Good lord!!!! Take pity on those of us hitting the site on smartphones. Posting 15 pics in one post is past brutal! One or two for context and a link to the rest, please!!!!!
Nice shout out at the end. But I don't know if sound is a good test for this, though. I mean there are similarities to how the sound waves travel when compared to light but there are variables like the material your voice hits. While it reflects light indefinitely your voice doesn't bounce back as well as light does. We can go on and on about this and debate, but I guess what I'm trying to say is you're not Daredevil. Lol. You know what I mean?
c2thew Your pictures with the light 2' away illustrate why not to use it this way. Notice only the small center area of the PLM is reflecting light, thus lowering the output and effective source size. The rest of the light is bouncing off the PLM in all directions as unfocused spill light . . . defeating the whole principle of the PLM.
Pardon the numerous pictures per post. i'll cut down on those.
What I'm trying to replicate is the light from the link above. In that image, none of the light is hitting the tree branch adjacent to the plm. In my outdoor shots, light was spilling onto the tree and the house next to the plm.
I thought the opposite and the degree would be narrow especially with the built in sub-reflector on the flash used in the tests.Wasn't that the reason for the spill kill reflector in V1? I think this is what he is trying to eliminate.... Right?
I think i figured out what the problem is! It's not the design of the plm at the cause of the light spill, rather it is the MODELING LIGHT from the elinchrom d-lite that is bouncing the light and creating the spill!!!!!
It took me awhile to figure out why there was so much side light spilling off because when i covered the side of the tube with my hand while the modeling light was on, spill light no longer was an issue. So i removed the modeling light and redid the tests. much to my surprise, the plm worked and performed PERFECTLY.
The light that is hitting my ceilings is the result of two factors 1) the clear vinyl on the floor with the white tile board, and 2) the seamless paper diffusing light to the ceiling. I bet if i take the plm outside with the light bulb on my strobe, I will have the desired look that I was shooting for.
Honestly, there are just a few small things that need to be fixed before I feel that the plm should be ramped up in mass quantities (again, this is my opinion)
1) make a quick release setup so that photographers who are less technical can shoot and not have to worry about a cumbersome setup.
2) Figure out a way to produce a bracket to reduce side spill (maybe something like a semi transparent plastic or even a metal circle similar to the image above)
3) brand the PLM logo on the umbrella in a good sized "PLM, parabolic light modifier, Paul C. Buff professional products -- to increase brand recognition as there will be tons of curious onlookers and photographers who will want to purchase one due to it's affordability.
4) I think you included a bag on your first v1 plm's which you can easily do on the v2's so that's not a huge issue.
Thanks for your suggestions. But I'm afraid you don't comprehend the complexities of design and manufacturing. Your "quick and dirty fixes" require a complete redesign, throwing away $100,000 worth of parts and molds, etc.
As for the side spill, the speedring already controls side spill from the flash and modeling lamp completely when used with Einstein (whose modeling lamp doesn't protrude in front of the flashtube.) When used with modeling lamps that protrude and thus fail to provide accurate WYSIWYG modeling, the slight modeling lamp spill is of no consequence in practice, because it doesn't show up in the actual shots - modeling exposure being down around -8f from the flash exposure.
The translucent "spill kill" you show will actually cause flash spill rather than reducing it and will compromise the output and focusing of the PLM™.
We have orders fabric sleeves to be made for the PLM™s and they will eventually ship with the product.
Paul Buff wrote:
For distant positions best focus and spill control is usually achieved with the flashtube about 1.5" inside the front edge of the PLM. For closer shots IE 10' distance focus is best with tube parallel with PLM fabric front edge.
I have a cute friend coming in this thursday to test out the 86 plm's. I'm thinking I should use just one which is on the table in the images with the diffusion fabric on because i really like the soft wrap from the plm.
If you guys have any particular lighting setups you want me to test out with the plm for the shoot on thursday, let me know and i'll go ahead and give them a go.
The lighting setups I want to try out are
1) umbrella camera right 45 degrees
2) umbrella behind camera above my head for a straight on look
3) umbrella facing down while up on a 8 foot light stand slightly in front of the model
Bearmann wrote:
Is this true for all sizes, or just the 86 inch?
It's proportional to size, so distant focus on the 51" is about one inch in. If you're outside and cant see the modeling patter, go to the subject position and look into the PLM with modeling lamp on. It's at tightest focus when you see light coming from the entire PLM surface . . . the rays at intersecting at the subject. But if your modeling lamp is forward of the flashtube (many are) you might reposition so the flashtube is located where the modeling lamp was when you focused using modeling.
This only applies to silver PLM™ White doesn't much care where you put the flash because it doesn't focus the rays.
c2thew wrote:
I have a cute friend coming in this thursday to test out the 86 plm's. I'm thinking I should use just one which is on the table in the images with the diffusion fabric on because i really like the soft wrap from the plm.
If you guys have any particular lighting setups you want me to test out with the plm for the shoot on thursday, let me know and i'll go ahead and give them a go.
The lighting setups I want to try out are
1) umbrella camera right 45 degrees
2) umbrella behind camera above my head for a straight on look
3) umbrella facing down while up on a 8 foot light stand slightly in front of the model
Especially with the 86", try standing in front of the PLM, slightly below and to one side of the centers. This will give you subtle shadow modeling under the chin and to the side of the nose,
The further off center you get - the more dramatic the shadows. If you stand dead center you'll get pretty much a ringflash look with practically no shadows.
Paul Buff wrote:
...
This only applies to silver PLM™ White doesn't much care where you put the flash because it doesn't focus the rays.
If that's the case, what advantage does a white PLM offer over a similarly-sized conventional umbrella? If the white PLMs have the same parabolic contour as the silver, I would expect them to "care" just as much about light placement but just throw less light into the pattern due to their lower reflectivity.
tetrode wrote:
If that's the case, what advantage does a white PLM offer over a similarly-sized conventional umbrella? If the white PLMs have the same parabolic contour as the silver, I would expect them to "care" just as much about light placement but just throw less light into the pattern due to their lower reflectivity.
Dave F.
Price, first of all. I expect to use the 86-inch white PLM as a portable rear wall for on-location bounce fill.
The white surface can't focus because it inherently diffuses, which is why it appears white instead of silver to the eye.
tetrode wrote:
If that's the case, what advantage does a white PLM offer over a similarly-sized conventional umbrella? If the white PLMs have the same parabolic contour as the silver, I would expect them to "care" just as much about light placement but just throw less light into the pattern due to their lower reflectivity.
Dave F.
The 16 segment design better approaches a circle and yields more pleasing (to most) round catchlights instead of octagons produced by standard umbrellas. The shallow design with a bare bulb light fills the white PLM evenly, controls side spill and is easier to place in the studio and put less overhung weight on the stands and light swivel mechanism.
Nice shout out at the end. But I don't know if sound is a good test for this, though. I mean there are similarities to how the sound waves travel when compared to light but there are variables like the material your voice hits. While it reflects light indefinitely your voice doesn't bounce back as well as light does. We can go on and on about this and debate, but I guess what I'm trying to say is you're not Daredevil. 
Lol. You know what I mean? 
