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Whaler
20th of October 2004 (Wed), 06:36
I'm in the process of selecting/buying a couple of umbrellas to go with my 550ex & 420ex. I will be using them for still lifes and an occassional portrait. Any suggestion on brand, size, and color. Help me spend my money.
CoolToolGuy
20th of October 2004 (Wed), 06:42
Gustbusters will withstand strong winds if you are caught in a rainstorm during a round of golf. :roll:

Oops, wrong hobby - I'll leave now...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Have Fun,
scottbergerphoto
20th of October 2004 (Wed), 07:04
I use three of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=42508&is=REG
Regards,
Scott
DaveG
20th of October 2004 (Wed), 07:05
I'm in the process of selecting/buying a couple of umbrellas to go with my 550ex & 420ex. I will be using them for still lifes and an occassional portrait. Any suggestion on brand, size, and color. Help me spend my money.

Have a look at the B&H site. They sell tons of different ones. I use a pair of Photoflex umbrellas and they are priced at $20-$40 US, depending on size.

The trick with umbrellas or soft boxes is this: The bigger the reflector the softer the light will be. The proximity to the subject is important too and the closer to the subject the softer the light. But if the distance from the umbrella to the subject is constant then it's all about size.

Maybe the route to go is to get large umbrellas to use when you are looking for softness and perhaps some smaller ones when you want a sharper light. Umbrellas are very cheap so you can afford to have a few laying around.

I like the umbrellas with the soft silver or harsh silver interiors. I've used the "shoot through" kinds a few times and don't think much of them since the rails can throw shadows and the softness is missing.

I just buy the cheaper brands since I don't see much advantage in the more expensive models. I mean what does a $200US Broncolor umbrella do that the $30 Photoflex won't? Even if the Broncolor was made a lot better - and I'm not sure that they are - at $30 the Photoflex's are virtually disposable.
Whaler
20th of October 2004 (Wed), 10:37
Thanx guys now I have a better idea of what I'm doing.