Customer Reviews

Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have a Canon 430EX flash unit and I wanted to be able to add some bounce ability and control, with or without a ceiling present. Then it also depends on the height of the ceiling that is present. This intelligent little unit unfolds and attachs to Velcro(tm), hook-n-loop fastened around the flash head. I purchased the LUMIQUEST Cinch Strap - Easily attach and remove flash bounce as I did not want to attach the double sticky-back Velcro(tm) directly to my flash unit. The Cinch Strap takes care of that and works like a champ.
This unit folds nicely for inserting a space the size of a small camera (read Canon S5 IS) and installs in seconds and allows one to go from shooting with the flash unit head in a direct vertical position down to a few angles below directly vertical.
It bounces light well and works great with the TTL features of the Canon 430EX and Canon camera.
It works to soften light and to soften shadows.
It gets a great THUMBS UP!! from me.

Bought the Pocket Bouncer specifically for a wedding I was shooting, and was very happy with the results. It fits perfectly on my Canon Speedlite 430ex Flash. Very easily folds up and stores in the pocket of my camera bag. A must for anyone shooting with a mounted flash.

This product does a surprisingly good job spreading the light from my SB400 flash. I really like that it folds flat, so it can fit anywhere, even in my pocket!

Every once in a while a really handy little device shows up in the marketplace: the pocket bouncer is one of them. I especially like to use bounce flash for macro exposures, and I take a lot of them. My wife sells vintage jewelery online, and we've taken hundreds of macro pictures for her sales. Bounce flash is especially useful for reducing glaring reflections from polished surfaces and gemstones. Prior to owning this handy ProMax Pocket Bouncer we would jury-rig a large sheet of white foam core above our layout table:a bit of a nuisance.

Two other nice things about the pocket bouncer: When not in use, it folds flat, and takes little room in my gadget bag, and, by supplying our own Velcro attachment strips, we can use it with more than one flash unit (We have three).

As usual LumiQuest doesn't disappoint with the ProMax Pocket Bouncer. Coupled with their Cinch Strap you have a winning combination of ease of use and a perfect lighting solution.

USing the LQPB is very simple to use and the effects are well worth any hassle. No shadows or red-eyes at all when you use this bad boy. A very worth-while investment. And you lose only 1 1/2 stops of light.

If you are indoors and have adequate walls/ceilings with which to bounce your light against, then this pocket bouncer is a total waste.
It directs too much of the light forward and is almost as bad as direct flash!! You might as well not use it.
But if you're outdoors, then I can see it being somewhat useful as it will give a larger apparent area of light and so cause softer shadows.
Its just not anywhere as nice as the light you get from bouncing off the ceiling or walls.
I think there's an alternative one meant for indoors that lets you open the top up so that light can bounce up against the ceiling. That would actually be a much better bouncer for indoor use.

I refuse to use the flash without the pocket bouncer. It evens out the lighting and gives me a consistent flash every time.

The pocket bouncer is useful, but it is more limited than advertised.

First, the bad:

My main complaint is that Lumiquest states that "operating distances are somewhat reduced." This is rather misleading. Actually, it is near worthless beyond about 10-12 feet, no matter what the flash's maximum operating distance is. "Somewhat reduced" would indicate that if you had a max range of 40 ft, due to ISO 400 and f/4, it should be able to handle a shot at 17 feet. Wrong. If you are beyond 12 feet, take it off and use direct flash.

My other complaint is that the weight of the pocket bouncer can pull the flash head down a few degrees, such that the flash fires at an angle lower that what you would like, so that top half of your photo is dark.

The Good:

At 10 feet or so, it works as advertised. It reduces the harsh flash effects, and doesn't require a ceiling like the Omni-bounce so it is useful at weddings.

It does fold up neatly, and the cinch strap allows for quick attachment.

I do like the gold insert, which helps counter the excessive blue light in the electronic flash.

I got mine back in may 2008 and so far never been more happy with the results i am getting from this bouncer. The design can't be better, it folds flat so it fits a back pockets of a regular jeans with no problem and makes it easier to store it in a camera bag full of lenses, filters and cameras (my case). If you shoot a lot outdoors or with very high ceilings then this is the tool you should get to have the proper lighting under almost any situation. And if you have more than one flash or just want to add some flexibility i suggest you to also buy the LumiQuest Cinch Strap to complete the kit.

Isaac