In the article To Gel Or Not To Gel I give five reasons why you might want to use gels on your studio strobes or flashes. Now you’re hooked on the idea, right? Sure. Totally. Right? Right? Anyone? Now you just need to get your mitts on ‘em. I offer for your pleasure a review of Photogels - color correction and special effects gels pre-cut for your battery powered flashes and home made hippy goggles.

Mason Trullinger over at Photogels.com sent me a sample of his Ultimate Combo Pack (see below for exclusive Nice reader discount coupon). The Ultimate Combo Pack includes one of each of the following:

Color Correction Gels
Full CTO (converts 5500K to 2900K)
1/2 CTO (converts 5500K to 3800K)
1/4 CTO (converts 5500K to 4500K)
Full CTB (converts 5500K to 7800K)
1/2 CTB (converts 5500K to 6400K)
1/4 CTB (converts 5500K to 5800K)
Full Plusgreen (converts 5500K to roughly match fluorescent)
1/2 Plusgreen (converts 5500K to roughly match fluorescent)
1/4 Plusgreen (converts 5500K to roughly match fluorescent)

Special Effect Gels
1/2 Stop Neutral Density
1 Stop Neutral Density
2 Stop Neutral Density
Red
Primary Green
Yellow
Magenta
Light Blue
Dark Blue

Velcro Adhesive
7.5″ x 3/4″ strip of Velcro (soft “Loop” side of Velcro) to stick onto your flash
18 Velcro dots (rough “Hook” side of Velcro) to stick onto the ends of your gels.

These gels work. That’s the bottom line. In fact, although there may be some out there, I’ve yet to find a gel that didn’t do what it was supposed to, color the light. So, why go with these gels over another?

The Ultimate Combo pack has just about anything you could need. They are precut to be large enough to fit over the head of your flash with plenty of side room to wrap around, well, the side. It comes with Velcro dots that you apply to the gel and the other side goes on your flash if you haven’t already defiled your pocket sun maker with the black fuzzy stuff. Me? I’m not much of a gel Velcro-er. I prefer the mail man’s best friend - no, not a dog, a rubber band. Use of a rubber band allows gel stacking with ease and keeps you away from the magic alien technology that is Velcro. You, however, can do it anyway you like. Prefer the rubber? No problem, these Photogels come clean with the tabs ready to go on, but not on yet. The most important point I’m trying to make is they are plenty long, unlike the freebee gels in the Rosco packs that haunt my sleepless nights.

You can buy just the color correction or just the special effects packs, but I say go for it and get at least one of the Ultimate Combo. Then you can just get extra color correction packs for each additional flash if you’re on a budget.

I give Photogels an offical “good on ya”. If you need gels (and if you don’t have any yet, you do need them), these fit the bill. Mason, being the super cool guy that he is has set up a special Nicephotomag reader discount. Just enter NICE as the coupon code to get an additional 15% off any order over $40. Nice!

Could anyone ask for anything more? Well… I’d love to see Mason offer a polarizing gel as well. They run a pretty penny for a big sheet and I only ever need enough for two wee flash tikes. Perhaps if a couple new customers also recommend this to him (hint, hint), maybe he’ll add it to the current selection of offerings.

If you don’t know what polarizing gels are used for, read that copy of Light Science Magic you’ve got collecting dust by the toilet. Seriously. Read it.

Nice!

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