Purchased: Lambency Flash Diffuser

It is amusing how fast I can go from surfing the web to grabbing my credit card to make a photography purchase.

The newest item I've purchased is the Lambency Flash Diffuser from DealExtreme.com. I've actually had my eye on this thing for a while, beginning back in August when I saw a Gary Fong Lightsphere for sale on DPC. I looked into it, decided that $30 was a good price shipped, but then missed out on the sale. After that, I considered buying a new one or one on eBay but the prices were too high (typically $50+). So I figured I'd get some Tupperware and experiment since the price was so high.

Then, more recently, I noticed that someone on eBay was selling what looked like a knock-off of the light sphere. While I didn't order one (from China, I'm always a little leery of overseas orders), I filed the information away for later in case I wanted it.

Finally, a few days ago, John Harrington posted about the knock-offs on the Photo Business News & Forum. Apparently, Fong's idea was copied by a Chinese manufacturer and Fong has gotten his lawyers involved. On the off chance Fong can get shipments to America shut down (good luck, copyright law rarely extends outside of America), I wanted to get one before they disappeared. Not to mention, my pics over Christmas really reminded me a simple, commercial diffuser would be nice to have around.

And, believe it or not, you can get a Lambency Flash Diffuser (shown in the images on this page) for under $17. That's including shipping from China! Nice -- cheaper than Tupperware!

You may ask, how can I sleep at night buying a product whose idea was stolen from Fong? Well, very well, thank you. As far as I'm concerned, I'm getting a cheaper product at a cheaper price, and I'm ok with that. Yeah, if money wasn't an issue, I'd go with the Lightsphere. Fong includes a how-to DVD with it which definitely adds some value, not to mention Fong probably has a slightly superior design. But money is an issue, a big issue, and if I can get a similar item for about a third of the price, I'll do it. As a side note, it looks like Fong has had to drop his price to $40 instead of $50 due to the competition.

My only issue ordering from DealExtreme has been which Lambency Diffuser to choose. I finally decided to go with the most expensive (they have three different price levels, ranging in total by about $1) since it stands to reason that'd be the largest, and since Sunpak 383's have one of the largest flash heads (according to Fong's tables) I went with the most expensive, SKU 7385. From the sound of it, they are stretchy enough that they mold to your flash after a certain amount of time. And I'm willing to do surgery if needed. I'd worry more if it were more expensive, but I can take some risks for under $20.

When it arrives (in 3 business days + 14 days shipping by airmail), I'll do a review!

Note: I've finally received the diffuser and posted my review. Check it out for more info!