Choosing umbrellas for small home studio.

jwbryson1 · Oct 28, 2011

Does anybody have any experience with Impact brand shoot through umbrellas that have a removable black back for bouncing light? I found them online for about $15 for the 45" model. Alternatively, I was looking at a similar convertible white/black model by Photoflex which is about $30 but looks really nice and sturdy.

Any suggestions on another brand?

For shooting portraits of kids and maybe some adults in a small home studio, is a 60" umbrella too big? Would a 45" be more appropriate?

I plan to use this with a SB-700 speedlight.

Thanks.

tirediron · Oct 28, 2011

I've got a number of Photoflex umbrellas... they're reasonably sturdy; good for at least two nose-dives into the ground from a 12' stand*

*Or so I've heard

jwbryson1 · Oct 28, 2011

tirediron said:
I've got a number of Photoflex umbrellas... they're reasonably sturdy; good for at least two nose-dives into the ground from a 12' stand*

*Or so I've heard

Think it's a waste of money to buy the cheaper versions to learn with?

tirediron · Oct 28, 2011

If you're careful and don't use it outside (too much) you'll probably be okay...

ghache · Oct 28, 2011

all my umbrellas are bowens and they are still like new. I never bought any other brand so i cant tell you :S.

i have a wescott and a ebay parabollic umbrella and they are also nicely built.

fotomanjack · Oct 28, 2011

I use two 30"Photek umbrellas with an SB-700 flash. They work great. Never had any problems with them at all.

Trever1t · Oct 28, 2011

I have a 43" Wescott and just ordered another off-brand unit from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WGOOYM/ref=oh_o01_s01_i00_details

I don't think any bigger would be any better and for outdoors it's too big. Fotoman Jack's 30" are prolly good to go outside huh?!

Derrel · Oct 28, 2011

Photoflex umbrellas are pretty good. I have several, and they've held up pretty well. They offer good performance for the money.

Speedotron's Super Silver Metallized umbrella in 34 inch size casts a crisp, clean light that is superb for imparting a bit more specularity to objects than most other umbrellas, making it an excellent choice for shots that will be converted to B&W.

I like Lastolite's umbrella box, an enclosed softbox/umbrella hybrid quite a bit...it's got some of the better attributes of both a softbox, and a reflecting umbrella. The Photek Softlighter and the newer Softlighter II are "almost" the same product design. It's interesting that Speedotron's own web site sells umbrellas by Photek, Photoflex, and their own Speedotron line,and no others...Speedotron Products Accessories

54 and 60-inch umbrellas are BIG....and can be a big PITA in low-ceilinged rooms...45's are amply big for most indoor kid and family-type scenarios.

BlairWright · Oct 28, 2011

I like the Bowen and Paul Bluff Umbrellas. I do have some large Westcott softboxes and they are sturdy as heck too.

Personally I look for quality then price, a $15.00 umbrella is more than likely not built to last

jwbryson1 · Oct 29, 2011

Picked my umbrella (see below) but I am unsure which mounting bracket to get. I like the look and quality of the Photoflex over the Adorama brand. Cost difference is negligible.

Question: If I buy the Photoflex model, do I need another separate hot shoe mount for my SB-700? I see the flash mount on the Adorama brand but not on the Photoflex. Thanks.

Umbrella: UMRUT45 Photoflex Umbrella Convertible 45"

Adorama Mounting Bracket: 781404 Adorama Universal Swivel Holder fits Shoe Mount Flashs

Photoflex Mounting Bracket: ACALSWMTB Photoflex Heavy Duty Aluminum Swivel

Derrel · Oct 29, 2011

It appears that the Photoflex aluminum one does NOT ship with a flash shoe....hmmm....Honestly, I do not think aluminum construction on these is warranted, and one user who bought a metal model (not the one in question) reported that it was so slippery and "slick" that the umbrellas were always slipping due to poor friction of metal-on-metal on the tension adjustment lever and the main body. I have had some polycarbonate models of this since the mid-1980's...the Adorama umbrella mounts ship with TWO spigots (the brass fittings) and the flash shoe mount, and are under $16 each...pretty good value, IMHO.

