Frequently asked questions about the LITE GENIUS Lite-Scoops
Bob . .
ok so its no use to me until i actually BUY a speedlight hahaha which is on my list of things to do well wait ummm i'm actully renting a speedlight for a wedding for the 22nd. so do you use this through out the entire wedding? or just for formals? i might just invest in one for this upcoming wedding...
April
April . . . to answer your question . . . whenever we use flash we use the Scoop. We shoot through umbellas or skrims for our formals and leave the scoop on the flash for that also. The only exception is if we are shooting flash from the back of a large church and need a lot more light, we would take the Scoop off.
One nice thing about the Scoop is that it will fit the flash you rent . . . and still fit the flash you eventually buy. One size fits all!
Hey Bob, What inspired you to create the "Scoops" ?
"Here's the "scoop" on the Lite-Scoop. . .
My wife assists and shoots with me on all of our weddings. We use only Canon "L" glass which as you all know is very heavy, especially after carrying it for 10-12 hours. Because of the bad shadows that result from shooting in portrait mode (vertical shots) I tried to get her to use a bracket as I did. Her problem was especially bad since she is short and her shadows from shooting vertical would be high on the wall. Terrible!
There was no way she was going to carry a bracket all day with the added weight and the bad balance of a camera with the heavy flash well above the camera. We tried everything, omni bounce, light sphere, Lumi-Quest, bouncing off walls and ceilings, the "betterflashcard" thingy. Some helped under certain circumstances but not others. Nothing helped in both portrait and landscape modes. Nothing worked equally well indoors and out. Nothing worked equally well with high ceilings and low ceilings and colored ceilings and no ceilings! Nothing worked up close at a reception table and equally as well for long shots from the back of the church.
So that she wouldn't either divorce me, or make me get another 2nd shooter, I spent 6 months on trial and error and dozens of prototypes until the "scoop" emerged.
I shoot all my formals through an umbrella or skrim. Much to my surprise a 2nd advantage appeared . . . by leaving the "scoop" attached with my flash behind the umbella or skrim I got nicer, softer light. It spreads the light better and fills the umbrella instead of just hitting the centre of it. Larger light source (the whole umbella) equals softer light.
My photo buddies here started asking what the "scoop" was for, then wanted some for themselves. Everyone seems to love it, so I started to market them locally. It has gone well with loads of enthusiastic customer feed back. It works . . . it works really well. You'll love it too!
If you find you have any of the problems I've mentioned above, for heaven's sake order one of these . . . you'll see an improvement in your flash images instantly. Even comes with instructions. You do need a swivel head external flash, but you should have some of those anyway.
Hello Bob,
Do you normally use ETTL for your on camera flash with the scoop? I usually shoot with manual (F4.5 - 6.3 , 1/125) , iso 400 and Ex580 set up 1/4 pwr.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Yes . . I do use ETTL when I have the flash on-camera. I have the camera on manual with F/4.5 @ 1/200th of a second to prevent camera or subject movement which can ruin many shots if there is much ambient light. Shutter speed does not influence the flash exposure, but does influence ambient light exposure. When I do my formal shots out of doors, I have my flash off camera on a stand or light stick and use manual . . usually also at 1/4 power. Most times I am shooting through a scrim or shoot through umbrella in those situations.
The 580EX has more than enough power for large groups and for shoot throughs, but outside where there is lots of light the ETTL just doesn't work! Manual is definitely the answer.
Bob
Thank you for your quick respond. Sound like a very interest diffuser. Will the scoop shape be demage (out of shape) during transport? Meaning unfolding for storage and transport in camera bag. Will the scoop retain its curve shape after it is flaten?
I have an upcoming event in a restaurant with dark wood ceiling and brick walls. Not much to work with. I want to use the scoop with 1 or 2 Metz 45cl on a stand to fill the room plus the on camera flash ex580. What do u think?
Thanks,
Dave
Hi again Dave,
The Scoop is shipped in a good solid box so will not lose it's shape during transport . . unless someone drives over it with their car. :-)
It will not retain it's shape if flattened, but can be gently re-shaped should that happen. It is not recommended to make a habit of flattening though.
I use Scoops on all my flashes, on or off-camera. If I had only one, I would use it on the on-camera flash and probably bounce the other one or two flashes off a white wall or ceiling. In the room you have described, I would probably shoot my off-camera flashes through a scrim or shoot-through umbrella, or bounce it off a large reflector. The easiest is to have a Scoop on each flash. You can bounce flash off anything . . even a brick wall, but if I was doing that I would definitely be setting up custom white balance before starting to shoot.
