> I was wondering what people were using to diffuse the flash from > the AF 280T. I couldn't find a Stofen unit made for it. Would the > universal model fit? Are there other options that aren't bulky?
Something that I do that's probably a little unorthodox (actually, I may do a lot of things that are unorthodox, but I digress...), is this: Since I do a lot of flash shooting of individual people, often at, say, 75mm to 135mm telephoto FL's, I often equip an AF280T with a somewhat modified AFT1 telephoto adapter. The modification? I pop off the fresnel lens from the front of the AFT1, stick a piece of tissue paper (I recommend Kleenex brand) (<g>) across the opening in the AFT1, snap the fresnel lens back in place, and then tear off the excess tissue sticking out the edges of the fresnel lens on the front of the AFT1. (I don't generally have to perform this modification on the spot, since I usually carry an extra AFT1 with tissue already "installed" in the ol' kit bag.) Doing this cuts the effective flash output somewhat, of course, but it does make the flash output less of an almost-point-source and a little more of a diffuse light source. (Since I use TTL flash almost all of the time, I don't have to know about the exact amount of light soaked up by the tissue paper.) I use the AF280T this way quite a bit, both for informal portraits and occasionally for macro. This modification is not as diffuse, of course, as are some of the "official" methods, but I find that it does reduce the harshness of flash portraits a useful amount. I keep saying that I've got to come up with something better than a piece of tissue paper for the diffuser, but I never seem to follow through. <g> Also, in a pinch, when I don't happen to have the modified AFT1 handy, I've been known to throw a layer of a white handkerchief over the output of an AF280T or an AF400T. I suppose that one could fasten a piece of tissue or something similar to the outside front of the AF280T itself, when not using any adapter, or to the front of the AFW1 wide-angle adapter, too. (???) I should probably also try this someday on the AF400T's AFT2 adapter, also. Maybe... Fred