YES, the Photoflex RUT umbrella is a very good one. It has a very slightly silvery,but mostly-white interior and is fitted with a black removeable fabric. I like the way the RUT models shoot. They have a reasonably deep dish, and are excellent as reflecting umbrellas. I honestly do not think they are a good choice to use as shoot-throughs however; the fabric is too thick,and too reflective, and it blasts a lot of light backwards. A shoot-through ought to be more-transparent, IMHO, than the RUT is. I have two RUT's and have had them for about 10 years...the fabrics still have not discolored, unlike some of the Chinese cheapies...

The slightly-silvery white fabric the RUT's are made with seems to me to be a bit more-reflective and a bit more-specular-producing than other umbrellas, like some older umbrellas I have that have a truly WHITE-white, MATTE, DULL-FINISHED interior, and a 100 percent, opaque, light-proof rubberized cloth outer backing.

jwbryson1 · Oct 29, 2011

Is there another one you like that reflects less light when shot through? I kind of liked the idea of the extra stop of reflected light when shooting with the black cover on.

Oh, just to add, it appears that there is no hot shoe mount with the heavy duty bracket, but the SB-700 comes with a "stand" that the flash attaches to. The stand has a thread on the bottom of it that I think attaches to the 1/4" aluminum thingy.

Check out the photo of this up close--you can see the flash attached to the "stand" with the bottom thread.

http://www.adorama.com/PTHSD6000.html

Derrel · Oct 29, 2011

My shoot-through umbrellas are really OLD, and kind of thin...I do not like shoot-through umbrellas, and so, I have no opinions on what ones are good or bad. I do more flash with studio strobes than with speedlights,and at those power levels, shoot-throughs simply blast light all over he((. The Photoflex RUT models can be used as shoot-throughs, but that is NOT their primary directive, if you get my drift...I think the idea of the removable black fabric is more of a sales pitch,and not much else. The field of photographic umbrellas has become VERY competitive now that the strobist movement has arrived.

Yeah, you're right, a factory flash stand that has a threaded bottom can be used on a male spigot, as shown in the Photek product. Flash Zebra dot com, as well as many small camera stores, sell pretty reasonably priced cold shoes that have 1/4" x 20 National Coarse threads, the standard USA size and pitch for mounting on light stand tops and tripod threads,etc.

jwbryson1 · Oct 29, 2011

Derrel said:
My shoot-through umbrellas are really OLD, and kind of thin...I do not like shoot-through umbrellas, and so, I have no opinions on what ones are good or bad. I do more flash with studio strobes than with speedlights,and at those power levels, shoot-throughs simply blast light all over he((. The Photoflex RUT models can be used as shoot-throughs, but that is NOT their primary directive, if you get my drift...I think the idea of the removable black fabric is more of a sales pitch,and not much else. The field of photographic umbrellas has become VERY competitive now that the strobist movement has arrived.

Yeah, you're right, a factory flash stand that has a threaded bottom can be used on a male spigot, as shown in the Photek product. Flash Zebra dot com, as well as many small camera stores, sell pretty reasonably priced cold shoes that have 1/4" x 20 National Coarse threads, the standard USA size and pitch for mounting on light stand tops and tripod threads,etc.

Well maybe I'll keep looking then to see if I can find something "better." There is some utility I see to buying separate shoot through and reflective umbrellas, so maybe that's an option.

On the other hand, I'm just a hobbyist whose trying to learn this game on a small budget. I don't want to blow a ton of $$$ on home equipment unless I think I can make some money doing so. Even then, I may just go with this setup to get my feet wet. $150 is not going to break the bank and it will give me something else to do on the weekends. :lmao:

Derrel · Oct 29, 2011

I'm getting the feeling that somehow my posts are being misinterpreted,at least a little...I personally think the Photoflex RUT style umbrellas are an excellent choice, and worth every cent. I own them and have been very pleased with them. Maybe I am reading your post wrong, and am misinterpreting your search for a better SHOOT-THROUGH style umbrella???

I do agree, there is a reason to have separate shoot-through and reflecting umbrellas; they function quite differently in many places--and most especially in SMALLER, lower-ceilinged shooting areas.