Flash Gels?

[mbaltrusitis]

Hello, finally got around to joining the forums been lurking for awhile.


Looking to start using some flash gels to get a bit more creative with my lighting. I have a 580 and use it primarily on camera as I usually need to travel ultra-light. What's the best way to attach gels to an on-camera flash? And what is a good brand of gels?





Thanks for any help,


Matthew

[btaylor]

Hi Matthew, welcome tothe forums.


Iuse Rosco gels on my 580 exII and 420 exII. You can buy a strobist kit for around $15 that has plenty of different colours including the standard CTO's etc.


In terms of attaching to the flash there's a few options. I made a gel holder out of a piece of acrylic bent over onto itself and with a 90 deg bend in it which I velcro to the flash unit. Works just fine.


Cheers, Ben.

[mbaltrusitis]

So something like this would be of a high quality?

[Mark Elberson]

So something like this would be of a high quality?
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I use this for my 430EXs andon them the gel holder is pretty tight. I also have a 580EX and it's my opinion that this is too small for it.

[peety3]

I use the Honl Photo Speed Strap system. I started with the Honl gel kit (back before the Strobist kit was introduced), and then started buying my own gels and putting velcro on them. That got old, so I put velcro on some diffusion gel, and I just sandwich a diffusion gel in front of any color I want to use that I hadn't already put velcro on. Now, I'm planning to get some UV filter gel (it's essentially clear to visible light), put velcro on that, and sandwich any other gels that I plan to use behind the UV gel.

[Sheiky]

I use the Honl Photo speed strap and gels as well. They work out pretty great for me. I'm just a starter though [H]

[btaylor]

So something like this would be of a high quality?
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Yep that's the same set of gels I use. The holder is different but looks just fine. Go for it.

[btaylor]

The only thing I've found is that you can't fire the flash too many times in quick succession as I've slightly melted one of the green gels. Just something to be wary of.

[Sheiky]

Wow...must have been with higher flash power? like full or half-power?

[btaylor]

Yep 580 exII on full power did it. Lesson learnt.