Strobe relector on or off with umbrella or lightbox?

Just wondering when it is best to leave the reflector on the strobe

(for example the 7" silver reflector that comes with the AB 800) or

remove it when using the strobe with an umbrella or softbox?

What are the pros and cons if any?

 

Thanks

There's less spill if you use a small reflector. I typically use a 7", 35 degree reflector (Speedotron or Studiomax) with a hole for the umbrella.

IMX, with an umbrella, leaving the reflector off results in light spilling everywhere, bouncing off walls and ceilings, and providing very little directionality.

 

That might or might not be what you want. It's much like using a shoot-through umbrella, there's very little control.

My umbrellas have a flat area in the central, so they throw a beam down the axis of the umbrella when I use the reflector on the strobe.

 

You could try taking off the reflector but move the umbrella close to the light so most of it reflects off the umbrella.

Hi Jeffery/Jake<p>Just to double post this answer with your multi forum-ed question:<p>I use the Photek Softliter and Westcott's Halo and Apollo modifiers. They are sotboxes built with an umbrella architecture (the head is encased within the modifier). I use different combinations to vary the contrast with these boxes. <p>With the reflector on and the head facing towards the front of the box (single difusion), the light gives a sharper penumbra on a subject than when the reflector is off and facing back into the reflective rear of the box (double diffusion, ie: diffused by bouncing off the interior of the box and again as it exits through the face of the softbox). The Halo actually has a second access slot in the difusion panel to enable rear facing placement of the head in a position closer to the front diffuser panel, thus maximizing light spread toward the back of the box for double diffusing. The other slot is in the black panel near the rear of the box, for placing the head in a forward facing (single diffusing) position.<p>

 

Both the Westcott's have silver linings, which usually produces a more hard edged shadow, so I think this verifies that the change of head direction and the resultant double diffusing, is significant. The light would be even softer were the box white inside, instead of silver. The Softliter can only be used with the head facing the rear, since it is accessed only from the diffusing face. I use it only with the reflector, as I want soft, double diffused light from this particular modifier.<p>

 

With an open umbrella I think you will find that without the reflector, so much of the light spreads into the room that you will find two things produce troublesome issues:<p>

 

1- the light is released in an uncontrollable form, so that it spreads beyond the edges of the umbrella and either bounces off whatever is in the room causing unexpected effects such as color shifts, if you are in a brightly colored room for instance, or reflections off of nearby objects that may show up in reflective objects in your photograph, or, as Cecil (Thornhill) says, it gets light in your lens.<p>

 

2- Loss of paid-for watt seconds into the void. The reflector, when used with an umbrella, acts like round barn doors, containing the light within the umbrella, which you then direct as you see fit, rather than scattered arbitrarily about.<p>

 

Without the reflector on an open umbrella, you are enabling unknown and uncontrollable conditions to affect your image. Without the reflector inside a sealed softbox you are creating more diffusion (the barebulb effect Cecil mentions).<p>

 

With standard softboxes and Dynalite heads, I never use the reflector (the speed ring attaches directly to the heads). With the Dynalites and umbrellas, I always use the reflectors. I don't use the Westcotts and Softliter with the Dynalites and don't use regular speedring based softboxes with the Lumedynes.<p>

 

That's my take... t (anonymity is a wonderful thing...no?)