help picking out umbrellas

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I am searching for umbrellas for a speedlite lighting kit made up of a master 580 and 2 430 flahes. i have stands and everything picked out, just need help finding a good umbrella.

[SkipD]

I like the Photogenic "Eclipse" series. My standard is the white with black cover. I use 45" and 60", but you might want the 32" with the Speedlite setup. Here's a pageful of the Eclipse series at B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=search&Q=&ci=11461

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I like the Photogenic "Eclipse" series. My standard is the white with black cover. I use 45" and 60", but you might want the 32" with the Speedlite setup. Here's a pageful of the Eclipse series at B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=search&Q=&ci=11461

thanks, that is about exactly what i was looking for....i was only finding silver with black though. but size i was not sure about.

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would (2) 430s each with a 32" umbrella mounted on a 6' stand and a master 580 with an omnibounce be good for small groups such as 6-10 people?

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would (2) 430s each with a 32" umbrella mounted on a 6' stand and a master 580 with an omnibounce be good for small groups such as 6-10 people?I would not use the Omni Bounce unless the photos were being taken in a room with nearby white walls and ceiling. Without those reflective surfaces, a lot of the light is wasted by the Omni Bounce.

I don't know if there would be enough lighting power to be able to stop down to at least f/8 or f/11 (to get better depth of field). Maybe someone else on the forum has experience with that sort of setup.

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for group shots if there will not be enough light for larger f-stops with the use of umbrellas, then it would be fine to use the same set up with bare flash for groups?

[SkipD]

for group shots if there will not be enough light for larger f-stops with the use of umbrellas, then it would be fine to use the same set up with bare flash for groups?Mark, I don't care for the harshness of the shadows that would be created with bare flash units. That's just my personal opinion, though. I think you'll benefit from experimentation to see what is practical.

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i dont' care for the harshness either. i used an omnibounce for group shots at my last wedding and that worked pretty well and wasn't harsh at all. when looking at the umbrellas, it said the 60" were good for group shots while the 32 and 45 were good for head shots of one person. would the 60" umbrellas help for the flash, or for group shots should i be looking for softboxes?

[tim]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=151396

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http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=151396

thanks of for the link tim. I read there that you used your 550 with the umbrellas so you may be able to answer my question of the 2 430ex flashes working with 45" or 60" umbrellas to light groups of people up to ten people.