Strobist - Shoot Through Umbrella, Stand & Mount Help

What is the main differance between 33" and 43" umbrellas?

I am starting to do some off camera flash work and buying my first strobist setup. I dont know what size umbrella to buy and what the diff will be apart from the obvious. I guess the larger one will dispurse the light more as there is a larger surface area (obviouslly lol)

I have a pair of Canon 540EZ and buying some V4's this week.

I found these stands on ebay that look good - Everything else looks really cheap and light. These both look to have some sturdy'ness about them

PROtog 2.8m Air Cushioned Studio Light Stand with bag - eBay Light Stands, Lighting, Studio Equipment, Photographic Accessories, Cameras. (end time 15-May-10 23:27:03 AEST)

PROtog 200cm photographic Light Stand flash umbrella - eBay Light Stands, Lighting, Studio Equipment, Photographic Accessories, Cameras. (end time 08-Jun-10 23:02:47 AEST)

I'd probably get the 2.8M one just to have the extra height? And there is a lot of talk about cheap umbrella mounts so I think I'll to with the manfrotto one?

Manfrotto 026 LITE TITE SWIVEL+UMBRELLA ADPT

Is there a huge differance with umbrellas? I see huge price differances but I cant figure out why. I think I will just get 2 white shoot through and pick up a silver one later. Will it matter what breand umbrella I choose or will they all do the same job?

Sorry about the length of this and thanks in advance for any help!

Lots of good questions. To tackle the main one, the difference you'll detect in a larger vs. smaller umbrella is as obvious as you'd think. It's all about shaping and sculpting light. The smaller the umbrella, the more focused your source will be, and it will also be stronger, less dispersed light. You can get different colored backings, as well as different materials which will also help achieve certain effects you might go for.

As for stands. Always go for bigger ! You never know when a very tall umbrella is going to come in handy. Lighting hair really keeps things evenly exposed...

Next, don't skimp on quality. It will only hurt you in the long run. Think of it as you would purchasing a computer. You know that your Mac's will retain a very good resale value should you ever want to get rid of them, and if you've taken care of them. Same thing here. People in the photography world are always buying/selling. Great bargains can be had used.

Lastly, I'm sure that opinions vary, but if you're on a budget then I'm going to assume that most of the equipment you'll find at your target price range, are going to behave more or less the same. Adorama has some really great starter kits, which are of very good quality, and their customer service is also great, so you might take a look at their site. Same goes for B&H.

My last bit of advice is to read up on different equipment on photography forums. There are TONS of brands, and a ton of things to buy. It's utterly confusing to the point of where you're just going to have to dive in and not procrastinate for too long. Get opinions which are backed up, and go for it. Also, have you ever read The Strobist Blog?

It's chalk full of goodies.

Doug

Its just so hard to find decent things, I have everything in mind but cant seem to find decent umbrella mounts. I just read those manfrotto ones are rubbish

I'm going to get 2 x 2.8M stands, 2 x Westcott white satin 43' shoot through umbrellas, I have 2 Canon 540ez speedlights so now I just need some mounts and to order V4's!