Confused - Umbrellas etc

Thanks for that... the adapter being upside down would explain a lot

I think I might have to to pair it with another swivelling adapter to tilt the flash independently of the umbrella and center the light properly.

Hermes wrote in post #5968636
Thanks for that... the adapter being upside down would explain a lot

I think I might have to to pair it with another swivelling adapter to tilt the flash independently of the umbrella and center the light properly.

There's no need for that. I've done so much testing with umbrellas to look at differences between having a flash on an umbrella bracket, pointing that center of the umbrella and getting the flash aligned exactly with the axis of the umbrella shaft and I can honestly say that it's not worth the added trouble or expense of rigging it up that way.

The important thing is pointing the flash at the center and getting as much of the umbrella lit without spilling out the sides. The shape of the flash head itself creates slightly uneven coverage anyway.

TMR Design wrote in post #5968520
The images of umbrella adapters are often upside down. If you turn the adapter over then lo and behold the umbrella mount is above the joint and moves with the flash

They also often ship them with the shoemount on the wrong end and if its your first one you will have one helluva time getting an umbrella to work with it.

epatt250 wrote in post #5969272
They also often ship them with the shoemount on the wrong end and if its your first one you will have one helluva time getting an umbrella to work with it.

So true.

TMR Design wrote in post #5968726
There's no need for that. I've done so much testing with umbrellas to look at differences between having a flash on an umbrella bracket, pointing that center of the umbrella and getting the flash aligned exactly with the axis of the umbrella shaft and I can honestly say that it's not worth the added trouble or expense of rigging it up that way.

The important thing is pointing the flash at the center and getting as much of the umbrella lit without spilling out the sides. The shape of the flash head itself creates slightly uneven coverage anyway.

Not quite sure I follow you - how do you get the flash pointing at the center of the umbrella if you can't tilt either of them independently? Is the umbrella tube on the adapter angled to converge with the beam of the flash? that would make sense but it doesn't look that way in the picture.

Hermes wrote in post #5969903
Not quite sure I follow you - how do you get the flash pointing at the center of the umbrella if you can't tilt either of them independently? Is the umbrella tube on the adapter angled to converge with the beam of the flash? that would make sense but it doesn't look that way in the picture.

That is exactly what happens and a flash like a 580 or a Nikon SB800 lets you tilt the head down slightly and that will sometimes even better align things with a smaller umbrella. A larger umbrella works perfectly.

Ah... being a cheapskate, all my off-camera flashes are 430EXs and Vivitars which don't tilt past 90 degrees. What do you think? will I be able to hit the center of the umbrellas with unmodified 026s?

I have 43" and 60" umbrellas and don't have a problem with either. I suppose if you're using a 36" it might be slightly off but people do it all the time and I'm not sure I would sweat it until you did some tests.

The other thing to consider is that if you use 2 umbrella adapters together to allow for the flash head to lay down and point directly into the center then it moved the flash head much closer to the umbrell and you may not get full coverage. A 36" umbrella does not have a very long shaft

Thanks. Was thinking more along the lines of one of the avenger swivelling adapters than adding another umbrella adapter. I'll have to just buy a couple of the umbrella adaptors and see how close I can get - like you say, any misalignment probably won't be noticeable.

On a slightly different topic, can you fill the whole of the 60" umbrellas with a small flash?

Hermes wrote in post #5970212
On a slightly different topic, can you fill the whole of the 60" umbrellas with a small flash?

I have no trouble filling a 60" umbrella with a Nikon SB-800 and I know others that use 580EX's. That's with the flash on the 24mm zoom setting and I know I've done it with the flash on less than half power, so I can't imagine you'd have trouble with a slightly smaller flash.

Thanks for the info. If I can't get the flash to center in my smaller umbrellas I may as well buy a couple of 60" ones - will still work out cheaper than trying to add components to realign them.

Absolutely. And they don't take up much more space when folded. I just got a pair of Photogenic Eclipse 60" white umbrellas and they were very inexpensive. I believe I paid just under $40 a piece. Having a pair of 60" prepares me for all kinds of situations and circumstances and a 60" umbrella as fill compliments a large octabox very nicely.

Care to share where you got them from - I've just searched and I literally cannot find anything above 40" in the UK so I'm going to have to import them. How long are they when folded?

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …rella_Eclipse_W​hite_.html

Cheers