Photek Softlighter II, 46 inch Umbrella with Diffuser.

If you take your photography seriously, get this. The light output is amazingly soft and easily controlled with this setup. Takes 30 seconds to setup, unlike minutes with traditional softboxes and works quite amazingly in a mobile setup (I use this with my Elinchrom handheld boom and a capable assistant). If you know who Annie Leibovitz is, you'll know what this can do.

The absolute best umbrella on the run.

I settled on this after reading many positive reviews regarding quality of light. Annie Leibovitz uses it, which is about the best recommendation you can get - she can afford anything, right?I was very pleased with it after using it for the first time in an outdoor portrait shoot. The light quality was indeed good, especially considering the price. Set up was quick and painless, but I did note that the metal bits (shaft and ribs) seemed kind of flimsy for such a large umbrella. No matter, I am gentle with my equipment. On the second shoot, again outdoors, I set up on a sturdy light stand and added a couple of five pound sandbags to keep it from being knocked over. Halfway through, a MILD gust of wind came in from the side and bent four of the ribs! The stand did not even budge, despite only ten pounds holding it down and the umbrella up around 8 feet. I know this is not Profoto (nor the price), but I am pretty bummed that a $120 modifier was trashed so easily. Annie can afford to throw them away after each use - I can't, and I also can't recommend this flimsy thing for outdoor use.

The light is ok and sets up pretty quickly, but a gust of wind did not only blow off my diffusor, it also bended and broke two of my spokes.Previously, I also had problems with the screw-thread, which was replaced with a new umbrella after long discussion with Photek.Having it shipped all the way to Europe, ending up at $180, made it too expensive given what you get.Conclusion: you're bettere of saving for a more riggid build modifier even if those things cost a lot.

This, the Photek Softlighter II, 54" Umbrella with Diffuser is a bit enigmatic.First: 54" as advertised is a fish story, "ya see it was 54 inches before we shrank it to 46"...which is still a bit of a stretch.Second: Unless your umbrella holder is at the center of the light, they leave little room to use as is without modificaitons: such as popping a hole in it four inches from center to mount and center my 6 inch speed light.Good news is, it is sturdy enough yet light weight. It uses rip-stop nylon as its white faced shell, and that works. It comes with two inner small liners that are removable with ease; a gold and a silver one.Presently, since I couldn't reliably get my light in it safely due to warp and potential heat probs., I mounted my SB600 on a stand and put this thing to the test. Works fine and dandy with my speedlight and it will actually allow and pick up my on camera flash through the back of the dark umbrella too!So there it is~

This is an awesome product, first off. Its durable, assembles quickly and most importantly, put off AMAZING light. I am now, because of this product shooting mostly 2 light setups. Softlighter ll as a main and a bare bulb for rim. My only complaint is that when using a hotshoe flash (I use SB-700) it is really a pain to get that sock around the flash. I am afraid one day it will rip, but as I said, this product is proving very durable.Pros:Light DispersionEase of useQuick and simple assembly and tear downCons:When using hotshoe flash like the SB-700, very tricky to get the sock over it.

Great modifier! Excellent quality for the price! Easy to setup and transport and most importantly puts out great soft light!

Nice even lighting. I can use this indoors with my strobes or outdoors with either strobes or speed lights. It does come with two internal reflectors (gold & silver) to make it more specular (I guess) but I've not found a need to use them. Perhaps I should test them soon. The diffuser does on easily though you'll need to pass the strobe reflector through the sock before you mount the reflector to your strobe, this is not a big deal.Works Great! I like it!