ePhoto 2 x Off Camera Flash Photography Umbrella Flash Shoe Mount Swivel Flash Adapter

I'm impressed with the way this company accepted responsibility when they couldn't meet the delivery terms. I ordered next day delivery, but the order was processed late, so I got it a day later than expected. ePhoto credited all shipping charges, and paid for the next day air. This is unheard of in this day and time, and they have won a loyal customer because of this service. From now on I will check with them first when I need equipment. Concerning the actual equipment, the first thing I wanted to check were the shoemount brackets. The mechanical tolerances were great, and I don't think I will have a problem with the umbrella shaft thumb screw stripping out as has been mentioned. If it does, there is enough wall thickness where it can be re-threaded for a larger cap screw. The tripod's tolerances were particularly tight, and some kind of dry lubricant will help open up the tripod legs. This is better than the alternative where things could have been loose and flimsy. Overall, the stands are well made. The umbrellas are 34 inches in diameter and are nicely made. The shoot through functions as it should, as does the silver reflective surface. Overall, the quality was great for the price, and it is lightweight enough to carry around as a portable studio.

I'm just getting into off camera flash photography and let me say this is a great way to get started! I love my flash kit. In my opinion with a little care these stands, brackets, umbrellas, and carry bag will last a long time. I have been able to use these about a half a dozen times now and have given me great results. I would not recommend using these outside without some weights. Also note, that these are not built to be used by a gorilla! As with all products there is a limit to how much abuse something can withstand before it fails, so if you are one to over tighten and carelessly toss, knock, and throw stuff around don't expect this product to last very long. Great product at a great price!

This set is ok for the price. My main concerns are that the black/silver umbrellas are not truly opaque. This will result in not all the light being bounced back into the scene. The white shoot throughs work fine. The umbrellas all have caps on the ends but they are not solid shafts. This is easily remedied by taking the caps off and putting a pencil up inside, then replacing the caps with a bit of glue. This will help them last longer. They have ball caps on the umbrella ends which is nice because they don't poke into each other in the bag. Be gentle with this set and it should be fine. The stands are very lightweight which is part of what I like about them but I plan to put a set of tent spikes in the bag to hold them down in the light wind outside. This is much easier than lugging around sandbags. The main reason I use speedlights and not flashheads is to reduce weight. This set is nice and light. The zipper stitching on the bag needs reinforcing after just a few uses but the bag is a good size and weight. It might be nice if it were a touch larger to fit a tripod, but mine straps to it fine and I can carry them together easily with the bag straps. Overall this set is about what I expected-a decent lightweight travel kit. It lost half a star for the bag's zipper stitching and one and a half stars for the opacity of the black/silver umbrellas.

**UPDATE AT THE END OF REVIEW 03/12** **FINAL UPDATE AT THE END OF REVIEW 07/13** Okay so before I comment on these, I wanted to give some qualifications. I am a semi-professional photographer, who shoots mainly weddings, although I do a lot of portrait work in my spare time. I have used these both indoors and out, and they come on every shoot with me. CONSTRUCTION Let's start with this, repeat after me: "I spent less than a hundred bucks on these..." Ok, we are ready to proceed. These are not professional quality stands. They don't weigh much, and a misplaced foot could bend almost any part of the construction. That said, for the price range I was pleasantly surprised! I have worked with kits in the past costing 10x what this one did, and it's only when you get into the thousands that you see quality really change. In fact I compared these with a five hundred dollar kit...there wasn't much difference in quality. The stands themselves are fine, but as with most stands, you will need to buy some sandbags. After months of continuous use, the umbrellas are doing VERY well - I only had one accident shooting outside when the wind knocked the stand over, and bent one of the spines. It bent back nicely though. The bag has held up very well. RESULTS I have had many succesfull shoots with these umbrellas, both at weddings and in the studio. The umbrellas really do their job well, and I can't believe that you get two of each (reflective/shoot-through) with this kit!!! The spread of light with the shoot-throughs is uniform and the reflectors are pretty standard in what they do. WHY 5 STARS?? - Compared to kits three-fours times the price they still hold up - Months of use and they have held up very nicely - 2 umbrellas alone normally cost the price of this whole kit! VALUE! - The carry bag MAKES this kit. OVERALL Highly recommended by a semi-pro photographer, especially for those on a budget. I purchased these as an experiment, and it totally payed off. Do not hesitate, and remember what we said earlier? "I spent less than a hundred bucks on these..." **UPDATE** A year on, and this kit is still holding up nicely. The only deterioration visible is on the umbrellas, which are less straight on some of the rods compared to new. That said, I use these several times a week, so this is not abnormal wear. Now shooting professionally, I am looking to purchase a more expensive kit, however I stand by my initial reactions: for the amateur or even serious photographer, these are an excellent budget option! **FINAL UPDATE** Well, almost two years to the day that I wrote this review, two of the umbrellas broke within a week of each other. The first one developed a tear in the material that may or may not be fixable. The second mysteriously bent a spoke while I was extending it - I had not damaged it in any way, it had been sitting on the stand folded up in the corner of my office and when I went to open it, it simply caught, then bent in one quick (unavoidable) motion. So, still five stars? ABSOLUTELY. The stands are still great, the reflective umbrellas (the ones I use less) are still great, and even if the whole thing was going in the trash today, I paid $35 per YEAR of use. That is a screamingly good deal despite some of the downfalls of this product! Still, highly recommended. I'll be purchasing two new umbrellas and continuing my use of this kit.

