Cheetah Flash and parabolic

[jeremy_wakefield]

<p>Hi</p>

<p>I recently bought a Cheetah 360 flash and I'm looking for some advice on using it with a larger parabolic umbrella. I have a 6'6" parabolic umbrella and I'm wondering whether I should fire the Cheetah into it without any reflector attached or whether I should use the standard reflector that comes with it. I'm wondering if the better spread of the bare bulb would suit the parabolic type of umbrella rather than the standard reflector which would be more directional and push more power where it counts.</p>

<p>I've never used a flash like this before so excuse my ignorance</p>

<p>All advice gratefully received.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>There's no point in having a 6' 6" brolly if you don't light all of it. BUT, if you use the bare bulb you'll probably have a lot of spill and lose the efficiency of the umbrella unless you can ram the flash right into the brolly bowl and close to its axis.</p>

<p>OTOH, with a reflector head my experience is that it's a bit pointless using anything bigger than a 4' umbrella with any type of hotshoe-style flash. You just can't get a wide enough coverage angle to make best use of the reflector diameter; not without having the flash a ridiculous distance away from the umbrella.</p>

<p>Those are the pros and cons of a bare bulb versus a reflector, but you've got the kit - so just try it!</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

If you can get the flat metal part of a Speedring -the insert /adaptor that allows you to fuse the same soft box and outer

ring of a soft box mount with different brands of flash gear that is the best way to keep the light coming out of a flash tube

heading into the umbrella ,whether it is a parabolic design or not.

 

Paul C Buff Inc makes an umbrella reflector for their Alien Bees, White Lightning and Einstein lines. It is shaped like a

shallow bowl

 

Various other makes like Broncolor, Elinchrom, and Prpfoto also make specialized umbrella reflectors. The standard

Dynalite 2040 head has an umbrella reflector integrated into their heads.

[jeremy_wakefield]

<p>Thank you both for your reponses. I have tried the flash in bare bulb mode and it filled the umbrella with light. It also didn't give the parabolic effect I was after. OTOH when I put on the standard reflector it just made a hot spot. I don't have the wider angle reflector sold for umbrellas and I'd need to buy this as an extra hence my question. I don't know whether it will be worth it.</p>

<p>I was quite keen on getting my hands on a Chimera speedring which I beieve is the solution you proposed Elilis. Is that right? They hare hard to get in the UK and the ones here cost a lot of £s. The cheapest possible solution I've found was on ebay and this is it</p>

<p>http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180944248295?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649</p>

<p>Is this the sort of thing you meant, Ellis? I have a feeling it would work better with an umbrella of this size than a standard umbrella refelctor</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Late response, sorry William!<br>

You don't say what surface your parabolic has, but from the mention of a hotspot, I'm guessing it's silver or matt silver. I'm a bit of a 'parabolic' skeptic, because it's actually impossible to get a strutted umbrella to form a truly parabolic shape - and if it ain't really parabolic, then you ain't gonna get a focused beam - end of. Best you'll get is multiple shadows and radial strips of light. As for white 'parabolics' - total oxymoron.</p>

<p>I'd suggest you look at cookware as a cheap reflector solution. Either simple disposable aluminium pie dishes or a wok type implement. A reflector is a reflector; whether it's been purpose-made for photographic use or improvised from scrap. Get your scissors, drill, tinsnips or whatever to work and experiment.</p>