A L'il TGIF Fun
This one is very hard to post with a straight face.First off, please note that I am not exactly endorsing this. But I will give them credit for making the umbrella a shoot-thru rather than a reflective version.
Second, I would only say that any umbrella of this size should rightfully have a stiff, fruity drink under it -- with a tropical sunset as a backdrop.
And assuming you are that unafraid of embarrassing yourself in public, I like this version better. If you're gonna go for it, I say go all out.
:: Strobrella Product Page ::
(Thanks to Artur Gajewski for the tip!)
-30-
__________
Brand new to Strobist, or lighting? Start here.
Or, jump right into our free Lighting 101 course.
Connect: Discussion Threads | Reader Photos | Twitter
Posted at 12:00 AM.
74 Comments:
I just snorted out loud. Thanks for the laugh. I LOVE it. hahaha.
I'd almost want to use one in some sort of parody photoshoot, somewhat similar to your DPP thing with the models and paux-paparazzi, but way more over the top and kitschy.
Thanks David, I needed a laugh today...
I posted this response in the older blog post, by mistake;), but it really belongs here:
There is something even better and probably more useful, more in line with off-camera philosophies of the Strobist.com: "Handholdable Umbrella and Bracket" designed by Bob Krist. A quick off-camera umbrella solution for travel headshots;) I like it... It works beautifully with Nikon's SB-800 in TTL on the umbrella and D90 with on-camera flash used as in commander mode...
See here: http://www.bobkrist.com/blog/handholdable-umbrella-and-bracket/
Granted, it looks completely silly. But if you've got nothing better, and if you held it off-axis, maybe you could get light that's a little similar to a beauty dish...? Maybe? Possibly?
At least they're not gouging anyone at seven euros.
I agree, this thing needs a strong fruity alcoholic beverage under it rather than a strobe.
No matter how well it may work, I'd be worried about being laughed out of an event using something like this.
How about the lens flare this would cause...? :)
That is so awesome! And hey, at least its not an over priced piece of tupperware...
Haha, that looks awesome. Thanks for the laugh!! I wonder if it actually works well or not?
Hah, it is humorous, but I just ordered one!
With a 12" diameter it's actually larger than a Lumiquest Softbox III, which I currently use semi-regularly. The main advantage I see is that the folded form of this is easier to tuck in a small lightstand bag.
I thought this was a spoof until I saw that this guy/girl has been selling these on ebay
Okay, I must admit I laughed. Hahaha! :)
Ha!
I challenge - look at the portrait example on the website: I don't believe that was created with on cam flash(even using a strobrella!) The shadow from the subjects' hands indicates that the light is a fair way off axis. Even if the camera had been held in portrait orientation with the flash to the left, I don't believe that light comes from an on cam flash....
Strobella... it sounds yummy ;P
Unless there's something I'm missing, it looks as it would be a reasonable way of doing on-axis fill for close range shots. At any rate, it would give you a larger light source than bare flash.
It looks just wrong, surely it should be made out of grainy dubious quality paper with thin slivers of wood and be either orange or green.
It looks ridiculous, but so do all of gary fongs articles. would it be THAT different to a ringflash if set at very low powers? sounds like soft fill to me....
Hahaha....looks like another pointless strobist accessory i'm surprised it isn't made by Strobies!
LOL!
Thanks for sharing this humor.
I like how the little animation has a five sided version.
I wonder what the little umbrellas were originally manufactured for.
Man, this is bad rep for canon... =(
It is for those sunny summer days, for the camera to not get sunburned...probably....
Some people really need to get out more.
LOL
I've seen some of these back in Mainland China--and some "pros" really using it in action!
simply "stunning"!
I haven't laughed that hard before 8am in years. Fantastic.
Actually, I think this could be really useful for macro, where the flash is on a bracket close to the subject and camera, and can't take really big modifiers.
That is classic! I like the head mount version. But the flash is still right on top of the camera. I guess you could always get a Voice Activated Light stand to wear it. Lets them be handsfree to do other things.
Todd
kinna corny lookin, but not much more than say a whale-tail or some of the other choices out there.
no,, i won't be buying one.
