Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hey guys, I have a quick question. I want to buy the LiteMod to use with gels or the ND filters. My only concern is, can I fit my beauty dish or softbox on as well with the LiteMod connected. Reason for this is because sometimes I shoot in very small places and the power on my AB800 is way too powerful. Thanks! :)

No, the two cannot be used simultaneously, as each mounts to the front faceplate, and only one faceplate attachment can be used at a time.

You can buy large sheets of gels that would fit the larger beauty dish. Here is a link that specifically discusses gelling large light sources: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2013/01/ho ... urces.html

Thanks for the reply on this, and I really thank you for that link as well. My only concern now is im fine lighting up with my SB910, but I still want to make the AB800 a little less powerful. I know I can use my ND filter for my lens and that will help, but is there any other way to get the light source down? I've been shooting at around 2.8 for great DOF but of course my subject is a bit to bright, I've moved the light as far back as I can but still it's shooting way too much like Scotty!! Or my other option, should I just buy some triggers that allow high speed sync?

I would use ND gels for the flash units. It really depends on your modifier as to which way is most effective, but a large 20x24 gel is about $7. 2 sheets would cover a 24x30 soft box face with some left over. One sheet can cover a 22" beauty dish as described in the link.

You can also change modifiers to spread the light over a larger area, and thus reducing the power on a given spot.

For the cost of a set of TTL remotes, you can go a long way to a B400, which is one stop lower (and you do not have to deal with the idiosyncrasies of HyperSync and similar).

There are many different ways to achieve this, but a blanket statement cannot be made. Each solution has limitations, and the best solution will depend on a multitude of variables.

Thanks a lot for all the wonderful help. I'm going to try the ND filter sheets first and put them on the modifiers. I really think that should help out. :)