Fotodiox 42in (100cm) 2-in-1 Collapsible Reflector Disc - Silver/White

My old reflector was a small 24” model, Photoflex?, and had been open and closed a few times to many. I looked at many brands and picked this one based on reviews on Amazon and YouTube. It comes in a nice bag that has a loop, I used a carabiner to hook it to a belt loop. It’s rather light weight but once open it’s very sturdy. I looked at the 5-1 but didn’t want the hassle of changing from one color to another. Most combinations were white/gold which most portrait photographers don’t use but might be useful for film shooters. I wanted to be able to quickly switch from white to silver. 42” is big, can you handhold it, yes. The best way is to either have a small stand or bring a friend along to hold it and manipulate the reflector. I think using another person to hold a reflector is the best technique, especially if you want a very free flowing shoot. When the reflector is open, it pops open right away, so look out. It’s easy to fold but one must be intentional in doing it. I really love it. The first shoot I used it on was early in the morning with an overcast sky. I used the silver side first. Once the sun came out I quickly switched to white. I took a couple of looks in the shade and switched to silver. I had brought my Godox flash but didn’t use it because I preferred the look of the reflector. It looks very natural and gets rid of any harsh shadows from the face.

This thing is MASSIVE! I was a bit surprised when I took it out of the box and suppose a 42 inch diameter is a lot bigger than I thought. It does fold up pretty small into its carrying pouch. Overall I am really happy with it so far. The construction is solid and the price is right. I am not interested in half a dozen zipper pouches to change color so I am also happy with the enhanced simplicity of having the only two reflectors I am interested in at the moment.

This is a pretty good and simple collapsible reflector. Unlike the popular 5 in one reflectors which are also very good this reflector only provides two surface choices, silver on one side and white on the other. These are the two most important surfaces that many of us will use most of the time. I chose this reflector because it only has these two surfaces and because I already own 5 in ones. This can be used as the most common go to or to use in conjunction with other modifiers.

It's not as well constructed as a Photoflex reflector and the fabric is a little less soft. However, it's way less expensive and it works very well. Durability? Time will tell, but they're so inexpensive it's hard to go wrong. A very inexpensive way to improve the quality of your photographs!

I recently bought the Fotodiox 42" Silver/White Reflector to replace this one: Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector Why is this reflector better than an 5-in-1 / Why did I replace it? The more often sold 5-in-1 reflectors have the major disadvantage that you need to open a zipper and turn the surface inside-out when you want to switch between silver and white. You only have the combinations silver+black and gold+white, and the surface change takes time - time that you don't have during a paid shoot. I only need silver+white so the 5-in-1 reflectors don't really work for me like this very product (more on silver/white below). *** Metric measurements *** Unfolded diameter: 105cm Folded size: 40cm, can be pushed to 38cm Weight including pouch: 480g Usually fits folded in most 15.4" laptop compartments with a little squeeze *** Quality *** The frame inside is a little bit flimsy, but it has yet to break so I don't want to judge about that. The whole thing feels a little bit thin but then this will save you weight and space in your camera bag. The reflecting surfaces look well crafted and do their job (reflecting light) well. The storage bag seems to be decent enough for the price too (the bag is important because without it you cannot transport the self-unfolding reflector disc). *** Silver and White is the only thing you need *** The fact that this product has only silver+white is rather a blessing than a disadvantage (see above for why the 5-in-1 reflectors suck). You use the silver side when you need to reflect a lot of light on your subject (e.g. person/portrait). It will be extremely lit up and you need to be very careful to not blind your subject. For the silver side the best is to have an assistant holding the reflector so he can be further away from (less straight to) your subject. The white side is for lighting up the shadows. It will give you a more soft light and do more on the shadows but less on the highlights and thus produce a softer, often times more beautiful light. You can also operate more straight/closer at your subject. A possible gold side is intended for reflecting a warm light with the same strength as the silver side. What it does though is to make your subject look extremely yellow-ish. It discolors the photo you are about to take. In the world of digital post processing that is not what you want because you can make it warmer in post without dealing with the discoloration produced by the gold-side. That is by far harder to remove without having the rest of your photo colors look dull. *** Folding it back *** I recommend that you search Youtube for "folding a reflector" and exercise it for a couple of times before you embarrass yourself in front of people! Basically you hold it with your both hands like a steering wheel (one hand reversed) and then you twist it to form an "8" two times. Bottom line is, that I would recommend buying this reflector and not one of the 5-in-1s.

Great product

I bought this instead of the 5 color reflectors because I don't really have a need for black, gold, and whatever other color there is in the 5 pack. I like that this is one disc, two sided with white on one, silver on the other. It's simple to carry around, and comes with a travel case. It folds up to about the size of a large plate. It's tricky to fold up, but once you get the hang of it, it's all good. Great product!

is larger and works even better, by providing even more reflected fill light. It is not as compact, so it doesn't fit inside my camera bag like my old one. Sturdy, light weight, easy to collapse and two sided, like the one I wore out.

Got it for a good price, fulfilled by Amazon. Useful for bouncing light to fill shadows.