walimex pro Umbrella reflector diffuser, 91 cm

I was looking to buy a Photek Softlighter to achieve a particular quality of light, soft but with nice falloff. It's almost impossible to get one of those in the UK without spending an absolute fortune so I decided to give this a try. I use this with a speedlight for the most part and it works beautifully. I used this recently to shoot a classy composite group shot, Vanity Fair style, and the results were gorgeous, the light that fell on the models was soft but controlled with a lovely falloff. The key to this piece of kit is knowing exactly how to use it, so if the shot doesn't look beautiful straight away then do some research, play around. This kit WILL do the job, trust me. The rod is hollow, not solid, it is just capped at the end, however it doesn't feel overly flimsy. The one thing I miss from the softlighter is the ability to unscrew the rod once the umbrella is up. I use it often very close to the model so I sawed the end off mine to accommodate. Ultimately this has been a great piece of kit full stop, not even just for the money. Yes it may not last forever but at this price it's no great risk. Buy it!

If you want soft, wrap-around lighting you need a light source with a large surface area close up to your subject. Conventional brollies or the shoot-through ones are great but the light tends to spill everywhere. If you are only using a light stand and try a fit a large softbox on the front of your flash then the angle you can tilt it downwards is limited. Likewise, those enclosed brollies where the flash fits inside . They also have the disadvantage that you have to pull open the diffuser panel to adjust the flash head. The weight of any of these can make them awkward to set up, have a tendency to slip and cause the stand to be unstable.If you are a professional then you might have heavy-weight stands , sandbags, a boom arm with counterbalance or lighting rails bolted into the ceiling. However, if you already spend silly amounts of cash on your photography, the this softbox reflector is a much better option. It's not perfect but it's the best I've found in many years of looking for a solution.

Ok so since buying this iv had more then a view chances to test it out, as a portrait photographer and not trusting mother nature with the sun, I use flash, As im not a pro and do not have 500+ quid to spend on a lighting kit I can travel with (soon i will) (a cheap one from b&H ;])anyway this works fine with normarl speed light, doesnt suck to much life out of the flash give out nice light quality. I bought this as a tep (buying the westcott Apollo dome, and that cheap impact lighting kit I was talking about, but works just fine, only thing that bugs me is the shaft in WAY to long, when but through my stand+bracket its so long I cant bring it in close to my subject without having to go to court for stabbing them,the build quality is amazing for such a cheap product, the shaft although super long is solid, not hollow like my other umbrella.I would recommend this for someone looking for a cheap alternative to a more high end softbox, or even a temp until you can afford the bigger, better brand names.good buy came fast more PROS then CONS<DAMIEN>

This umbrella softbox is excellent for single light portraits as well as more complex setups. It is more compact and easier to set up than traditional softboxes because of the umbrella construction which puts the flash inside the reflector instead of at the back of it. I use it with a Bowens S-mount speedlight adapter because that keeps the speedlight centered in the brolly rather than off to the side as a coldshoe adapter does.

Provides a beautiful soft wrap around light for portraits and combined with a lighting stand, speedlight and portable background gives a lightweight portrait kit that can be taken anywhere. As it fits to the stand and mount like a normal umbrella the bar is perfect for lining up the shot. Only drawback is zip is a little flimsy so treat it gently. All in all worth every penny

I love this product, I have previously used Godox, but this umbrella is fantastic, it really is so useful. Easy to set up, lightweight portable, great coverage when used with my canon flash. Some nice wrap around light produced. Easy to store and carry for part of a portable studio. I have just ordered another one, great piece of kit.

UPDATE: In trying to find a grid for this, I decided I would take on a few other modifications too. I have cut a small hole in the black canvas of the umbrella, so that I can feed a light stand through it. This allows me to have the entire speedlight or strobe hidden inside the umbrella, reducing the black that can be seen in catch lights if you're doing close portraits. Now it's nearly all a white surface as you would get with a normal softbox. This works really well if you're using a boom stand as you can essentially angle it however you want straight from the boom's angle clamp rather than messing with anything close to or inside the light. (If your light is high up it's a pain to have to bring it down to adjust and then put it back at it's height).I removed the staples from the broken zip (could have sent it back when it arrived like that but I wasn't bothered. It is in no way a sturdy or reliable zip though. Expect it to break).I've also found a grid that, with a few bits of glued velcro, fits like a charms. The original cheap investment has paid off yet again :-)ORIGINAL REVIEW:Great piece of kit for on-the-fly shoots. Would give 5 stars if the zip to close off the canvas when a light has been put in wasn't broken when it arrived. Not a problem though as I've just stapled it up.