The Best Flash Diffuser

Apr 29 2009

If you are looking for the best flash diffuser, you should first realize that there is no such thing. It would be great to have a versatile diffuser that works in all situations, but unfortunately, it is impossible to create a design that works equally well for every application. There are several flash diffusers out there that work pretty well in the majority of situations. None of them, however, can get you fully covered. There is always something to be criticized in any diffuser.

Analyzing different qualities of diffusers, we tried to choose the ones we think are important to the majority of users. These qualities are used as criterion in our rating system. The final rank is a weighted sum of the individual criterion ratings that can be called a "versatility factor." A high final rank means that the diffuser works well in many situations, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it will work best for you and your particular task. Lower final rank means a narrower range of applications.

In this review, we've rated several diffusers currently available on the market. We expand this list, as we review more diffusers and reflectors.

The latest additions:


Ranking System Description


$29.95*
8.99
Rogue FlashBender Bounce Card
$34.95*
8.98
Demb Flash Diffuser
$49.95*
8.98
PRESSlite Vertex
$55.00*
8.98
SpectraLight
$29.95*
8.96
Demb Saucer Flip-it!
$34.95*
8.96
Rogue FlashBender Small Reflector
$29.95*
8.95
Demb Big Flip-it!
$44.95*
8.94
LumiQuest Quik Bounce
$42.00*
8.93
Hanson Skin Glow!
$14.00*
8.92
$29.95*
8.91
Honl Photo Speed Reflector
$44.95*
8.91
Demb Mega Flip-it! Kit
$39.95*
8.89
Rogue FlashBender Large Reflector
$65.00*
8.89
LumiQuest ProMax System
$38.89*
8.68
Aurora MINI/MAX softbox
$44.00*
8.65
Pro Kit Flexi Bounce
$25.40*
8.60
Aurora MINI/MAX Bounce Card
$24.99*
8.60
GamiLight BOX 21
$55.00*
8.60
Pro Kit 4 Softbox
$14.95*
8.57
Honl Photo Bounce Card
$30.00*
8.57
Promaster Softbox
$42.95*
8.56
LumiQuest Softbox
$19.95*
8.54
Promaster Reflector
$39.95*
8.50
Demb Portrait Dish
$69.95*
8.49
Honl Photo traveller8
$44.95*
8.48
LumiQuest Softbox III
$44.95*
8.41
LumiQuest Big Bounce
$18.00*
8.38
F16 P45A-001
$49.99*
8.33
Gary Fong Lightsphere II
$99.95*
8.12
Gary Fong WhaleTail Studio

* MSRP

** Frame coverage group test



Ranking System Description


Rogue Bounce Card

Flexibility
9.1
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.1
Learning Curve
8.9
Portability
9.1
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.99

Demb Flash Diffuser

Flexibility
9.3
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
8.9
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.98

PRESSlite VerteX

Flexibility
9.8
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.9
Learning Curve
8.0
Portability
9.1
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.98

SpectraLight

Flexibility
9.3
Ease Of Use
8.8
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.98

Demb Saucer Flip-it!

Flexibility
9.0
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.1
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.96

Rogue FlashBender Small

Flexibility
9.1
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.1
Learning Curve
8.8
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.9
Battery Use
8.0
8.96

Demb Big Flip-it!

Flexibility
9.0
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.95

LumiQuest Quik Bounce

Flexibility
8.8
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.3
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.94

Hanson Skin Glow!

Flexibility
9.1
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
8.7
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.93

DiffuseiT

Flexibility
9.0
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
8.7
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.1
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.93

Honl Photo Speed Reflector

Flexibility
8.8
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
9.3
Appearance
8.9
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.91

Demb Mega Flip-it! Kit

Flexibility
9.0
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
8.6
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.91

Rogue FlashBender Large

Flexibility
9.1
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.1
Learning Curve
8.8
Portability
8.9
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.89

LumiQuest ProMax System

Flexibility
9.0
Ease Of Use
8.5
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.2
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.89

Aurora MINI/MAX Softbox

Flexibility
7.0
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.4
Portability
9.1
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.3
8.68

Pro Kit Flexi Bounce

Flexibility
7.2
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.3
Portability
8.8
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.65

GamiLight BOX 21

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.5
8.60

Pro Kit 4 Softbox

Flexibility
6.8
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.9
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.5
8.60

Aurora Bounce Card

Flexibility
6.6
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.60

Honl Photo Bounce Card

Flexibility
6.6
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.57

Promaster Softbox

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.9
Appearance
9.1
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.9
8.57

LumiQuest Softbox

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.9
Battery Use
8.5
8.56

Promaster Reflector

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.4
Portability
9.0
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.2
8.54

Demb Portrait Dish

Flexibility
9.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
9.0
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.5
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.50

Honl Photo traveller8

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.9
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.5
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.6
Battery Use
8.2
8.49

LumiQuest Softbox III

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.8
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.5
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.6
Battery Use
8.2
8.48

LumiQuest Big Bounce

Flexibility
6.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.5
Learning Curve
9.5
Portability
8.3
Appearance
9.1
Weight
8.6
Battery Use
8.2
8.41

F16 P45A-001

Flexibility
8.8
Ease Of Use
8.0
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
6.5
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
8.5
Appearance
9.0
Weight
9.0
Battery Use
8.0
8.38

Gary Fong Lightsphere II

Flexibility
7.5
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
9.0
Attachment Design
8.3
Learning Curve
9.0
Portability
8.0
Appearance
8.5
Weight
8.0
Battery Use
7.0
8.33

Gary Fong WhaleTail Studio

Flexibility
7.5
Ease Of Use
8.9
Quality
8.9
Attachment Design
8.5
Learning Curve
8.2
Portability
7.0
Appearance
8.0
Weight
8.0
Battery Use
7.0
8.12

 
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