Originally Posted by Sean Setters
I agree. I bought one umbrella on eBay, but it was a Westcott collapsible white satin. I bought another like it plus two Photoflex hot silver adjustable frame umbrellas, plus one Giottos stand (I already had a Dynatran stand from Amvona--not as nice, but also heavy duty with a wide footprint) and umbrella brackets from B&H. I got the Photoflex because I read some rather negative reviews of the Westcott soft silver umbrellas. I probably would have gotten Photoflex white umbrellas with removable covers except that I already had that Westcott umbrella. Eventually, I may get the smaller/lighter stands and collapsible silver umbrellas.
I checked MPEX before I bought from B&H. Their prices were about the same--maybe a little bit higher, but their shipping was much higher. Also, I couldn't get the information I needed about their light stands, i.e., footprint. My first major use of the stands will be to take photos of the top winners at our 4-H Fair Horse Show in July. That will be outdoors and the stands will probably be on pavement. (I'm going to go to the Strobist site and ask for advice on where I should place the remote strobes and about using on-camera flash with the remotes.) The wide footprint (plus sandbags!) will help keep the stands stable, though, if we get much wind, I can take the umbrellas off and use turn the flashes around to face the subject. It won't be as good, but should be better than on-camera flash, alone.
Reply With Quote