I got only 33" umbrella. I will order 43" or 60"
which 60" umbrella is good?
Photoflex is AWESOME! I've owned just about every umbrella. The Photoflex umbrellas have fiberglass ribs and hold up extremely well. The build quality is amazing and they're moderately priced. Prior to that I was hooked on Photogenic Eclipse umbrellas, but like every other metal ribbed umbrella I've owned, the ribs bent on me at some point or another. The Wescott double folding umbrellas are nice to have because they fold up so compact. I still have a couple of those when I need to pack light and tight.
I do my best to take good care of my gear but inevitably my umbrellas seem to always end up bent.
Do yourself a favor and order a 43 AND a 60. The 60 is MASSIVE and cannot easily be used everywhere.
The Paul C. Buff PLM is also nice to have in your arsenal. The major benefits of it are its efficiency, however, the beam is more focused (when used as bounce). You'll use less flash power per pop than an umbrella, but it doesn't scatter as much and therefore is better suited to tighter shots, to a certain degree.
The efficiency would be key though. When you use a larger umbrella, like a 60 inch, you need to zoom your flash out a little to make sure you're filling the umbrella with light....and you lose a little power.
I don't know what your light stands are like, but a 60 incher is going to require some solid support, and REALLY act like a sail when used outdoors. When you have that thing extended all the way on its shaft it will tip a mediocre light stand, or be so off balance the lightest bump will send it over.
When I use mine outdoors and don't have an assistant to hold them, I sandbag the stand, bungee the stand to a pole or structure, or even use rope and tent stakes or corkscrew stakes to stake them to the ground. It just depends on the situation.
Photoflex also makes nice light stands that are moderately priced. I came across their stands by accident and love them. All metal with oversized knobs. They feel extremely solid, even with a White Lightning X3200 on top extended all the way up to 12ft.
If you're really on a budget, Cowboy Studio heavy duty stands are decent. I own two, I bought them a while back just to have something to keep in the trunk of my car at all times and to use as reflector stands. You can tell the hardware is made of cheaper metal and will probably break at some point or another. They also feel a little wobbly when extended up to their max height.
