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Phottix PH85361 Small Folding White Shoot-Through Umbrella — main product image
Phottix

Phottix PH85361 Small Folding White Shoot-Through Umbrella

★★★★★4.1 (42 reviews)

Wrap your subject in soft, flattering light anywhere you shoot — this compact folding umbrella opens to a 36-inch diffusion surface in seconds for portraits and product work on location or in the studio.

$19.95*
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jun 27, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Phottix PH85361 is built for the photographer who needs a capable, packable soft light source that goes where the shoot goes. At 36 inches expanded and collapsing to 40cm in its double-fold design, it fits inside a camera bag alongside lenses and a speedlight — the kind of compact modifier that makes it realistic to bring soft, flattering light to an environmental portrait session in a client's home, a run-and-gun editorial shoot, or a small product setup assembled in a hotel room. The white shoot-through surface produces a quality of light that is genuinely soft at working distances: gradual shadow transitions, mild wrap around curved surfaces, and a flattering evenness on skin tones that reduces the amount of work needed in post to smooth out uneven texture.

The umbrella's construction is consistent with Phottix's professional lighting accessories — the shaft fits standard umbrella mounts without slop or rattle, and the black exterior prevents back-spill while keeping the light directional. The double-folding mechanism is the key practical feature and also the primary engineering trade-off: it enables the compact collapsed size that makes this umbrella genuinely portable, but the fold joints are higher-wear points than a single-fold shaft would be. For photographers shooting several times weekly under studio conditions, a heavier-duty modifier may be a better long-term investment — but for location work, travel, and moderate-frequency studio sessions, the PH85361 is a well-balanced tool that delivers professional light quality without the bulk.

Key Features

A heavy-duty, professional, shoot-through umbrella that provides soft and well-balanced light diffusion; perfect for portraits and product shots

Collapses to 40cm and expands to a 91cm shoot-through surface

Ideal for location shooting or for studio use

Quickly folds down for storage and transport

Limited 1-Year Warranty

Specifications

Brand
Phottix
Model
PH85361
Type
Shoot-Through Umbrella
Diameter (Expanded)
36 in (91 cm)
Collapsed Length
40 cm
Surface Color
White (shoot-through)
Exterior Color
Black
Folding Design
Double Fold
Warranty
1 Year (Limited)

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • The 36-inch white shoot-through surface produces genuinely soft, flattering light with smooth shadow transitions — the kind of quality on skin tones that makes retouching less work in post.
  • Double-folding design collapses to 40cm, fitting inside a backpack or carry-on alongside camera gear — meaningful for location photographers who build an entire lighting kit around portability.
  • White shoot-through construction allows light to pass through and wrap around the subject, producing a more three-dimensional, sculpted look than a flat reflective umbrella at the same distance.
  • The black exterior prevents light spillback into the space behind the umbrella, giving you cleaner control over the light's direction without having to flag behind the source.
  • At a compact diameter, this umbrella is fast to position and reposition in tight location spaces — apartment shoots, small studios, and event environments where a large modifier becomes unwieldy.

👎 Cons

  • At 36 inches, the umbrella is on the smaller end for full-length portraits or group shots — the light becomes harder in character when you need to pull it back far enough to cover a wider subject area.
  • The shoot-through design scatters some light behind and around the subject, reducing overall light efficiency compared to a reflective umbrella — you'll need more power from your strobe to achieve equivalent exposure.
  • The double-fold joints are a potential failure point under high-cycle use; this is a moderate-use tool, not a workhorse for rental inventory or daily commercial studio demands.
  • No removable back panel means you can't convert this umbrella to reflective use — committing to shoot-through only limits your lighting ratio flexibility compared to reversible umbrella designs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shooting through a white translucent umbrella produces soft, wrap-around light with a gradual shadow falloff — the kind of flattering, even illumination that works well for portraits, headshots, and product photography. The white shoot-through surface diffuses the light broadly, expanding the effective source size and reducing harsh specular shadows.
The umbrella shaft diameter is the industry-standard size that fits the umbrella holder slots on most light stands, monolights, and speedlight brackets. Confirm your light stand or bracket accepts a standard umbrella shaft before purchasing — nearly all professional-grade stands and brackets do.
The double-fold mechanism introduces additional stress points at the folding joints compared to a single-fold shaft. Under frequent professional use, the ribs at the fold joints are the most common wear point. This umbrella is better suited to moderate-frequency location work or studio use than to daily high-cycle rental environments.
Shoot-through umbrellas act as sails in wind — the open, translucent surface catches air efficiently. In outdoor conditions above a light breeze, this umbrella will require sandbags or additional stand weighting to prevent tipping. The collapsed length of 40cm makes it portable, but outdoor shoots in variable wind conditions favor reflective umbrellas with a removable back panel that can be closed when not in use.
The apparent size of the light source relative to your subject determines softness. At close range (2–3 feet from the subject), the 36-inch umbrella produces genuinely soft, wrap-around light ideal for close-up headshots and product shots. As the umbrella moves farther away to cover a full-length subject, the effective source size shrinks relative to the subject and the light becomes progressively harder in character.

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