Hope that helps. As you are aware, everyone would probably take a different approach, but those are just some ideas of how I would handle it.
That's why wedding photography is one of the most challanging shoots we can do! You never know what's coming up next!
Take care,
Bob
Hi Bob
Just received lite-scoop from you and it works really well.I have a couple of questions though. First I seem to get a small amount of fall off when using 12mm nikon lens on D300 camera even when using proper instructions.Do I need to use a the larger 'super scoop' for extreme wide angle interior photography?. Secondly if the flash head is rotated 90 degrees as per your instructions does this give a narrower band of light emission or would it not be best to have the flash head in normal position( ie without swivel?)
Many thanks
Kind Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark,
Interesting . . as I have never tried it with a 12mm lens. There is no question that you would get a wider spread with the flash head in the normal position, but as a result you would lose the advantage of quick changes to portrait mode. On the other hand, you probably would not be using the portrait mode in those situations.
I am a Canon shooter, and am not that familiar with the Nikon equipment, but with Canon speedlights the widest angle of coverage is for a 24mm lens, but with the Scoop I have used them with a 18mm wide angle with no problems. Maybe the 14mm is pushing a little further than it can handle.
Guess I would have to suggest trying it with the flash in the normal position. The Super-Scoop ll does have a wider spread of light, but I have not tried it either with a 14mm lens, so am not sure if it would be the answer to your problem.
Bob
Does the Lite Scoop produce the same lighting indoors and out? What are the best distances at which to use the Lite Scoop? This would be good for portraits and close ups but not so much for groups I assume?
Thanks, ML
Hi,
The light coming from the Lite-Scoop is the same out of doors as indoors . . . what differs is what happens to the light when it reaches walls, or outer space :-)
Indoors a lot of the light is bounced back to the subject softening the effect of the flash, but outside it just keeps on going causing only the direct light from the Scoop to land on the subject. Out of doors, if the camera is set for the existing light to be the main light, the Scoop does a beautiful job as a fill light. The Scoop can also be used as the main light off-camera, while using the ambient light as the fill. Which is best is determined by where you are (in shadow, in bright sunlight, under cover, etc)
Flash with the Scoop is almost the same as flash without the Scoop. The light is simply softer, producing nicer skin tones, almost totally eliminating red eye and causes shadows to either be further down behind the subject, or worst case , causes them to be much softer and less objectionable. It is very effective for both close-ups and groups as it spreads the light more evenly than straight flash. I get excellent results on groups up to 30 people with nice even lighting . . indoors or out!
Hope that answers your questions.
Thanks for your interest,
Bob
Hi Bob
What is the difference between the "Pro flash reflector/diffuser", (the original Lite-Scoop) and the Lite-Scoop ll ?
The difference between the Pro flash reflector-diffuser and the Lite-Scoop ll is that on the Lite-Scoop ll the strap uses a combination of fabric/elastic and velcro so that you can undo it and let that part of the Scoop lay flat. This makes it easier to carry in a camera bag and it also is better for very large or small speedlights as the strap is fully adjustable. Other than that the Scoops are the same.
Thanks for your interest,
Bob
Hi Lois,
Where did you hear about the Lite-Scoop?
Love to know,
Bob
Hi Bob
You may be interested to know that I went home to England in August and went to a wedding where the photographer was using a lite scoop and we talked about it for ages, he was showing me the difference and it is truly great, so a wedding photographer in England is the reason why I am now buying one from America, isn't it such a small world ? Thanks again,
Lois
Bob,
I recently bought a lite scoop from you for my Canon 580 speedlight. I have a Metz 76 MZ5 and was wondering if you have a Lite Soop to fit this. I recently bought a Metz (Lumiquest) bounce and it is nothing like as good as my scoop.
Thanks,
Alex
Hi Alex,
The Lite-Scoop ll and the Super-Scoop ll both have a fabric/elastic and velcro combination strap that will adjust to the Metz perfectly . . no problem. Glad you like the Scoop. It really does work doesn't it!
