Have to agree with glenthegay. I think the PLM was designed to be mounted on the shaft with the short head reflector extending beyond the furthest point that the ribs extend, which is quite a way back up that shaft where I imagine it is much more stable and balanced. The weight shouldn't be an issue if mounted the way it was intended.
well if you look at the mounting on the website, i believe with the spill kill reflector, you will have to have the AB unit pretty close to the Umbrella, in which case, the weight of the umbrella would not bend like that due to the leverage.
Also that looks like a 60" and not the 86" one. Im almost sure of it. Mainly because of the height in comparison to the desk. 7'2" should be way taller than the desk height.
Deezie wrote:
Does the PLM come with a silver interior? Don't see much use using a white fabric interior.
I think that one is 2 weeks out.
If that long of a shaft isn't needed (since you'd mount it on an AB and it'd be pushed fairly far in), I'm puzzled as to why it's not shorter? The softlighter's detachable shaft is nice but the long shaft was probably only in the softlighter because of its origins as an umbrella (I've always choked up on it and pulled off the removable piece...
turbodude wrote:
well if you look at the mounting on the website, i believe with the spill kill reflector, you will have to have the AB unit pretty close to the Umbrella, in which case, the weight of the umbrella would not bend like that due to the leverage.
That really reduces the value of these for people who own other brands of strobes and basically assures that these aren't focusable after all - that focusing usually happens by either changing how deep the strobe position is or cranking the parabola narrower or wider. With neither of those being feasible on the PLM it's going to just be a big umbrella.
Paul C Buff Posted this the other day: "The silver PLMs are as true a parabolic as it gets. Smooth even coverage (about 40° spread) with immense output when used without optional front diffuser . . . indeed, f22+ range at 10' ISO100 with 225WS. (focusable to about 80° with more like f16 at 10'). Overpower the sun easily with 320WS - close to f 32 at 10' ISO 100 from a 75" near circular source (16 sides). (86" is around the arc - standard specification method for umbrellas - this is 75" across the face."
The PLMs should work with a Profoto strobe, the Buff spill kill reflector is about the same as a Profoto Disc Reflectorhttp://www.profoto.com/products/profoto/lightshapingtools/reflectors/disc-reflector My AcuteB Head came with a Disc Reflector. Also the umbrella mounting hole is closer to the centerline than the Alien Bee. So the PLMs should work as well on a Profoto as it does on an AB.
Now the real question is will they work as advertised? Mine will arrive this Thur, so I'll get back to you. BTW I ordered one of each of the three silver sizes. BTW2 I'll be testing them with Profoto, DynaLite and an AB if I can get one (a local portrait photographers uses them).
If the product looks good in actual use, I plan to get at least one silver to work with my AB's, but I fully intend to find a way to make it work with my quantum flashes. From what I see so far, I don't see any reason that I won't find a way to make it work. (knock on wood)
Even as a large umbrella, the price is good. If it can control spill better than an umbrella, then even better. I'll probably get the largest one, still waiting on some more reports about the strength of that pole.
shatterkiss wrote:
That really reduces the value of these for people who own other brands of strobes and basically assures that these aren't focusable after all - that focusing usually happens by either changing how deep the strobe position is or cranking the parabola narrower or wider. With neither of those being feasible on the PLM it's going to just be a big umbrella.
Just buy some AB's, you know you want to!
Seriously Shatterkiss, according to previous posts of Paul's, you widen (defocus) the beam by moving the strobe further into the brolly, not further out from the rib tips.
shatterkiss wrote:
That really reduces the value of these for people who own other brands of strobes and basically assures that these aren't focusable after all - that focusing usually happens by either changing how deep the strobe position is or cranking the parabola narrower or wider. With neither of those being feasible on the PLM it's going to just be a big umbrella.
You should consider studying the physics of a parabola a bit. There is only one focal point whether you use an AB or something els. By design, that point is parallel to the outer edge of the umbrella and that's where the flashtube needs to be for maximum focus.
If you mount the flash way back from this point you no longer have a parabolic reflector - - - nothing but a bent shaft. Speaking of the shaft, it is specially made to our specs and is twice as thick as typical umbrella shafts. There is no bending at all when used properly.
Defocusing is achieve by moving the light a few inches into the umbrella.
c.d.embrey wrote: Now the real question is will they work as advertised? Mine will arrive this Thur, so I'll get back to you. BTW I ordered one of each of the three silver sizes. BTW2 I'll be testing them with Profoto, DynaLite and an AB if I can get one (a local portrait photographers uses them).
