I’m not a professional photographer, but I do notice that when shooting with the popup flash on my Canon EOS XTi, the light can be a little harsh. Most photographers would be quick to recommend buying an external flash, but given my budget I decided to try and find a way to soften the light. After some research, I found one commercial solution by Gary Fong. Even though it’s only $20, many reviews complain about the build quality. Additionally, there are many tutorials on instructables, but here at protodojo, I decided to make my own.
I used SketchUp to measure and design the adapter to fit into the external flash mount on my camera. The design is very straightforward and I cut it out of a sheet of steel using a metal nibbler. It uses velcro to attach sheets of vellum to diffuse the light. For a side by side comparison of how well the vellum works, check out the gallery to the right.
To make your own, download the Google SketchUp Design here. (PDF)
You really used a piece of metal stuck into the hot shoe? Really?!? Did you use anything to isolate it from the electrical connectors?
Excellent observation Bob! For the prototype, I actually ended up placing a piece of electrical tape on the metal. I haven’t posted an update to this project (didn’t think anyone was interested, haha), but later prototypes are laser cut from various plastics. The new version is aimed to be like a credit card that can be stored flat with velcro corners that fold up to hold the filter. I will update this post with photos soon. Thanks!