Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Beginner's Questions => Topic started by: haring on October 09, 2012, 07:40:08 pm

Title: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: haring on October 09, 2012, 07:40:08 pm: What kind of gels / filter kit do you use for your Canon 580EX? Canon provide a filter set up + gel for the latest flash but I have hard time finding filter kits for Canon 580EX flashes... There are some in the market (Rosco, etc.) but they seem to be poor quality...

What kind of gel do you use for your 580EX? Can you recommend a setup?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: Ken Bennett on October 09, 2012, 07:48:21 pm: I buy the Rosco color correction filter pack (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/45233-REG/Rosco_RS090901210_10_x_12_25.html). The sheets are 10x12 inches, and come in various strengths of CTO, CTB, magenta, and green. Costs about $30. I just cut the filters to the right size and tape them over the front of my speedlight head with gaffer's tape. I get a lot of filters out of this pack. You can make precise filters by mixing, say, a Half CTO with a full plusgreen filter for some types of warm fluorescents.

There is always a Full CTO filter taped to the back of my flash for immediate use when needed.
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: haring on October 09, 2012, 11:28:29 pm: Quote from: k bennett on October 09, 2012, 07:48:21 pm
I buy the Rosco color correction filter pack (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/45233-REG/Rosco_RS090901210_10_x_12_25.html). The sheets are 10x12 inches, and come in various strengths of CTO, CTB, magenta, and green. Costs about $30. I just cut the filters to the right size and tape them over the front of my speedlight head with gaffer's tape. I get a lot of filters out of this pack. You can make precise filters by mixing, say, a Half CTO with a full plusgreen filter for some types of warm fluorescents.

There is always a Full CTO filter taped to the back of my flash for immediate use when needed.

What happens if you want to change the color? Do you take the tape off?
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: Ken Bennett on October 10, 2012, 12:25:56 pm: The filters are taped on temporarily when needed. They swap out easily for different ones. Gaffer's tape is easy to remove and leaves no residue, and it can be reused many times.

Does that answer your question? I wasn't clear on what you were asking.
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: Rhossydd on October 10, 2012, 01:08:27 pm: I take the same rough and ready approach as Ken. Bits of CC gels taped over work fine, I just get off cuts from work, but you can buy samplers sets easily enough by mail order.
I use masking tape as some brands of gaffa tape can leave residues.
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: Ellis Vener on October 10, 2012, 03:15:15 pm: I use the small gels in the Lee and Rosco sample books. They just fit over a 580 EX II lens. I use gaffer tape to attach them with. It isn't even toy rocket science.
Title: Re: Gel / Light filter for Canon 580ex? What do you use?
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on October 10, 2012, 03:23:44 pm: I use a $7.46 Rosco Strobist collection, a 55-peice kit, 1.5x3.25".

To attach it, I use a Scotch double-sided tape permanently attached to the flash (it is transparent). Before attaching a filter, I displace the protective cover (with the words Scotch on it, in the attachment below) just a bit (the sticky part is pretty strong). Cheap, simple, easy, pocketable.