Jim Quinn
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 p.1 #1 · Big PLM with a speedlight? | |
Hi,
Various threads on this forum have discussed the characteristics and applications of Paul Buff's PLM umbrellas with White Lightning or Alien Bees monolights or lights from other manufacturers. It seems that one of the main reasons for choosing the silver PLMs, in particular, is that they will throw out a lot of light from a relatively low-powered light source, permitting the use of less powerful flashes, lower flash settings (allowing quicker recycle times), and greater subject-to-light distances.
Some posters have asked whether speedlights could be used successfully with these modifiers. Because speedlights aren't designed to operate as bare-bulb light sources (unlike WL/AB monilights, for example), they wouldn't fill the umbrellas with light, making the PLMs less efficient and even than if they were fitted with bare-bulb light heads.
Thanks to David Hobby and his Strobist blog, and to shooters like Joe McNally who use small flashes so successfully, lots of photographers are now relying heavily on speedlights for many lighting jobs that may have required larger lights in the past. And that raises a question:
Since a silver PLM maximizes output from its light source, would a speedlight fitted with a StoFen dome (or a similar dome diffuser) spread the light widely enough to get most of the benefits of these big umbrellas? If that combination works, it would make a lightweight and very portable location lighting tool.
Jim Quinn
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