Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Would a 64-inch PLM with front diffusion fabric give more-or-less the same light quality and output as a five-foot-octa (using a B800).

Which PLM fabric would be most likely to emulate the beautiful light that people seem to get from octaboxes?

And how cruscial is it - in terms of light quality, output and catchlights - to have the on-axis mount compared to using a PLM in the regular umbrella mount on the top of a B800?

Thanks in advance.

It would be very similar, except the octabox would have the capacity to be gridded.

Soft silver or white would be my recommendation. Comparison to a softbox would depend on the build of the softbox. Some are silver, some are white. Ultimate softness would be white (with black outer cover) and a white diffusion fabric. As for the catch light, either will be fine, though with an 8mm shaft, you may want to get the 7UR reflector to reduce side spill.

The axis is only really beneficial with the extreme silver, and to a lesser extent, soft silver, both without a WFDF.

Thank you so much for the reply!!!