Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I personally wouldn't stick foil in there. How about hitting the dome with a coat of high heat white spray paint? I'm not sure of the texture on the Einstein dome, but if one side is shiny, hit that side that way if it doesn't work it can easily be removed with a mild solvent? If it works, just order another dome diffuser so you have one of each. I dunno that it would kill much light but then again I'm trying to figure out how you're not able to shoot at f2 or so @ISO 100 with those lights.

How many lenses do you own that open up to an aperture where you'd need to lower the output of a 2.5ws light?

I have one filter and one adapter, it covers three lenses.

I wouldn't use foil either. That will trap/reflect a lot of light energy close to the light, increasing the temperature. I would also be really careful using off the shelf nylon fabric, as it can cause a significant color shift, especially if it has brightners in it.

Just a question (not a request): is it possible to order additional white nylon panels from PCB to replace older panels in our softboxes? One could then add a second one on a softbox for additional reduction if needed.

In the meantime, a diffuser cover from a PLM should work for an additional layer, perhaps.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments. As to why I need the low power, it is a specialized circumstance. In the R&D of one of my products (LensAlign), I have the need to shoot lenses wide open while illuminating a white subject (The DOF display ruler) with a soft light from overhead. Since I have a low ceiling height, all of this combines to make even the lowest setting on the Einstein too powerful. Clearly the Einstein is the best light out there in terms of just about everything, and its wide output range is amazing. In normal use I agree that it would be unlikely that a lower output would be needed, but in my circumstance it is necessary. Obviously no big deal as any of the many suggestions mentioned will work in my situation...and color temp is not a critical parameter, as well.

I used to use an SB-900, but got tired of having to mess with the batteries.

Thanks for the discussion. Appreciated...

Just thinking off the top of my head here.... you might try putting a window screen in front of the softbox to knock the light down. It's worth a try anyway, especially if it is something that you already have handy (in your window).

Not a bad idea at all! Westcott? has a similar material used as an ND background for video. Different sized holes (if available) will yield different amounts of reduction. Alternatively, black mesh from the fabric store would probably achieve the same.

I like the idea of the mesh on the internal diffuser.

Hey, You're the WhiBal guy!

Wazzzup, Michael?

Yup.

Just keeping my life as neutral as I can, and making sure that my focus is always on mark, never in back or front of where it should be :>)

And making sure everyone is "spot on" and "in the clear"!