The FinnBounce

OK, so a flash is occasionally unavoidable, a diffuser is better than no diffuser, but bounce is way better than a diffuser. (Off-camera flash is even better, and multiple flashes with umbrellas are the best, but those are a bit of a tall order for the perky little pop-up on the camera.) Enter the FinnBounce. The FinnBounce is simply a bit of cardstock with aluminum foil rubber cemented on top, stuck under the pop-up flash. It deflects the flash away from the lens. If there's a wall or ceiling nearby, it bounces. It actually works pretty well with any old postcard-sized bit of white cardstock... except not with focal lengths much shorter than 50 mm -- the light "spills over" the card and into the frame, making for a white band at the top of the picture. The FinnBounce works with all of my lenses, including the 17 mm Tokina.

The FinnBounce.

Here's what it does:

Before.

After. Nice, eh?

Construction Instructions

So, you want to make your own FinnBounce? Have no fear, it's easy. Here's how:

1. Find a piece of cardstock about A4 size. I used the one bracing a package of inkjet photo paper. (US Letter will do for our trans-Atlantic friends.)
2. Cut a rectangle about 12 x 15 cm out of it.
3. Cut a slot 2.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm deep in the center of the long edge.
4. Shape the rest of the edge as you see on the picture: the "tabs" are about 1.5 cm wide and 2 cm deep.
5. Grab your scissors and a straightedge, and using the blunt side of the scissors, make a straight-line dent into the FinnBounce where you see the fold on the picture. Bend experimentally to see that it bends cleanly.
6. Get hold of some rubber cement, preferably in stick form (easier to handle). I used UHU PowerStic. Grab a piece of aluminum foil. Lay a very, very thin layer of rubber cement evenly on it, and another on the side of the FinnBounce soon to be covered by it. Allow to set for a minute or so.
7. Gently unroll the piece of aluminum foil on the FinnBounce, and press flat. Don't muff it too badly, because once it's there, it's there.
8. Trim edges of foil along edges of FinnBounce with scissors.
9. Get some clear, adhesive book-cover plastic, cut a piece a bit bigger than the FinnBounce, and cover the aluminum part with it, folding the edges underneath just as if you were covering a schoolbook. Voilà, the FinnBounce is ready for action!

Using the FinnBounce

The FinnBounce ready for action.

Using the FinnBounce is really easy. Just pop up the flash, and slot it under it. Take a test shot. If you see a white area near the top of the frame, you need to bend the FinnBounce up along the fold line: light is spilling over it and into the frame. If not, you can adjust the angle to control where the flash is going to bounce. E-TTL works as usual; depending on your technique, you may or may not need to adjust FEC. All done!