Trying not to stifle my giggles: I can't help but observe: it is from a structures perspective very efficient: Why is it people use brolys usually ? Because structurally they are very efficient. You get a lot of surface area for minimised material content: they errect quickly and can be put away quickly: probably only tobe beaten by inflated/ pressurised structures (e.g. a balloon). That is why people use umbrellas usually: there is less mass in the structure to errect that much "sruface" compared to a box : because much of the structural forces are tensile ones in the surface of the brolly: (like a sail on a ship.); when loads are largely compressional: you tend to have more massive structures . So : a lumquest III for example: has more material in it... is a less efficient structure. But it also looks a whole heap less ridiculous...
cetainly brightened up my Friday :)
See you in London David: I got the first cancellation. Wa hoe !
Party at TFC!
Jonathan
I'll have a long island iced tea please :)
These will do well. Embarrassing aunts and uncles will purchase them by the thousands for family gatherings...
Somewhere, heartbreakingly, a mini-Mary Poppins is now grounded....
Let's see............a $2500 camera body, $1300 lens and a $450 flash. ya, that bling goes perfectly with that setup.....LOL
Difused flat light ... it's the new Black my friends "=^)
I just love the cheesy quote on the front page.
"Amateurs talk about equipment, pros talk about money, masters talk about the strobella"
Hey for $15 to your door it's better than a lot of options… you know except for pointing the pictured flash up at the ceiling of course.
This is great for a photo shoot of Barbie or Ken. Anyway, this is better than the whaletail.
I think the important question is: *what* kind of beverage is appropriate under a shoot-through umbrella. "Strobella" sounds like a nice cocktail, but I want to know how it actually tastes!
Seems we have another Strobist induced site crash... Imagine showing up to a wedding event with this little setup. hehe
Bought. This is going to be great for my macro photography! hahaha
macro blog
Is it really that stupid? It looks a bit bit & cumbersome, but so is the flash, really. Anyone can recommend smaller on-flash umbrellas (reflective or through)? This is for work with students (I would not use it in real life situations).
http://davidikus.blogspot.com/
Yes is totally funny, but even more funny is that there are people that will actually buy this thing to see how much will improve their lighting!
How come I wasn't surprised that this is from Italy, haha. i have seen even lamer things from there. Sorry Italy, tough times indeed.
I prefer Lumiquest's Softbox III, more efficient, and the light doesn't spill.
Curious Dave
Do you get yer yaya's off showing this on a Canon? Betcha I'm gonna goggle nikon/min umbrella/nurd and post it in discussions
lol
good one
Next thing we will see is a headbrella. a hat with a built in 42in umbrella. The need for a VAL to carry a paint pole will be a thing of the past
Don't scoff too harshly at it.
I made one from a 10 umbrella I found in some back room of some random photography store in Hong Kong.
Off camera and proportionally sized for my g9 and 270ex, its awesome!
Here's the build set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100thousandquestions/sets/72157620353050227/
remind me of the "soft shoulder" for those old enough to remember it!!! Hahaha
"Amateurs talk about equipment, Pros talk about money, Masters talk about light"
Is there anything more funny than seeing that quote on THAT site :)
Amazing!!!
I needed a good laugh today, and although I had seen the umbrella's before on eBay, I had not yet seen that quote!
Brilliant.
I'd prefer to use the Lastolite EzyBox Hotshoe but I've been known to use letter size paper if I can't get my hands on anything else.
It's hard to believe Canon would market a flash with such a silly looking diffuser. I just hope Nikon doesn't follow suit.
"See our feedbacks on eBay."
Sums it up pretty good right there, I'd say.
I've used a similar sized umbrella made by Kaiser. I use it with the flash on Justin Clamp and just tuck the shaft under a Honl Speed Strap. The light quality is not too bad, but you have to really watch out for umbrella's edge shadows on the background.
It's the only umbrella that's always with me. Haven't ever used it on-camera and never will...
My Strobella
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbBlGUzVy6A
Further talk of it...
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=809106&page=10
"masters talk about light" I like their slogan, and think that your portfolio is 10 times more important than wheather or not you got your gear from a pinacolada.
FIRST SHOT TAKEN WITH STROBELLA
Below is a link of one of the first few shot's I had taken with a Strobella and 'off camera' flash in general.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=868484&highlight=strobella
^^^
I was after a 'soft' 'snoot-like' effect. Also like how it gives nic catch-lights in the eyes, which is something a snoot can't do...
awww, thats so adorable, I will use that for concert photography, real low profile
This does look pretty hilarious, a tiny umbrella sitting atop an otherwise "normal" on-camera flash.
But you know, I've held a white paper towel up in front of my pop-up flash in a pinch. I see this as ingenious, if a little funny-looking. :-)
I would like to say I have seen worse, but I am not sure that would be true. I can't wait until I see someone with it in person!!
