ManfrottoLL LR3300 Halo Compact Reflector 82cm Silver/White

This really is an excellent toll for any photographer.

it is expensive but if you're doing any travelling or just need to make your kit smaller then this is perfect.

Recently, I was very disappointed by my California Sunbounce reflector. It's supposed to be a premium product and it's expensive but I pulled it out to use it on a shoot, and the silver reflective side had stuck to itself. It had degraded in storage.Good thing that I had this halo on reserve. It takes up so little space and you can throw it in your bag or the trunk of your car and just forget about it, but it's there when you need it.The only downside is that you have to assemble it and it takes a little bit longer to do that (not longer than the sun bounce though - longer than a standard folding reflector). It also takes a bit of hand strength to snap the hooks on the frame.The other great advantage is it has a stiff frame around the outside so that in wind, it still is usable and will hold up. It's a bit more expensive than the flimsy folding reflectors but in my opinion, it's worth it.

Over the years, I have used homemade reflectors and diffusers, as well as commercial ones. Homemade silver reflectors are easy to build, cheap and perform well, but take space and usually cannot be folded. Homemade white reflectors and diffusers are more difficult to make, because many materials are not completely white but have color casts.Well-made commercial modifiers are better in achieving neutral colors, but are of course more expensive. For this reason, I initially purchased no-name modifiers from China. Problems with these consumer-level items are color cast (many diffusers use nylon cloth yellowish in transmitted light, obviously not made for this purpose), quickly worn out edges, poor stitching that come loose, metal frames with sharp edges that tear the cloth, silvered cloth that quickly sheds the silvering and become semi-transparent along fold lines, and a whole host of other problem that limi their durability and usefulness.Lastolite is a well-known brand among professional light modifiers (the brand is no longer independent and is currently owned by Manfrotto). I bought this reflector hoping it to be better made and more durable than no-brand Chinese items. So far my experience is positive. This reflector is easy to hold by its handle with one hand (unlike cheaper reflectors that, at most, have only a cloth ribbon loop) and the 1/4"/20 socket allows it to be easily attached to a tripod head or articulated arm. The space between handle and cloth is a bit narrow for one's hand, and this may stretch the cloth after a while if roughly handled, which is a minor but valid complaint.The silvered surface seems to be durable and pliable, and so far does not shed its silvering. There is no visible transmitted light, which is good for my use. Manfrotto also sells semi-transparent modifiers that can be used as either reflector or diffuser, but they are made from a different type of cloth.The construction of the frame is lightweight but stiff and apparently durable. Assembling the frame by a single person is easy and quick. Fastening the cloth to the frame, on the other hand, is lengthy and requires a physical effort. An elderly person or a woman may have some trouble applying the necessary pressure to the numerous clips. The cloth stretches tight, and some care must be used not to stretch unevenly the perimeter of the cloth. As a whole, assembling and disassembling this reflector in a haste is not something I recommend. If you just assemble the reflector once and afterward you hang it in a cabinet of from a peg in the studio or in a car, this is fine. If you plan to carry the folded reflector in your bag in the field and unfold it every time you need it, I recommend instead one of the reflectors with a spring-steel frame in a single piece that you twist in an 8-pattern to fold it.

今までのレフでは構造が異なるのでとてもコンパクトになり持ち運びに便利です。また組み立ても扱いやすく追加で購入検討中です。これは購入して良かったです！

Reflektor mit kleinen Packmaßen. Leider ist die Bespannung nur in zwei Farben ausgelegt. Der Reflektor ist nach dem Aufbau sehr stramm gespannt.

よい点はとにかくしっかりした剛性と張り。片手レフ、片手カメラという条件では、これが最大にいかせる。同じ大きさくらいの面を確保するポップ式のレフだと三角型のものであっても、この点はかなり劣ると思う。特に片手でもって、少し離れた逆光下の被写体に銀面でスポット的に返したい時、すこぶるやりやすい。風がある状況だとなおさらだと思う。また張りがかなりいいのも、撮影時は高ポイント。面の平坦性が保たれるのでやわいやつと比べると結果として返す面積も広い。 だがこの張りの良さが組み立て時は少しネガティブポイントを生み出すポイント。フックをフレームにかけていくのだが、かなり力がいる。フレーム自体の組み立てには時間がかからないけれど、張る作業に手間がかかり、またなれないうちは指先が少し痛くなる人もいるだろう。ポップ式のレフなら文字通りあっという間なので、ここもどう考えるかだと思う。しかし同面積のポップ式のものだと直径は30cm？ぐらいにはなると思うので、カメラバッグに納めづらい。総評でフックのかけ、またはずしにくさで星を減らしたけれど、レフとしての使い勝手は抜群。同じフレームで換えて使いまわせるデフューズ面が用意されるのもいい。シャドーを作るという使用目的なら、剛性の高さはこちらがより上にかかげる状況が多いので利点にもなると思う。しかしマイナス1段のも要望としては用意してほしい。