In August of 2009, Joe Demb redesigned his entire line of Flip-it! flash light modifiers. In this review, we compare the new and old designs of Demb Flip-it! flash reflector (best flash diffuser rating: 8.63) and Demb Flash Diffuser (best flash diffuser rating: 8.72).
There were some reports about warping and breakage of Demb Flip-it due to exposure to high temperatures (for example, under a car windshield). To give the customers more durability (including better heat resistance), the old craft type materials are replaced with industrial and construction ones. The new Demb Flip-it! is built of polypropylene, acrylic, and ABS. Nevertheless, it is always a good idea to protect your equipment from extreme temperatures.
The new Demb diffusers employ the Plexiglass arm design that positions the reflector farther away from the flash head.
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| new | old |
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| new | old |
This new mount makes the light from flash hit the reflector at the center rather than at the bottom. This raises the created light source, which is often desirable in the on camera flash photography.
The following images show how the light reflects off of the Flip-it! surface when the unit is mounted on the narrow side of the flash (flash zoom is set to 50mm setting).
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| new | old |
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Following the Mega Flip-it! model, Demb Flash Diffuser and Demb Flip-it! have become modular systems. The reflector is now detachable. Thus, if you like having various options (like gold or silver reflector, for instance), you can make your own panels and use them with the new Flip-it! mount.
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The new Big Flip-it! reflector is 4.5"x5" and comes closer in size to the discontinued Jumbo model, but it has the rectangular shape. The old version is 4"x4.5". The image below demonstrates the relative difference in sizes.
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There is another nice improvement: the new reflector is really color neutral as opposed to the old one, which is slightly warm colored. Also, the new reflecting surface is semi-mate. Previous matte and glossy Flip-it! models are discontinued.
The diffusing panel of Demb Flash Diffuser has received some refinement, too. It carries significantly less amount of Velcro. This change is more cosmetic then functional, but we find that it makes it a bit easier to detach the diffuser from the flash head.
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For side-by-side comparision of images taken with the new and old Demb light modifiers, please refer to Demb Flash Diffuser test: new vs. old