Flash diffusers for close-up and macro photography

Especially for close-up and macro shots, it can be useful to use a flash even in relatively bright surroundings.

Introduction

Close-up and macro shots always require a lot of light, so a flash is often used. The only problem is that with a relatively small light source, the light is very harsh and then simply doesn’t look good.

And here, just like with normal shots, diffusers come into play, whose sole job is to soften the light. And regardless of whether it’s a photo or video, the principle still applies that the smaller the illuminated area is in relation to the size of the object, the harsher the light is perceived.

The diffusers

The least suitable for our purpose are these caps, which you can order for a few euros. These practically don’t increase the illuminated area of ​​the flash and therefore don’t lead to the desired result.

I’ll show you the diffusers that I used here for the comparison.

They are actually just put on the flash and are supposed to work wonders. The price range is between 5 and 35 euros.

For the original Godox diffuser, I usually used the corresponding remote release for the flash.

The results

I am presenting various results here that I took one after the other with these diffusers.

The image sections differ because I deliberately took these pictures freehand in order to try it out in practice. But here you can only see that diffusers 2 and 4 illuminate the cup a little better than diffuser no. 3. However, the result could be improved a little in conjunction with the remote control.

The differences between the various diffusers are relatively small. You can achieve good results with all of them.

Rating

Outside of the rating, it must be noted that the Godox diffuser does produce good results, but is firstly quite expensive and also quite bulky. In addition, it almost always requires external control via X-Pro in the close-up and macro range.

The other diffusers can be attached to the flash and thus illuminate a very close object. This means that you can use them very well with a macro lens, e.g. the Sigma 105mm macro.

Of course, the light is not completely concentrated on the subject and you lose light, but with today’s sensors, ISO settings of 400-1600 should basically no longer be a problem.

The combination with the X-Pro makes the team with the Godox diffuser considerably more flexible in terms of lighting design, you can then let the light come in from the side or perhaps more from behind.

Conclusion

The cheapest reflector for just under 10 euros wins the race here. It is inexpensive and also very compact when transporting, so it fits in any camera bag or backpack.   The Godox also has the advantage of good and even light dispersion.

This advantage and greater flexibility comes at the cost of large dimensions and the need to work with an external trigger, especially at close range.

ciao tuxoche