Medium high efficiency portable diffuser for 580EX

I need to get myself a better diffuser for portable off-camera lighting with a 580EX. The 580EX has plenty of power, but using a white shoot-thru umbrella wastes a lot of the power. Silver umbrellas aren't helpful, it's held by an assistant and with a silver umbrella the assistant would be between the light and the subject.

Ideally what i'd like is a white umbrella, but instead of an open back i'd want a silver back to reflect the light back to the front again instead of wasting it. It will be hand held by an assistant, so it has to be portable and quick to set up.

Things that come to mind include a brolly box (if it has silver on the inside or some other efficient material) or perhaps a beauty dish. I don't know if a beauty dish will work well with a speedlite, or if it'll give enough diffusion without wasting too much light. I also need to get it to New Zealand without paying a fortune in shipping - B&H and similar vendors are fine.

Does anyone know of any suitable products?

I have the AB brolly box and it is lined with a silver reflective backing. However, since it's basically a shoot-through with a backing, it still disperses light in different directions a lot than I think you would like. If you want the diffused light to be directed towards the subject I'm thinking something like the Photek Softlighter might be what you really want. They have sizes that range from 36" in diameter to 60".

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0​&Go=submit

The softlighter is like a silver umbrella, it relies on bouncing. I need the light direct as I have it hand held by an assistant, if I bounce the assistant is between the umbrella and the subject. Basically I need a soft box or umbrella with a back, or maybe a beauty dish.

tim wrote in post #6307293
...or maybe a beauty dish.

That's what comes to my mind when I read your list of requirements.

Where can I find a beauty dish made for a 580EX? I don't want a home made jobbie.

Tim, you (and I, too ) need the new Elinchrom Ranger Quanta! 400Ws flash head with a battery, both weighing in at 3kg in total! (Li-ion battery, too!). Then you just slap a small softbox or beauty dish on it, and getter burlier assistant (but not much burlier, the thing is really light ). Announced pre-Photokina, available early 2009, AFAIK.

The hot shoe, enclosed flash heads are just not all that good with many modifiers. If an umbrella won't do the job, well... I just don't like any of the softboxes and modifiers that are available for the hot shoe flashes. You really want a bare-bulb flash and modifiers... plus a bit more power won't hurt!

tim wrote in post #6307330
Where can I find a beauty dish made for a 580EX? I don't want a home made jobbie.

perhaps you can try a dual hot shoe adapter on a monopod for (2) 580ex (or other speedlites) and have enough power to use a shoot-thru umbrella which can still be held by "voice activated light stands"

heres also a link to a hot-shoe beauty dish that you can buy (though pricy and its based out of UK so im not sure if they ship outside of UK)
http://www.viewfinderp​hotography.co.uk/produ​ct_view.php?prod_id=47​9

lastolite ezybox hotshoe? 38x38cm or 60x60cm softbox with bracket for a flash. They also sell an extendable handle and tilt bracket so you can handhold it high or at an angle, or mount it on lightstands.

I have this...
http://alzodigital.com …h_bracket_softb​ox_kit.htm
but havent used the softbox yet, just the bracket. I'm shooting a 50th Wedding Anniversary party this weekend, so I will probably use it then.

You could mount this bracket on a lightstand, without attaching the camera, so your assistant can hold it out front of him/her.

A bigger light with a power pack is another option, but it's a fairly expensive option. I wonder how much one of those would run, Rudi, and idea?

Dual lights gives you only one stop, which doesn't seem worthwhile, especially since a lot of the power is still wasted.

Here's a DIY beauty dish that doesn't look 'cheap' once finished...
http://davidtejada.blo​gspot.com …auty-dish-for-sb-800.html

That looks pretty good when he makes it, but if I made it it's probably look like I made it.

I'm thinking that my small soft box (30cm x 20cm) might be just as good a solution as a beauty dish, just to soften the shadows slightly. I think the ultimate solution is a portable strobe system with a soft box.

tim wrote in post #6309910
A bigger light with a power pack is another option, but it's a fairly expensive option. I wonder how much one of those would run, Rudi, and idea?

Not yet, we'll find out at Photokina. What I like about it is how small and light it is, yet much more powerful than what's out there now. I've never bought any of the Quantum gear, because for the price it did not do enough over my 580EX's to be worth it. This one just might be... (of course, it helps that I already use Elinchrom in the studio ).

The Elinchrom ranger prices are all in the US$2000 range, i'm not sure I use them enough to go with prices like that. I think I just need a smallish soft box that will take a 580, or maybe two 580s.

you can try this...

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=568075