Beginner's guide to "how to mount an umbrella"?

[Marsu42]

For indoor portraiture, I need some portable(!) soft lighting and after some research the Westcott collapsible seems to be good value (maybe in conmbination with a reflector on the other side): http://www.amazon.de/Westcott-43-inch-Optical-Collapsible-Removable/dp/B001OKBLEE

Question is: How do I mount this thing and my flash? I have to admit I'm rather confused by the variety of stand/boom/bracket/screw/whatever combinations, is there some tutorial available on what "best value" mount to get? Thanks & feel free to inquire further if my description is too lacking to get some advice.

 

[Loswr]

Basically, you need a light stand and an umbrella swivel, plus a cold shoe on which to mount the flash.

There are a variety of stands available in multiple heights and price points. Some of the smaller ones, like the Manfrotto 1051BAC, have a small footprint diameter which can be useful indoors if space is limited. If you're going to use the umbrella outdoors, being an umbrella, you will want to weight the light stand with a sandbag or something similar, so you will want a load capacity that's able to hold a ~10 pound sandbag.

Probably the most popular (and quite likely the best) umbrella swivel is the Manfrotto 026. The reversible spigot on top has a 1/4"-20 threaded stud for a cold shoe, as well as a 3/16" stud.

The small cold shoes by Stroboframe or Vello are relatively inexpensive. They have a thumbscrew that clamps the hotshoe base of the flash like a vice. They work fine, just be careful not to over tighten the screw or you can crack the base of the flash. The Frio cold shoe is a slightly better option, because it allows you to use the flash's own locking mechanism.

Obviously, you also need a way to trigger the off-camera flash to fire. Note that if you are using third-party wireless triggers, most of them will have a 1/4"-20 socket, so you would not need the cold shoe in that case (but you would if using built in optical or radio triggering).

As for tutorials, you can quite likely find some, or at least answers to many questions, on the Strobist101 blog.

I trust you realize that a single off-camera flash set up is just a gateway drug.

 

[ahab1372]

I trust you realize that a single off-camera flash set up is just a gateway drug.

Isn't that true for most gear recommendations?

 

[Loswr]

I trust you realize that a single off-camera flash set up is just a gateway drug.

Isn't that true for most gear recommendations?

Well, yeah - but the bar can be lower. Bodies and lenses are several hundred or more, but light stands, Yongnuo flashes, and many modifiers are under $100.

 

[Marsu42]

Basically, you need a light stand and an umbrella swivel, plus a cold shoe on which to mount the flash.

Ok, so Manfrotto 1051BAC + Manfrotto 026 + coldshoe ... looks reasonable.

The bugdet question: Are there any off-brand copies of these, like in exploiting poor workers before they jump from the factory roof (or, well, nearly like this)? Or are these Manfrottos already so reasonably priced that anything cheaper will break in no time?

 

[Loswr]

The bugdet question: Are there any off-brand copies of these, like in exploiting poor workers before they jump from the factory roof (or, well, nearly like this)? Or are these Manfrottos already so reasonably priced that anything cheaper will break in no time?

I'd get the Manfrotto 026 swivel, it's robust enough and future-proof (holds a monolight with a large softbox with no trouble.

There are less expensive light stands that are quite decent. The Impact ones (B&H has them, not sure if it's a house-brand) are good, as are the Lumopro (Midwest Photo Exchange carries them in the US) - I'm not sure about European availability of those brands. Westcott has stands, too. For a light load, most will be decent, I expect. The air cushioning is nice (when you loosen the knobs, the sections collapse slowly instead of dropping fast...but that's nice, not a necessity.

The only other nice thing about the Manfrottos is they're the only ones I know of that collapse flat (instead of round like a tripod). Not a big deal if you have only one, but if you get two or more of the same size, the collapsed stands lock together in a stack which is pretty convenient for storage/transport (I can fit 4 of them in a bag that would only hold two stands that collapse round).

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Take a look at David Hobby Strobist blog.
There you find a lightning 101, the basics you need to flash and form light.
Very helpful and informative.

 

[Marsu42]

Basically, you need a light stand and an umbrella swivel, plus a cold shoe on which to mount the flash.

Thanks neuro for you advice, I've got the Manfrotto 1051BAC & 026 and they're great, not too expensive either. Except the good build quality (at least from what I can tell) I really like the air cushioning - if I want to lower the flash, I just unscrew it for a second w/o fearing that the whole thing collapses with a a big bang.