I am a professional photographer. For work, I get to use the really expensive studio lighting, Outside of work, I normally shoot nature and wildlife, with the occasional portrait/candid/group shot. I own a couple of speedlights, and just don't have the need for expensive studio lighting at home. I bought this kit because: it is reasonably priced, had everything I was looking for, and came with a case. Now I will break down my thoughts for you. Stands: These are similar to the Manfrotto Bogen stands I use for work. They are sturdy enough for their intended use. I would not put any heavy lighting on them simply because they are not rated for it! (they probably could hold lighter studio strobes like 100 watt/sec or smaller) These are slightly better than what I expected to get with the kit Flash/Umbrella Mount: Fairly well built, and again slightly better than what I expected to get for the price paid. I'm not sure what others were doing to strip screws on the mounts, and the hotshoe mount being loose, but mine are fine and holding strong. One of my complaints with this is the umbrella mount itself. It is not what I am used to seeing on professional kit, and does not hold the umbrella as snugly as I would like, though it does hold the umbrella in place. The other complaint is more of a preference really. I would like to be able to adjust the height of the umbrella in relation to my flash heads, though it does work ok as is. Umbrellas: Some complain about the thinness of the umbrella arms, but truthfully these are not much different than what I use professionally. The reflective umbrellas have a silver lining rather than white(just an FYI). I am not accustomed to using shoot through umbrellas, and honestly will probably never use these (but quality seems fine). Carrying Case: It's a simple bag, and you get it for free. It fits everything in the kit, and with care can also carry your speedlights, wireless triggers/receivers, and sync cords. Overall: If you're looking for a nice little starter kit to help you experiment with lighting in a home studio without spending an arm and a leg, then this is for you! If you want professional grade equipment, then save your money for that. I rated this kit 4 stars due to the reasons I listed above about the umbrella mount,

Just unpacked this product and right off the bat I'm impressed. For the price it is an outstanding deal. I paired it with my Speedlite 430EX II and works flawlessly. Everything is as advertised and well constructed. I'm an intermediate amateur and this is perfect for my budget and works very well. Stands are solid with no feeling of being unstable even with the umbrella and flash attached. I also like that you can attach a steady light source to the stands also if needed. The carrying case is excellent and holds all the equipment very well with plenty of room. Now understand that you do get what you pay for. For 60 bucks its everything and more. Don't be expecting very high end gear for that price, and honestly I could do just fine with this convenient set up for a very long time... And if you tend to be someone who reefs on things hard when tightening you may have issues, but just don't do that! Everything tightens and holds nicely without having to be man handled...I would buy future products from this manufacturer....

Ordered this two tripod/4 umbrella (2 white + 2 silver) set up to try my hand at portraiti lighting. Additionally ordered some radio triggers & a second flash. My portrait talents still need some work but the equipment is great, much better than expected given the price. A couple of screws on one of the tripods needed tightening but otherwise everything works just great. Comes with a nice zip up bag that has room for my camera tripod, radio triggers and extra flash. Very happy with the lighting set up.

I agree with most of the reviews. For the price they work Fine. True, when you tighten down the umbrella holder screw onto the aluminum posts it digs into it, not a big problem for me. they are light weight and need weight on the legs to hold them down (and lots of it) if there is any, Repeat, ANY wind. they don't withstand being blown over. That being said, I am happy with then, and a replacement Umbrella is fairly cheap as well (yes one blew over and was bent beyond repair). Don't fault the equipment for my poor judgment. these should last several years with modest care.