You might all be laughing, but in Scotland, this is an essential piece of kit.
Just point the brolly upwards.
I can't help but notice more than anything the fact that the rotating .gif on their site of it is a pentagonal umbrella on the only left-handed camera I've ever seen.
So what do you have
1. On axis lighting
2. very close to the lens
3. Similar fill to a ring light
4. Less cumbersome than an Alien Bee ring light.
5. Probably more efficent than the 2 ring light sytems that attach to a flash.
6. Doesn't need hand holding like one of the ring lights.
7. No stress on the hot shoe.
8. Shoot horizontal or vertical without any worries of something falling off.
9. Better diffusion than a Stofen
10. Very efficent storage.
Probably some more...
It's cute... I would try it.
I already get laughed at for using my light modifiers made out of beer cartons that I learned about on this blog. Why is this any worse?
I dunno . . . but theoretically, that could be useful for macro photography - a big light source for small subjects.
I got one Strobella a week ago and I am very happy with results. Far better than most 'portable' diffusers. What makes a diffuser better than another is the surface and Strobella has far more surface than lightsphere or softbox.
When on camera it reduces shadows, doesn't just soften them, 'cos it's very near to the lens.
Actually I use it most off camera, so I can near it to the subject.
It's great for portraits and small subjects. And it's really portable, it folds down to nothing.
Gear heads laughing it up. Looks very useful to me, esp handheld off camera for 'guerilla' photography. I find I am trying to minimise as much as possible the amount of gear I hoik around these days. I did a some street photography in Tokyo the other week, I would have liked to have given the Strobella a go in that scenario.
And for cheap, too!
And two of you thought this was being made by Canon? Seriously, dudes…
Uhmmm...do they come in blue?...with paisley designs?...or is it stricly white??? LOL
I work in a museum, often have to snap pictures of small(ish) items in bad light. Hate to lug gear around, so this seems ideal for travel, no bulk/weight issues, and diffuses enough for a lot of close up work. Will buy.
I just ordered one. We'll see how it goes. I think it should be fun for photo sessions with family and friends.
I had never seen anyone else do this before. It's too bad that so many are laughing at it.
A couple months ago I went online and bought a white doll umbrella, roughly the same size.
I have my flash on a flip bracket and attached the umbrella with an elastic band.
Does it ridiculous. Yes. But, it's hard to not stand out and look silly with multiple cameras and any number of modifiers attached to the flash anyway.
I've used it at a confirmation and a first communion so far. I could have placed my flash on a stand and put a larger umbrella on that. I didn't because I needed to shift positions occasionally and I thought that the umbrella stand would be more distracting for the families in the pews.
In general, I would bounce light from the ceiling. The church in question had dark wood ceilings.
I like bounce cards pretty well too. But, my umbrella is a nice option for $7.
In the days before I had pocketwizards (or an assistant) I was shooting a couple getting into a limo and I handheld a large umbrella behind me which I reflected a flash unit (connected via hotshoe) into for softer light. It worked very well given the pitch black situation. I'd have to agree that a smaller umbrella would belong in a tropical drink :-)
Really funny, especially that you can actually buy it...ROTFLMAO
That looks excellent, actually. Camera in right hand, popup flash (with silly eBay diffuser) doing on-axis fill light. Flash unit in left hand with the cocktail umbrella. Great portrait lightning anywhere, at the cost of being the laughing stock of the photographic community.
Hmm.. At first, I was kinda chuckling as well, then I realised: larger surface area that an lumiquest softbox or the honl diffuser. SILENT setup and break down. The only thing I'm thinking is that it needs a reflective backing to prevent light spill, as well as increasing efficiency.
Though, I really am scratching my head... why are folks laughing away at this? Because it's an umbrella on a flash? How is that different than the typical softbox mods?
Btw, Eric, love the link to the custom bracket: http://www.flickr.com/photos/100thousandquestions/sets/72157620353050227/
Do you have that on one of the on demand fab sites? Would love a copy of the acrylic one.
Seriously, light, fast/silent setup/breakdown, and soft light when up close(same as lumiquest and honl offerings), The fact it folkds down to effectively a stick is a huge plus, since the current diffusers I use don't roll up well or need to lay flat somewhere.
Will definitely either buy one of theirs or see if I can't pick up a cheap umbrella from the local dollar store. Definitely liking Eric's bracket, the more I see it.
Post a Comment
<< Home