Let's say your buying your first piece of studio lighting equipment...

[MOmilkman]

Would you buy a umbrella/stand combo or build a DIY studio softbox?

I just bought my second speedlite (a 430EXII) and and looking forward to doing some family portraits.

Any reason for going with one over the other for a beginner in the strobist world?

[oldwolf]

This and a lightstand.

Westcott 43" White Umbrella, Collapsible 2011 B&H Photo

You can use it as a bounce, shoot through or partial shoot through. It's also compact so it doesn't take up a lot of space.

[MOmilkman]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

This and a lightstand.

Westcott 43" White Umbrella, Collapsible 2011 B&H Photo

You can use it as a bounce, shoot through or partial shoot through. It's also compact so it doesn't take up a lot of space.

Excellent! And the space savings is important considering... I don't have any extra space!
That's the one con against making a softbox. It looks huge.

Thanks for your input.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by MOmilkman

Excellent! And the space savings is important considering... I don't have any extra space!
That's the one con against making a softbox. It looks huge.

Thanks for your input.

softboxes fold up

But umbrellas are great, they are inexpensive and produce great light.

[MOmilkman]

Originally Posted by zona5101

softboxes fold up

But umbrellas are great, they are inexpensive and produce great light.

Yea true. Except I was going to build this one and judging by the instructions, it looks like it doesn't. lol

[scootermcq]

I have that umbrella and it is great. I wish I had bought a second at the same time. I just about always use it for my fill.

One thing to remember is the behavior of light in modifiers. If you are shooting through the umbrella, a bunch of wasted light is bouncing out the other side. That light will strike ceilings and walls turning them into reflectors. What this means is unless you are in a huge room without walls close to you etc, it contributes to the exposure. While this may not be a bad thing, it makes it impossible to create the same effect when you move to a new area. I remember trying to figure out why one time I needed half power and the next time almost full power when I had set up the lights the exact same way. Then I finally figured out there was nothing for the wasted light to bounce off of the second time.

Soft boxes control the light much more, and tend to only go where you aim them. This is great for portraits as you have more control and more consistancy, but it sucks for group photos etc.

I am not saying one is better than the other, and if I was only allowed one modifier, it would be the westcott umbrella. Start with it, but I am willing to bet that down the road you will be wanting to add a softbox into the mix just to create consistant light and allow you to direct it more accurately where you want it.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by MOmilkman

Yea true. Except I was going to build this one and judging by the instructions, it looks like it doesn't. lol

that looks like a lot of work with plenty of room for fail. Softboxes aren't THAT expensive.

Scott has a good point about light loss and control...generally easier to feather and/or flag a softbox.

As far as the quality of light both are pretty good...check out this comparison of a softbox vs shoot-thru vs bounce umbrella:

http://neilvn.com/tangents/2010/12/2...x-vs-umbrella/

[scootermcq]

The thing in that comparison is being outdoors, the wasted light does not have anything to bounce off of. I don't think that it is a great comparison. I should do the same thing indoors in my studio that is only 12 feet wide with 10 foot ceilings. The umbrella causes bounce off the ceiling, floor and walls. It can be a benefit, and in the same setting you can use it to your advantage. The problem is when you go to a different setting, say with 20' ceilings and 20' wide, and set up the exact same way, you will get different results because of fall off. If you take a softbox and set it up one way, then move to a different setting it will be damn close to the results you have in the first setting. It just makes it easier to find a lighting diagram that works for you and then duplicate it where ever you go.

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by scootermcq

The thing in that comparison is being outdoors, the wasted light does not have anything to bounce off of. I don't think that it is a great comparison. I should do the same thing indoors in my studio that is only 12 feet wide with 10 foot ceilings. The umbrella causes bounce off the ceiling, floor and walls. It can be a benefit, and in the same setting you can use it to your advantage. The problem is when you go to a different setting, say with 20' ceilings and 20' wide, and set up the exact same way, you will get different results because of fall off. If you take a softbox and set it up one way, then move to a different setting it will be damn close to the results you have in the first setting. It just makes it easier to find a lighting diagram that works for you and then duplicate it where ever you go.

absolutely true... but from strictly looking at the type of light the different modifiers can produce, it is a good illustration that there isn't all that much difference (acknowledging that the room and the light location will influence the resulting image).

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by zona5101

absolutely true... but from strictly looking at the type of light the different modifiers can produce, it is a good illustration that there isn't all that much difference (acknowledging that the room and the light location will influence the resulting image).

Too true buddy.....

here is another comparison that helps illustrate the differences in how they manage light

zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias Shoot Through Umbrella vs. Softbox