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The Kobra: A Gary Fong Lightsphere Variant Looking For $125,000 on Kickstarter

Chris Gampat
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09/06/2017
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KOBRA Flash Modifier

Last Updated on 09/06/2017 by Chris Gampat

There have been lots of variations of the Gary Fong Lightsphere before, but the latest is called the Kobra and it’s taking the cake. The new light modifier is pledging to be a game changing light modifier–or at least that’s what they told us in an email. It’s essentially an on-camera flash cobra head shaped light modifier that more or less does exactly what the Gary Fong Lightsphere (and Chinese food tupperware) has done for years. To fund this project, they’re asking for $125,000; which comes out to 1/8th of a million dollars.

So how does the Kobra work? To really understand this, I want you to think about a light bulb. When it goes on, the light comes from the center and out all over the place into a variety of directions. If you’ve ever seen those Chinese light balls in cinema or at festivals, the Gary Fong Lightsphere works similar to that–by taking the light output and making it look like a light bulb. The Kobra is doing the same thing yet claims to have a reflective interior that bounces light forward and through another diffusion layer–sort of like an ExpoImaging Flash Bender but with the diffusion panel. In addition to that, the Kobra has its own built in holder for gels–a nice touch. The biggest criticism about these sorts of products over the years though has been that they’re essentially pieces of frosted tupperware. You can make them yourself–but they won’t be pretty. You can also take a Gary Fong Lightsphere and put some tinfoil inside–and again that won’t be pretty. However, the same effect is easily reproducible with a number of flash modifiers out there on the market.

And if you’re taking the flash out of the hot shoe and firing with it off to the side then there are a number of other light modifiers you can choose from.

KOBRA Flash Modifier:
The KOBRA was made to give photographers an effective flash modifier solution that is lightweight and flexible with an attractive design.
As a professional photographer, I have used all the “on camera flash” modifiers available and have been unsatisfied with the results. I decided to stop complaining and make my own.
KOBRA, the Ultimate Flash Modifier. “Paint with light, not spray.”
Please support our Kickstarter campaign!

To boot, the Kobra is also being 3D printed. Again though, if you’re more of a hacker then you absolutely don’t need something like this. But if you’re not, then you may want to consider one.

So who would use something like this? They do a lot of work showcasing it for portraiture, but I’m not exactly sure I’d do that due to how much light is wasted from what it seemingly coming out of the sides. I would, however, use it for events and weddings.

The Kobra is currently on Kickstarter and in the process of raising funds. Be sure to check it out.

3D Printing camera diffuser flash gary fong gary fong lightsphere kickstarter Kobra modifier project tupperware
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.