think tank forum

this is for lighting in the studio and otherwise.

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can anyone recommend some umbrellas? i think i want a 45" white satin with removable black cover, but i'm not sure. right now i want to use it for reflection outdoors.

here are my top contenders at the moment:
impact, $15
photogenic, $29
westcott, $29
photoflex, $30 (currently preferred)

Andrew has a white shoot-through umbrella that works wonders as a simple reflector outdoors. I don't remember what brand it is, but it's ultra-collapsable and lightweight.

overhead lighting sucks. that is all.

i think the top two are the photogenic and the photoflex.

i'm going with the photoflex.

thoughts on cards?

i like these three:
portabrace white 5×7", $5 (link)
dif white, black, and gray 2×3.25", $23 (link)
whibal gray and black 2×3.5", $30 (link)

i bought the whibal g6 pocket card.

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okay, what about strobe lighting? i want to do some event photography.

do you guys like the nikon sb600 ?

gary fong diffuser or lumiquest bouncer ?

dannyp, do you have any reservations about your gary fong diffuser?

has anyone here used many bouncers?

I like the sb600. It is easy to figure out and performs consistently as long as you are conscious of your batteries/any delay in flash firing. Range when off-camera is decent. Recycle time is decent so long as you're not trying to shoot continuously.

what about bouncers and diffusers?

I've never used a diffuser directly on the flash, I've only used a shoot-through umbrella off-camera.

I don't really. The only annoying thing about it is that the lid is removable. It provides more combinations which is nice, but when it comes off accidentally it kinda sucks. If you're in very adverse situations you might need to secure it with tape. Usually it doesn't just fall off though. Performance wise, it's great for diffusing and bouncing off ceilings and walls.

SB-600 is pretty great.

continuous lighting!

litepanels micro

i'm trying to do good portraiture with snow on the ground and overcast skies. i need to selectively remove light or add light from particular angles so that i can create some contrast--otherwise, the face blends together into a blob of skin.

as far as i can tell, there are three ways to do this:
(a) add light (using a strobe or a reflector)
(b) block light using a black disc (like the westcott 30 inch square)
(c) diffuse light using a diffuser disc (like the lastolite 30 inch one-stop)

i'd like a square or rectangle disc with white on one side and black on one side. one side for adding light, and one side for removing light. but no one makes that combination.

i guess i'll settle for the westcott 30 inch square silver/black disc for $45 (link).

silver versus white

i think silver would be nice to try out. maybe gold eventually, too!

i decided on the westcott 30 inch square six-in-one for $85. it will fit nicely in all of my backpacks, and it should be helpful in any given situation. it has great reviews, too!