobes still sell.  Nice even lighting across Karli, no color casts, and no distracting shadows.  But we can't drag strobes everywhere, in fact, event shooting will demand portability, and in those cases the Gary Fong Lightsphere can be the ticket to getting great shots.

Camera: Nikon D80      

Lens: 100mm f/2.8 Series E

Focal Length: 100mm

Shutter: 1/60

Aperture: f/8

ISO: 100

Flash: 2 500 w/s Studio Strobes w/ Brolly Boxes

So my final thought on it?  Flash photography is the most difficult thing to get right.  You can destroy a picture with improper flash.  Indoors the Gary Fong Lightsphere does make the job easy at the expense of flash battery life.  Outdoors it is a toss up, you can use the Lightsphere or a diffuser for short distances.  Longer distances you will want to go to direct flash or a bounce card.  At $40 or so you can't really go wrong, and it will help almost anyone get great shots indoors.  A pro that shoots flash indoors can probably get better results with technique, but for most people the Lightsphere will let them do a better job.