Apples

Apples

by Garik

submit your photo


Picture of the Week Themes
Suggest and vote on themes

Please participate in Meta
and help us grow.

Tell me more ×
Photography Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional, enthusiast and amateur photographers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 9 down vote favorite
1

In terms of f-stops, how much light is typically lost when shooting through an umbrella?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote accepted

That's going to vary a great deal depending on whether it's a bounce or shoot-through, what material is used, etc. In general, the range can be as little as 1/2 stop (or less) through to several stops. If you're interested in a particular brand, you can probably find details on light loss in the product literature. Lastolite, for example, will supply the light loss information for their umbrellas.

share|improve this answer
I specified shoot-through for this question. I would expect shoot-through has less light loss vs. reflected, ignoring the added distance for the reflected setup. Would you think that would bring in the higher end of your answer ("several stops")? E.g., 1/2 stop (or less) through to 2 stops, for example? – jfklein13 Aug 16 '10 at 17:29
1  
I know you specified shoot through, but I figured I would answer more generically to umbrellas since many are convertable. Anyways, for one of the Lastolite umbrellas, the loss on shoot through is 0.6f and for bounce is 0.2f. So, the material being used has a major impact in the outcome. – John Cavan♦ Aug 16 '10 at 17:33
Oh, to give you a further idea on the variety here... Interfit shoot through umbrellas are 0.5 stops and bounce are 1.5 stops! More loss and an opposite swing to Lastolight. – John Cavan♦ Aug 16 '10 at 17:35

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.