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In a nutshell Body Flash mounting Flaps Horizontal/Vertical shooting Accessories Using the WhaleTail Comparison shots Comments and discussions

In a nutshell

Gary Fong WhaleTail flash diffuser (best flash diffuser rating: 7.50) is a hot shoe flash accessory that gives you more control over the light than many other translucent flash diffusers on the market today. Gary himself compares his device to the multiple umbrella lights studio setup. We think it is a stretch, but it gives the idea about how good the results from WhaleTail can be if the shooting environment is advantageous. The design of WhaleTail, however, has some drawbacks: not being able to fold flat, heavy weight, and plastic flap mount. We also must add that WhaleTail is relatively expensive ($100 for the Studio one). Finally, it comes with an instructional DVD and some printed materials.

Body

Gary Fong WhaleTail made of translucent plastic that is rather thick and heavy. The WhaleTail Studio version weighs around 160 gram depending on the spacer size. Being so heavy, it is practically useless with some flashguns (like Metz 48 AF-1 or Metz 58 AF-1) that do not lock at angled head position.

The body of the diffuser is pretty big and does not fold. So, it requires extra space in your gear bag. A possible save here, as Gary suggests, is to carry WhaleTail outside of the bag. The construction is sturdy and won't break easily.

Flash mounting

The mounting onto the flash head is convenient. It is simple and effective. A rubber band and a Velcro strap do the job. WhaleTail fits most of the flash heads, and once attached, it has almost no chance to fall off.

Flaps

The flaps are simply snap-on, which is easy and convenient. However, since they're plastic, there is a possibility that after a while, they will wear up and won't stay put at some angles. It actually is the case with our brand new WhaleTail already, but this issue can be easily fixed. Heat the flaps up (let say in hot water) and squash the connectors a little bit for a better grip. Gary claims the flaps are unbreakable, and they are, indeed, very sturdy, bendable, and unlikely to break.

Horizontal/Vertical shooting

When mounted on a flash head, the diffuser sits high above the lens axle, which gives a natural looking lighting from above the object you shoot and eliminates the red eye problem. The way WhaleTail attaches (flash head turned 90 degrees to the left or right) allows easy switching between horizontal and vertical shooting modes. Also, when shooting vertically, the light source the diffuser creates is still above the camera, which frees you form the need of using a flash bracket.

Accessories

We do not have the whole set of accessories that are made for WhaleTail, but as far as we know, they sell colored jell inserts, amber flaps, and chrome (high-reflective) flaps. Colored inserts and flaps let you play with the white balance and add special effects to your pictures (especially when using multiple flash setups). The chrome flaps add power to the direction of your choice since they do not pass the light through.

Using the WhaleTail

Gary Fong WhaleTail diffuser produces soft wrap-around light. When shooting indoors, it allows using side and back walls and ceilings as reflectors for bouncing. The softness and power of light can be adjusted using different sides of the diffuser and changing flaps position. The forward facing surface can be compared to softboxes from 7x4 to 7x7 inches in size (the Studio version).

Comparison shots

bare flash bounced from the right side	bare flash bounced from the ceiling

direct flash

camera in landscaped orientation (horizontal), flash on camera, diffuser above the camera, all flaps closed	camera in portrait orientation (vertical), flash on camera, diffuser to the camera's left, all flaps closed

Comments and discussions

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