Yongnuo RF-603 + Olympus OM-D: Reloaded

Do you remember my RF-603 modification post? In that post I was able to modify my Canon version of the Yongnuou RF-603 trigger to make it work with my Olympus camera to trigger external flashes.

Now thanks to member Earlack and his post in this dpreview thread, I was able to further modify the camera cable of the triggers so that they can also wirelessly trigger my camera. Full details after the jump.

Testing the DIY Spinlight

Recently, we posted about a DIY alternative to the Black Foamie Thing and Spinlight 360 using a Flashright Pro.  What you see above is yet another such DIY alternative.  This one was posted on the Strobist Flickr forum by photographer David Huy.

Hit the jump to see how I assembled mine, and how it performs against the modified Flashright.

Flash Series - Part 2: Home Made (DIY) Gels & Gel Holder

In this second part of the flash series (here's the first one) I will discuss home made gels and how do they perform in the real world, I might get a little philosophical (i.e. non-scientific) during the article, so please excuse me. Hit the jump for details and a bonus gel holder idea.

Easiest DIY Infrared Filter

If you have a popup flash that can act as a wireless flash commander but want to block the popup from contributing to the exposure, there are a few options out there such as the Nikon SG-3IR infrared panel (which can also work for Canon with some modification).  You can also create your own infrared panel using negative film that has been exposed and developed.  But the easiest DIY version is to use a floppy disk.

It's a little hard to find a 5.25 inch diskette, but 3.5 inch disks can still be found every now and then.  Try thrift stores and dollar stores.  Once you find some, it's easy to take a disk apart even without tools.

What I then do is to fold the magnetic disk into half, then half again to 1/4th its original size, then wrap it around the popup flash with tape. Voila... an instant DIY infrared filter.

With this filter, the visible light from the popup flash will be reduced significantly, but you'll still be able to trigger other flashes optically.

Double Bounce Card: a more versatile bounce card

Here's a simple and easy improvement over bounce cards such as Peter Gregg's www.abetterbouncecard.com: a double bounce card.  It consists of two foam bounce cards facing each other.

Here are its advantages over a regular bounce card:
1. Can be used in portrait orientation whether the camera is tilted clockwise or counterclockwise.

2. You can use the bounce card sideways on camera left or camera right order to add directionality.

3. Doubles as a snoot.

DOUBLE BOUNCE CARD AS SNOOT:

To give you an idea of how it performs as a snoot, here are comparison shots of a flash at 24mm and at 105mm, with and without the double bounce card as snoot:

Flash at 24mm without snoot:

Flash at 24mm with snoot:

Flash at 105mm without snoot:

Flash at 105mm with snoot:

Here are a few sample shots where I used the double bounce card as a snoot (flash was off-camera, triggered via CLS).

I don't have samples where I used the double bounce card as a bounce card because I believe in almost any situation where a bounce card can be used effectively, you can just bounce the flash directly and get better results.  (To learn why, please read this introduction to basic lighting)

EFFECT ON FLASH EXPOSURE:
The folded bounce card does cover the front of the flash.  Does this affect the flash exposure?  It depends.  On TTL mode, there is no effect on flash exposure because the flash exposure is measured through the camera lens, which is not covered by the folded bounce card.  On auto mode, where the flash exposure is measured by the flash itself, the folded bounce card will interfere with the flash exposure.  To learn more about TTL vs. auto mode, pls. read the TTL FAQ.

The folded bounce card may also interfere with the AF illumination (some external flashes project a red light on the subject to help the camera focus especially when it's dark).  Finally, the folded bounce card may also interfere with the ability to trigger the flash optically (if you're using it off-camera).