Thread: Flickr: Discussing Softbox vs. white umbrella in LightSource

60inch umbrella... outdoors... during wind... sorry bro.. but it sounds like a recipe for disaster! plan on buying about 100 sandbags to put on that massive lightstand!

I would like to build a softbox for my Novatron strobe set, but there is a problem. The Novatron heads don't have anywhere to mount the box and the hinges that hold the head to the stand are not sturdy enough to hold that much weight anyway. So, I am wondering if the lighting effect would essentially be the same if instead of shooting through a softbox if I instead shot through something like a white Westcott umbrella. Any opinions or...

I bought a 60" photogenic eclipse umbrella for $49.95 new from ebay from jwphoto. I am desperate to use it but I live in an area so windy that every time I go out I feel like Mary Poppins.

About $45-60 it you are looking at westcott. Very affordable or you can get the Alienbees one for even cheaper: www.alienbees.com/utwb.html

A shoot througfh umbrella probably won't get you light that is as soft as a softbox. Maybe something like the Photek Softliter would do the trick for you.