Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hello,
Will the new PLM 42" properly perform using a Nikon SB 28, SB800, and the like? If so should they be zoomed to a particular setting, also would you set a Speedlight to the same position on the shaft as Alien Bees?

TIA

They can be used together, however the radius of the PLM42 is 19". Once you put a 6" flash on it, it is far off center, reducing the effectivenes of the parabolic shape. I have seen a user bungee cord the ministand (like the one that ships with the SB800) to the side of the flash, and mount the ministand to the umbrella hoder, placing the speedlite much closer to the centerline of the PLM. This will provide better focusing. Once that is done, use the widest setting possible to fill the umbrella, better still is to use something like a Stoffen Omnibounce (or the SB800's diffuser dome) to spread the light and fill the umbrella. Once the omnibounce is installed, i would position it into the PLM similar to the way you would one of our lights.

TS

Thank you for your reply. Your tip for centering the SB had not occurred to me. Now, we await the version 2 of PLMs to arrive.