Excellent! Please compare w/ your hensel parabolic on a person if you can. Looking forward to your comparison
Paul Buff wrote:
You should consider studying the physics of a parabola a bit. There is only one focal point whether you use an AB or something els. By design, that point is parallel to the outer edge of the umbrella and that's where the flashtube needs to be for maximum focus.
If you mount the flash way back from this point you no longer have a parabolic reflector - - - nothing but a bent shaft. Speaking of the shaft, it is specially made to our specs and is twice as thick as typical umbrella shafts. There is no bending at all when used properly.
Defocusing is achieve by moving the light a few inches into the umbrella....Show more →
I'm not a physicist, nor do I care to be one...I'm a photographer, and my only concern is how a tool works in practice. My understanding and experience in using parabolic reflectors is that the focusing and quality of the light changes as you rack the source back and forth within the parabola, allowing you to achieve different "looks" with the light. This seems to be borne out by the descriptions of the parabolics from other manufacturers:
"A unique benefit of the Para FB Umbrellas is that the lampbase can be very precisely focused within the umbrella, thus giving the photographer the ability to select anything from a hard, directed light to an extremely soft effect."
"The BRIESE focus-sytem is the techincal answer to all questions which might arise from modern light engineers. The soft light scatter as well as the effect of focused light of a fresnel lens spotlight is possible. The trick is the "lamp tube", designed as a movable axle."
"Having four focusing positions, the spot position gives a directed parallel light from a large light source. This position gives a hard light with a unique wrapping quality that also could be perceived as a soft light with a distinct crisp appearance."
It seems to me that the idea of having just a single intended source position within the parabolic is more akin to how standard umbrellas are designed to be used and less like the other major manufacturers' "focusable" parabolics?
I wonder how whose parallel rays are achieved with an off center light source. Wouldn't be a ringflash a better option (like broncolor solution) for perfect parallel ray bounce ?
shatterkiss wrote:
I'm not a physicist, nor do I care to be one...I'm a photographer, and my only concern is how a tool works in practice. My understanding and experience in using parabolic reflectors is that the focusing and quality of the light changes as you rack the source back and forth within the parabola, allowing you to achieve different "looks" with the light. This seems to be borne out by the descriptions of the parabolics from other manufacturers:
"A unique benefit of the Para FB Umbrellas is that the lampbase can be very precisely focused within the umbrella, thus giving the photographer the ability to select anything from a hard, directed light to an extremely soft effect."
"The BRIESE focus-sytem is the techincal answer to all questions which might arise from modern light engineers. The soft light scatter as well as the effect of focused light of a fresnel lens spotlight is possible. The trick is the "lamp tube", designed as a movable axle."
"Having four focusing positions, the spot position gives a directed parallel light from a large light source. This position gives a hard light with a unique wrapping quality that also could be perceived as a soft light with a distinct crisp appearance."
It seems to me that the idea of having just a single intended source position within the parabolic is more akin to how standard umbrellas are designed to be used and less like the other major manufacturers' "focusable" parabolics?...Show more →
Nothing different here. "The single point" is the point of absolute focus (I assume the megabuck versions have some method of telling you where this point is? If not, you're not getting much for your money.
From this point, you indeed move the umbrella in or out relative to the light source to widen the pattern (defocus).
As for the parabola being slightly off center, this does not effect the light pattern with a shallow form parabola such as the PLM. It does skew the pattern a bit from the shaft axis, but that's all. Sure if we wanted to create a $2000 system totally on axis 1% of customers might want to pay for it. But we deal with the real world.
Paul wrote: Sure if we wanted to create a $2000 system totally on axis 1% of customers might want to pay for it. But we deal with the real world.
Paul - you have several posters on here gushing about your products, then you come onto this forum and post defensive, glib comments. You continually self-destruct and do damage to your brand. How is it you just don't understand this? Let the photographers gush while you sit back and take all the credit. Telling someone that they're not dealing with the real world is insulting. When you get defensive, it gives people a reason to believe that there's a motive to do so.
Paul Buff wrote:
Nothing different here. "The single point" is the point of absolute focus (I assume the megabuck versions have some method of telling you where this point is? If not, you're not getting much for your money.
From this point, you indeed move the umbrella in or out relative to the light source to widen the pattern (defocus).
Since you've got a much better understanding of the physics and performance of these things than I do, could you explain how your new PLM line differs from standard umbrellas (other than in dimensions)? In what ways will the quality of light that they produce be appreciably different?
And you noted that the shaft is twice as thick as on other umbrellas...does that mean it's closer to 16mm in diameter than the "standard" 8mm?