Bob
Hey Bob. I got my Lite Scoop yesterday. My son in law asked me "where did you get the shovel?". Ha. I'll be using it either today or tomorrow to take Christmas Portraits of my daughter and her husband. I usuall just place them in the vacinity of the fire place with the fire going of course, and then shoot away. I usually shoot indoor pictures at a slower shutter speed to pick up some of the ambient light and the fireplace. Usually around 30th of a second at F 4 or 5, ISO 400 using a tripod for steadines. I'm 67 years old and not as steady as I once was. What do you think of that setup? If all turns out well I'll email you some of the pictures to view. Have a blessed day. God bless. :)
Hi,
Funny he should say "shovel" . . my photo buddy, Ed, has been calling it a shovel for several years now just to give me a hard time.
Your set-up sounds great except there are a couple of things to consider. Because you slow the shutter to get the ambient light, the camera will then record all of the camera and subject movement. Pictures will appear "out of focus" when in fact they are probably blurred. The flash will freeze any movement, but the effect of camera/subject movement can still be there from the ambient light exposure. At anything below 1/100th of a second, I would use a tripod which will eliminate camera movement, but not subject movement. With the Scoop, enough light is thrown up and over the subject to illuminate the background, and for the fire in the fireplace, 1/100th should pick that up at up to F/4.5.
If I am shooting a single subject I often go down to F/2.8 to throw the background out of focus, but with more than one person I never shoot below F/4.5 or F/5. The shallow depth of field at F/2.8 or F/3.5 will almost guarantee that one of the subjects will not be sharp.
Best advice I could give you is to shoot a number of shots with each of a number of settings. Try the 1/30th . . but do some at 1/100th and 1/200th also just in case. Same with F/stops . . . try several settings. Never judge your exposure by what you see in your LCD on the camera . . . it lies!!! Use the histogram and use the "black jack" formula. (Get as close to 21 as possible without going over.) In the case of the histogram . . get as close to the right side without going past it.
Hope that helps some. Enjoy your Scoop. Try some shots pointing the Scoop away from the subjects towards a wall that will bounce the light back at about a 45 degree angle onto the subjects. If your speedlight has power adjustments . . set it at +1 or better for the bounce shots.
Have fun!,
Bob
I was surprised to find that they are NOT PLASTIC, but a soft flexible fiber of some kind. (like the thick backing of a mouse pad?) They easily bend when bumped, absorbing the blow, rather than damaging one's flash or hot hoe mount, yet seem to have a piano wire in their layered construction, which helps them remember and retain their proper shape. It seems that one could LOOSELY roll them up, placing them in a medium length lens compartment for easy take-along packing! Bob, would that damage them or separate the layered construction? If not, it'd make an EASY way of taking one along, and always having one with you!!!
Hey Mark . .
Not a good idea. The wire inside will bend . . but will not spring back to it's original shape. Best storage is flat without changing the shape of the Scoop. That is why so many go for the Lite-Scoop ll model, as the end bottom end with the strap will lay almost perfectly flat.
The material used is by design, for the reasons you have stated above, and also so that if a kid or somebody runs into it they won't be hurt. I've had a number of kids run into mine at wedding receptions and they don't even notice they hit it.
Hope that answers your really great question !
Just received my LITE SCOOP today!
Tested it and LOVE it!
I've gotta say that I already love this thing!
First impression, nicely packaged and looks like excellent quality materials and workmanship. Took 3 seconds to put on my flash. Nice and snug, it's not slipping around. Professional appearance, nothing that looks embarrassing that everyone at a wedding would stare at or the likes.
And then I did a quick test.
The PROOF is in the pudding.
This is a light fixture hanging from a ceiling. The light is off.
LOVE IT!
Thank you Bob! I think you've got a winner with this product and you've definitely got my strong endorsement of it.
Adam
BEFORE, you'll see very strong harsh shadows on the wall behind it. Looks very amateurish. Bad lighting.
AFTER, the Lite Scoop has softened the shadows to the point that you can hardly see them. Now we're talking nice professional lighting!
This may be a silly question, but do you have your flash pointing up when you use the lite scoop? or do you have it pointed directly at the person....and when you shoot weddings do you take your lights too? or just use the lite scoop only? I just bought a disfuser, but not very impressed with it!!!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
There is no such thing as a silly question. Yes the flash is pointed straight up and the Scoop throws the light forward and outward. When I do a wedding we use the Scoop for everything except available light shots. When we set up our stands for the formals we shoot through umbrellas or scrims, but still with the Scoops on our flash guns.
