Umbrellas - are they created equal?

TimSandhu

TimSandhu

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Build quality aside, is there a quantifiable difference in two umbrellas of the same size and colour? i.e. a white el cheapo from ebay vs a Lastolite or Elinchrom?

Do the more expensive ones control output more evenly through use of higher quality materials?

Looking to get a couple of umbrellas and wondering if the branded ones are worth the extra outlay?
 
Cheaper ones seem to go 'brown' after a few years while the better ones seem to stay white...that's the only difference I've noticed.
If you have a studio, you put them up and they stay up - forever, more or less...
But if you were constantly putting them up and taking them down then build-quality might also be a factor...
 
If you're out on site with them then cheaper ones are probably best, you'll cry if you wreck your good ones. There are likely to be differences in colour temp I think but outside you'll not notice it as much as in a studio.
 
I can't see/feel any difference between my FITP one and the ones my friend uses in her studio - they all feel like they wouldn't last 2 minutes in a gust of wind :lol:
 
Arkady said:
Cheaper ones seem to go 'brown' after a few years while the better ones seem to stay white
Click to expand...

If you're getting a "few years" out of any umbrella, especially if it's getting used outdoors, then you're doing well :lol:
 
Yep, cheapo ones last 5 minutes.
 
yup, I've always regarded the chinese white ones as pretty much disposable, especially if working outside.

For reflective (silver) umbrellas, the cheap ones can have lots of light bleed through too, so lots of light wasted. The expensive ones don't have this.

Other things, solid shafts or ones with inserts vs thin tubes that get crushed by your brolly adapter, the quality of the internal mechanisms etc. I LOVE the calumet umbrellas, quality kit :) They have the 100cm silver one on permanent reduction which makes it crazy cheap. Perfect backlight mods for white seamless.

The westcott double fold is a neat bit of kit for its size too, my new 'daily' umbrella. Expensive over here though, mine got smuggled back from B&H...
 
Last edited:
itsdavedotnet said:
yup, I've always regarded the chinese white ones as pretty much disposable, especially if working outside.

For reflective (silver) umbrellas, the cheap ones can have lots of light bleed through too, so lots of light wasted. The expensive ones don't have this.

Other things, solid shafts or ones with inserts vs thin tubes that get crushed by your brolly adapter, the quality of the internal mechanisms etc. I LOVE the calumet umbrellas, quality kit :) They have the 100cm silver one on permanent reduction which makes it crazy cheap. Perfect backlight mods for white seamless.

The westcott double fold is a neat bit of kit for its size too, my new 'daily' umbrella. Expensive over here though, mine got smuggled back from B&H...
Click to expand...

Cheers for that - I'll check out Calumet.
 
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