Speedlight with 60 inch umbrella

Naftoli

got a 60 inch umbrella, planning on using it with an sb910 for portraits or small group shots when i want to travel/pack light, thinking weather i should use the diffusion panel or diffusion dome also, what do u do

Shulim

I would keep the flash bare, just to maximize the limited power of the speed light. just keep it zoomed out for maximum coverage, and set the umbrella as far from the speed light as possible, again to maximize coverage.

here's an idea for testing this: take a very underexposed photo of the inside of your umbrella with the speed light firing into it. you'll be able to see how evenly the light is spread over the umbrella surface. if you see a dark circle on the edge, move the speed light further from the umbrella.

my guess is that you won't need a diffusion dome for full coverage. in that case, putting a diffusion dome Is pointless, as you'd be wasting valuable light.

ButchM

It's a fine line between "filing" the umbrella and creating edge spill ... you may not want to entirely fill the inside of the surface. Adding the diffusion dome or wide angle diffuser can also create unwanted spill as it can allow light to go where you may not want it ... remember, you not only want to control the quality of the light source you are creating, you also want to control the direction as well ... Uncontrolled spill in many situations can defeat the effort and create problems you did not anticipate.