Umbrellas, stands and clamps...

[TiCoyote]

I'm looking to put together a little off camera lighting set.
I can get a stand from B&H for around $20.

I can get an umbrella, a stand, and a clamp from B&H for another $20 each, or I can get them from a China/Hong Kong ebay seller for under $10.

I know the old adage, "you get what you pay for," but and I going to run into problems with an umbrella and a clamp?

 

[Big Mike]

The ones you get anywhere for $20, are probably made in China/HK anyway. So if you cut out the middle man and save $10, then go for it. Either way, you're probably getting a product of questionable quality.

The stands & clamps are pretty straight forward. The cheap ones might be made with cheaper connections and might be more flimsy than more expensive ones...but that's not to say they can't get the job done....but I'd guess that they won't last as long as a good Manfrotto stand of similar size.

When it comes to umbrellas, softboxes etc., going cheap might affect your photos in a negative way. For example, they might not be truly color neutral, even though they look nice and white, they might add a color tint to the light, giving you uneven or off balance color in your images. For some, this may be an issue, for others...maybe not.
And of course, the build & material quality will be questionable with cheap gear, no matter where it's made.

It's understandable, not wanting to spend a bundle on this stuff, especially if you don't know how much you will use it. But as with most things, it's cheaper in the long run, to buy good quality equipment right off the bat...rather than buying cheap and having to replace it later.

 

[Sachphotography]

I have purchased stands and umbrellas from Ebay and used them to a great deal. The umbrella head mount however needs to be carefully thought though. I bought heads that were way to small for the umbrellas I have. (42") and am unable to use them with the umbrellas. I bought these \/\/\/

Swivel Umbrella Bracket Light Stand Mount w/ Flash Shoe - eBay (item 370400213961 end time Oct-20-10 22:27:33 PDT)


and they are much better and very strong.

My stands I compared to the same stands at a local camera store...Yeah they were pretty much the same though the local store charged 65 for one....I got two for 30 on ebay.

 

[DC-Photog]

Depends on their use. If you're setting up permanently in a home studio, then the cheap umbrellas will last. Cheap umbrellas will fall apart with moderate use in the field. All of the travel, opening and closing, and the elements will destroy. Even mid-price modifiers will fall apart when used often in the field.

 

[Derrel]

The PVC plastic umbrella swivel mounts shown in Sachphotogrpahy's link look okay. I bought some that look similar in the mid-1980's,and they have held up remarkably well. Not to say that the very-newest ones are as good as the oldies I have, but strangely enough, the higher-priced all-aluminum ones sold through some of the bigger retailers have the worst user recommendations!

As Sachphotography mentions, "some" umbrella mounts cannot accept larger-diameter umbrella shafts. You'll probably be okay with e-Bay cheapie stuff if it is used carefully, but I would not expect it to be 100% color-matching with other, name-brand umbrellas or reflectors, necessarily.

 

[Sachphotography]

The PVC plastic umbrella swivel mounts shown in Sachphotogrpahy's link look okay. I bought some that look similar in the mid-1980's,and they have held up remarkably well. Not to say that the very-newest ones are as good as the oldies I have, but strangely enough, the higher-priced all-aluminum ones sold through some of the bigger retailers have the worst user recommendations!

As Sachphotography mentions, "some" umbrella mounts cannot accept larger-diameter umbrella shafts. You'll probably be okay with e-Bay cheapie stuff if it is used carefully, but I would not expect it to be 100% color-matching with other, name-brand umbrellas or reflectors, necessarily.

Those might not be the exact ones I have then. Mine are all metal. Very sturdy


And....If you get a Hollow Shaft umbrella....Most likely you will. Jam a couple pencils inside for support. Laugh as you may but it will make them much stronger and wont bend or buckle from the clamping down of the head.

 

[TiCoyote]

Thanks for the info, guys. I notice that some clamps have a cold shoe, others have an adjustable accessory shoe. Which do I want? I'll probably be using a Cactus V4 trigger.

 

[TiCoyote]

After doing some more reading, I'm thinking that I might go with the Yongnuo RF-602 over the Cactus V4.