Does that answer your questions? I'm not surprised you are disappointed . . . . I have a drawer full of disappointments which is why I developed the Lite-Scoop. No more disappointments
hehe...yes it answers my question so it works really good even if church ceilings are really high and say wood?
It doesn't bounce light off the ceiling so it doesn't even matter if there is a ceiling..or what colour it is...or how high it is. It even works outside at night.
Bob I just bought one of these off of ebay and I'm looking forward to shooting with it. I noticed in one of your posts you say it doesn't bounce light off of the ceiling but surely it must bounce SOME light off of a ceiling as it doesn't look like it completely covers the top. Also I wanted to ask do you think this would be acceptable to use on an off camera flash without an umbrella?
Joe
Last question first . . absolutely! It works great with off-camera flash! I use off-camera flash as often as possible. With my formals I usually use two off-camera flashes, both with Scoops, and a lighting ration of 2 to 1. My results are fantastic!
I think I said that it doesn't depend on ceiling bounce, but you are right, about 10-15% of the light does go upwards . . and if their is a ceiling there, it will bounce it back, mostly behind the subject to help soften shadows and give more depth to the image.
Thanks for your order by the way.
Bob
Light loss
How much light is lost? I've been using the StoFen on a Canon 580EX and some shots are OK, and others just plain suck! Especially at the reception, one shot may be overexposed and the next under shooting at nearly the same distance to subject.
I usually am open 1 stop to compensate for light loss. I have found that I get a little better exposure with the head pointed straight ahead instead of at a 45 degree setting, although it's a bit more harsh and contrasty.
The Lite-Scoop is always used with the flash pointing straight upwards into the Scoop and the light is NEVER harsh! Depending on the size of the room and the diatance, on average, the Scoop loses about 2/3rd of a stop. Throughout the church and large reception halls I shoot at 400 ISO, 1/200th shutter and about F/4.5 and with the fl;ash set to +2/3rds power, I rarely get a shot that is not perfectly exposed . . and no blown out dresses!!
The Stofen by the way, loses it's softening effectiveness beyond 10 feet, and out of doors literally throws the light away.
Using LiteScoop w/ a non-swivel flash?.
I shoot w/ a Vivitar 283 flash which tilits up & down but doesn't swivel. Seems like the litescoop would work for horizontal shots but I'm curious if it would work when shooting vertically. Any experience or feedback is appreciated!
I typically use a flash bracket which rotates the flash.
Mike
Good question Mike,
One of the advantages of the Lite-Scoop is that it elimimates the need for the flash bracket, which you know is heavy and quite awkward in most cases. Without the swivel feature on the Vivitar 283 flash, that advantage is eliminated.
If you have no problem with using the flash bracket then the Lite-Scoop will work fine for you, producing softer more glamorous light, softer shadows, nicer skin tones, almost never "red eye" and that is both in verticle and horizontal modes.
Hope that helps. You'll LOVE the Scoop!
I still have some issues with shadows... maybe I just need to play around a bit more because these samples rock!
Heather
In the dark with a single light source (any light source) there will always be a shadow. That shadow might be harsh, or soft, depending on the size and distance of the light source from the subject.
Add some ambient light and the intensity of the shadow will lessen in direct relation to the amount of ambient light. There is ambient light from other sources than the flash, but also ambient light is produced by the flash as the light bounces around your room. If you are out of doors there is no bounce back . . if you are in a very large room there is little to no bounce back. These are all factors that will determine the intensity of your shadows.
To take advantage of the ambient light and record more of it on your film/sensor, without increasing the exposure of the flash that goes directly to the subject you simply slow your shutter speed (drag the shutter). A slower shutter speed increases the exposure of you ambient light but does not effect the exposure of the direct flash.
The goal is not to eliminate shadows but to soften and lighten them until they become unobjectionable. An image with no shadows has no modeling, no depth, no "pop". Look at the explanations and tutorials on portrait lighting and you will discover that shadows are not eliminated . . but controlled . . both in intensity and placement. Keep practicing with different setting under different conditions and it will fall into place.
Hope that helps.
Such a top product
Thank you - just recieved my Lite Scoop II
I love it, I've only taken some test shots to get a feel for it, but the results, when compared against each other, with and without it, are really good.
One question. . . . Is there a preferred/suggested way of transporting it and protecting it?
The last thing I want to do is damage it
Ben
Here's how we carry our Scoops in our bags . . . protects both the flash and the shape of the Scoop!
What is the difference between a Bounce Card and the Lite-Scoop ?