Difference between using an umbrella vs using a stofen light diffuser?

Is there a difference between the two? Would the umbrella provide a larger area of flash because the diffuser confines the flash?

The difuser, if pointed straight at the subject (IE: Not bounced) does NOT difuse the light. An umbrella produces a larger source and therefore is a better difuser.

Size matters. A Stoffen does NOTHING to change size of the apparent light source, unless it is bouncing light from adjacent walls and ceilings!

Although in the rare occurrence of your flash not having any type of wide setting (theoretically speaking, like if the motor is busted while zoomed out!) you could actually benefit from having a diffuser slapped onto your flash behind a shoot through umbrella! =)

Other than that, go for just the umbrella!

/D

Or consider something like this.

The stofen is called the omniBOUNCE for a reason. Unless you bounce from a wall or ceiling it does nothing except waste flash power.

tim wrote in post #6022348
The stofen is called the omniBOUNCE for a reason. Unless you bounce from a wall or ceiling it does nothing except waste flash power.

.... and the omni part means that it puts light out in all directions instead of directing it toward the subject or a single planned bounce surface. Again, this creates a serious waste of light (and battery energy) in many situations.

An umbrella, on the other hand, presents a much larger apparent size of the light source which softens light. Also, most of the light from the flash winds up going toward the subject (except in the case of using a shoot-through umbrella).