Flash Disc (FS FlashDisc) Portable Speedlight Softbox

I have been searching for a diffuser that I can use for portraiture in public places where light-stands (and tripods) are not permitted. As such, the following set of criteria are important to me:1. It must significantly soften the light on the subject2. It must be designed to direct the light forward only, like a softbox, and not in all directions3. Its design must facilitate on-camera use, yet not be heavy or unwieldy4. It must not block the focus-assist beam of the flash5. It must be easy to install and take off, and reliably stay in place while in use6. Build-quality and ruggedness must be acceptable.The flash disc has delivered on all of these criteria, and I am perfectly satisfied that this is money well spent. I was testing it in a large room and found out that the shadow of my subject is greatly softened, such that even the side-shadow produced by turning the camera to portrait mode is essentially a non-factor under the conditions of that test. I wasn't expecting that! I have only had it a few days, so can't say anything about durability, but I give it 5 stars nonetheless.In a simple test, I put the flash disc and flash on a light stand, and remotely triggered the flash, photographing the event. I was thus able to generate photos showing that the top half of the flash disc was where most of the light was coming from, as predicted by the product's design. In an attempt to fill more of the disc with light, I played with the zoom settings on the flash head.I found out that the 14mm wide angle setting did the best job of filling more of the flash disc, and theoretically producing the softest light. Predictably, the 14mm setting also produced the least amount of light from the flash disc. The setting that produced the most light, as measured by a light meter, was the 35mm setting, with the 24mm setting being a reasonable compromise between efficiency and light spread, in my view.For me there are lots of PROs, in that the flash disc met the six criteria listed above. The major CON: my light meter tells me the flash disc reduces flash output by three stops or more. Was hoping for less, but there certainly are ways to get around this. This is one purchase that won't be returned, or go unused.

When the FlashDisc was first announced by FStoppers, it sold out quickly and that was MONTHS ago. Since then you'd think that the internet would be littered with photo examples and video reviews. Instead...nothing. Which led me to think this was some sort of scam (which would be odd for FStoppers). Anyway, version 2 of the FlashDisc went live on Amazon yesterday and I received my product today. I figured that if it wasn't that great, I'd return it under Amazon's return policy.So first off, the review has 5 stars which I gave because the FlashDisc does very well for its intended purpose. The unit is about 12-14 inches in diameter when expanded and maybe 2.5" thick. When received, it is flat but inside of the FlashDisc it includes a small storage bag. The FlashDisc can be twisted like all of the other photography panels that collapse and it goes down to about a 5" circle. Fit's easily into the bag too so there's no fuss there. Inside of the FlashDisc there is an elastic band and this is where you slip in your speedlight. My SB-900 fit easily and I didn't have to wrangle with the elastic that much to get it started.Using the FlashDisc was actually enjoyable. The results when the FlashDisc was on the speedlight mounted to the camera weren't that flattering. The flash made the photos slightly washed out and you could definitely tell the flash was coming right at the subject instead of from above like when you're bouncing the light. Think of photos from Terry Richardson. I didn't like them at all. I took some photos and posted them to my website for examples using a Nikon D4S, SB-900 on camera as the Master, and an SB-900 with FlashDisc as the remote flash. I had the speedlight mounted on a lightstand firing down from the left. When used in this manner, the photos were VERY flattering. Nice directional flash which created nice shadowing on the subject. I did notice that there is some power loss when using the FlashDisc if you're a little too far away from the subject. I haven't tried it yet but I'll boost up the power and see what happens with the photos. Otherwise though, it's a very small and portable package which, in my opinion, definitely has a fit in many locations, especially weddings. I recently shot a wedding which had huge vaulted ceilings and the FlashDisc would have come in VERY handy to have my assistant walk around with me holding it.Here is a link to my sample photos. I'll add others to the gallery as I continue testing it. http://www.jschmitt.photography/Macro-Photos/FlashDisc-Examples/

I will start by saying that I did buy this product and I am a fan of fstoppers, so I don't mind supporting them, however you should all know something if you are looking at this item.Pros:- Folds down to be very tiny, and comes with a bag- Quickly "pops" out to be ready for putting on your flash- Most importantly, creates very nice light that is much softer and has better fall off than the fresnel head.Cons:- None really, other than the fact that you can buy the exact same thing for less moneyThis is a really great product and I am a fan of Fstoppers, but in terms of value, you can get the exact same product without the Fstoppers stamp on it for $16 here (https://www.amazon.com/Meking-Portable-Multi-Function-Speedlight-Flashlight/dp/B00URHR3TW/ref=pd_cp_421_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=3ZZN4M3YXV00G6S1JG19&pd_rd_wg=UGfyl&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=vOeFX&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=f552e663-f86b-11e8-a4b9-b9a9e6ce8882&pd_rd_i=B00URHR3TW&psc=1&refRID=3ZZN4M3YXV00G6S1JG19)