Hi guys hope you can help me.....what is the difference between an umbrella reflector and an umbrella diffuser? Which of the 2 is better for portrait and product photography? Im planning to set up a mini home studio. Thanx :)

Hi guys hope you can help me.....what is the difference between an umbrella reflector and an umbrella diffuser? Which of the 2 is better for portrait and product photography? Im planning to set up a mini home studio. Thanx :)
I've asked the same question from a salesman in a photography shop here in dubai and what he pointed in a catalogue is that the umbrella reflector is the metallic part attached immediately to the strobes.http://www.falconeyes.com.hk/shopimages/12224/mmobj/graphicsfalconey6005.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:open_window('/shopimages/12224/mmobj/lgraphicfalconey6005.jpg','pop',false,false))
While the umbrella diffuser is the soft or textile diffuser being attached in front of the strobes.http://www.falconeyes.com.hk/shopimages/12224/mmobj/graphicsfalconey6101.jpg (http://www.falconeyes.com.hk/diyhp/12224/enus/c-54650/p-AAAV+EAAVAAANZ8AAf/Umbrella_Reflectors.html)

hmmmm I guess it's in the name
One is for Diffusing(plain white) & the other for Reflecting (gold/ silver) :D

hmmmm I guess it's in the name
One is for Diffusing(plain white) & the other for Reflecting (gold/ silver) :D

I think what they meant was a shoot through(diffusing) and the standard reflecting umbrella. :)

I have a westcott umbrella where you can use as a reflector and at the same time you can remove the cover and you can shoot through it and acting as a softbox. I feel like I'm having control on the light direction if I use the reflected lights while shooting through gives me softer shadows.

In my experience the difference between the bounce and shoot through umbrella is that the bounce will give a more even distribution of light on my subject as opposed to a brighter center and steeper light drop off of a shoot through umbrella.

I'm using Photoflex Convertible umbrella. Bounce (reflector) is more softer than shooting through.

Umbrellas having the same diameter, but one is the bounce type and the other is the shoot through type, both will give the same quality of softness or diffusion. How much diffusion you can achieve will depend on the proximity of the diffusing or reflective fabric and the strobe tube.

Reflective umbrellas will give a more obvious hotspot if using the silver or gold reflective surface. But in the case of the white bounce umbrella, this hotspot is dampened because of the light unit blocking the central area, not like in the shoot through type. Also, the reflective umbrella will absorb up to 2 to 3 stops of raw light power as opposed to the shoot through which averages from half stop to almost none light absorption (depending on the thickness of the fabric).

I'm using Photoflex Convertible umbrella. Bounce (reflector) is more softer than shooting through.

As for the original query, it is to my understanding that the umbrella reflector is another version of the bowl shaped reflector of the studio flash but has a shallower design to spread out the light of the strobe evenly on the umbrella diffusing surface, whether it's a shoot through or the bounce type.

I got this umbrella reflector with a white cover on it and i wish i got the shoot through instead. the stick shaft of the umbrella is annoying. i can't move closer the umbrella to the subject coz of the stick. ugh!

Hi guys softbox and umbrellas difference was already discussed in the thread (http://digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=25950) of sir lei. Here's a quick re-cap, softbox for much more controlled lighting and umbrella if u want to spill out some light in the background.

I would like to ask now the difference of a shoot through and reflective mode when using the umbrella. I snapped around 250+ photos earlier today and i still can't determine their difference. I am still confused on what to use on a particular shoot.

Hope you guys can shed some light. Thanks!

I'd love to explain, but since there's a good source already, I suggest you refer to this instead

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2008/03/rethinking-umbrella.html

Thanks David for sharing this! :)

Thanks David, very good read indeed. :)

thanks sir david..you're such a wizard ahahahaha =D

so i'm going for a shoot-through in case I plan to get 1 in the future=)
hmmm..btw, the shoot-through can handle group shots too right????

Depends on how large the group is, how much ambient there is, how much space there is as well.

One umbrella could hardly light one full person evenly unless it's placed far and with lots of flash power.

You'll either need A LOT of umbrellas, or better yet, go barebulb and bounce off walls.

But if you're trying to light people outdoors at night in an open space, no can do unless you have a lot of light.

Check this out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTg_--L8Yhw).

thanks sir!..though I wasn't pertaining to that very large group.hehe..maybe family pictures, etc. only =) anyway, thanks again, you never fail to answer my questions =)

Still, if it's tough lighting one person evenly with one <50" umbrella, it'll be harder to get even light on 2 to 3 without moving the light source farther.

If you want to evenly light 3-4 people, I suggest you use a scrim diffusion panel with 2 flashes instead.

Here's why I got a reflective umbrella:

Well, for now at least. I'll still get a shoot-through in the next few weeks. Anyway I like the fact that you can can get close to a subject with a shoot-through (I'll type it as shoot-thru so it's easier :p), I just felt it'll be redundant since I also got a softbox which can also get as close as 1 feet, so far with my experiments. I'd need the variety to experiment with and the reflective umbrella really does a different job.

Plus, with a reflective, my limited 6ft stand can go as high as a 9ft light source since the umbrella ads to the height which is very important to me when I'm going to be shooting tall couples (prenups). With a shoot-thru, I have to bring our prolite 9ft which although is heavy duty, is just not so carry-friendly.

I don't also prefer to get background spill from a shoot-thru since it'll be unpredictable in closed spaces. If I need more light, then I have 3 more extra flashguns for that (just cheap ones for now :) ).

The above are not professional advices :) That's just a "for now" thing as I learn & experiment more.

I got both function in one umbrella, I am using a 60" Westcott white satin with removable black. It could be use as a shoot thru or reflective.

I got both function in one umbrella, I am using a 60" Westcott white satin with removable black. It could be use as a shoot thru or reflective.

Where did you get those 60" Westcott umbrella? Im dying to get one and how much?:Grin:

Where did you get those 60" Westcott umbrella? Im dying to get one and how much?:Grin:

I bought it at www.adorama.com. I've seen similar item at www.camerasdirect.com.at, but they only have the 40".

These type of umbrella are useful and economical.

There will be a Westcott dealer in Pinas AFAIK.

There will be a Westcott dealer in Pinas AFAIK.

Really? That's one good news David. I hope their prices will be consumer budget friendly though. :)

I'd say expect it to be close to the US price, of course, and add a little for their shipment cost.

im planning to buy one at JT... hihihihi, still cant decide :( shoot through or reflective :( , its hard to decide,.. how bout for a newbie in studio lights, what do you guys suggest?

hehe.. i will go for shoot through,... hihihihi... because i want it more versatile. thanks sir david, good resource :) . im gonna bookmark the strobist blog... :D

I watched a video on sometime ago - forgot which video. It says that when you collapse a reflective umbrella, it emulates how a small soft box projects the quality of light. Is that true?

I just got my 40" Umbrella with removable black cover at Adorama, it’s a 2 in 1 product, remove the black cover and you can shoot through umbrella to create softbox lighting or you can bounce the light by putting back the black cover.

I just got my 40" Umbrella with removable black cover at Adorama, it’s a 2 in 1 product, remove the black cover and you can shoot through umbrella to create softbox lighting or you can bounce the light by putting back the black cover.

Nice buy. The two in 1 umbrella is a very good investment I like the 40 inch as well. You can get the best of both worlds. :)

Hey, does anyone know where one can acquire 60 " umbrellas in the Philippines? I know one vendor somewhere in Greenhills but the price is quite high (Wescott brand). I have been checking Quiapo lately so far the largest that they have is around 40 inches. :(