Collapsible Telescopic Flash Diffuser

thingiverse

I wanted to maximise the soft light from my flash gun but had to be able to easily move the light source around with me, so a brolly or softbox was not viable. I therefore decided on a large diffuser, that also utilises bounced light from any walls or ceilings. This telescopic diffuser compacts down to fit in a camera bag with it's own protective case to avoid being crushed when on the move. The diffuser fits my Yongnuo 565EX flash, but I believe that it will fit some other models too. Having said that, the design can easily be modified to fit other flash models by slicing the adaptor part below the rim and lofting a template of your flash face to it. My first attempt at this used a "tight fit" to hold the pieces in place when extended, so it simply and quickly slid into the extended position. However getting the right tightness which lasted permanently was elsusive and after a short while it kept collapsing unintentionaly. This version has a locking mechanism for each layer, but this means it takes a little longer to unpack and get ready to go than I would like, so any suggestions for improvement would be welcome. Print Settings Printer: Anet A8 Rafts: No Supports: Doesn't Matter Resolution: .2 Infill: 30% Notes: I didn't use supports to print this, but printed all parts with the exception of the base cap upside down. The protruding locking lugs did not print as cleanly as I would have like so I had to tidy them up afterwards, but this could be due to the higher speed setting I had selected in Cura. Post-Printing Assemble by inserting each smaller part in the other like a Russian doll. Then twisting to lock in place. The base cap protects and keeps the diffuser together whilst in transit. How I Designed This I scanned the flash gun face and used it as a template to trace a sketch for 123D Design. The sketch was then lofted to a circle and then the rest was built from there using increasing circles.