I am looking for a softbox to use for couples on location with my speedlight. I have stands and unbrellas but would like to find a good size and easy to deal with softbox. I have looked at the photoflex 12X16 but don't know if it is too small. Would like something very mobile. I have searched the forums and don't see anything that sticks out.
I use the Lastolite 24x24 Ez Box. It sets up and breaks down quickly, and the quality of the light is great. The down side is the expense. I am still limited to shade and about waste up. IMHO bigger softboxes need power especially in the sun.
I use the Lastolite 24x24 Ez Box. It sets up and breaks down quickly, and the quality of the light is great. The down side is the expense. I am still limited to shade and about waste up. IMHO bigger softboxes need power especially in the sun.
Good Luck,
Richard K.
I have the same box. It's a nice piece of equipment--well made, really easy setup and takedown. Like you said, it's not cheap though. I still use it with speedlights indoors and it works fine, but outdoors I've given up on speedlights for anything but fill. There just never seemed to be enough power unless the light was right on top of the subject, and I like having more options. I made a modified mount to attach a Norman LH-2 head on the back of the EZ box--problem solved . Nice box, nice light. I also have a cheap Photoflex box I haven't used in a couple of years about the same size. Works fine. Construction probably won't hold up as well as the Lastolite, but for someone starting out it'll do a reasonable job without costing an arm and a leg. Oh, and the Lastolite is also silver lined and double diffused...the Photoflex has a white interior and single diffusion if that matters to you.
Thank you for all of the suggestions. I am really just looking for some fill light when shooting around some barns and such on a plantation. I would love to have an AB or Einstein but that is not in the buget at the moment so my 580exII will have to do for the moment. I am laughing about the lastolite as I have it up on B&H before even coming back to read the thread. Do I have to use their flash bracket?
Their bracket works fine, although I had one built to better accommodate a PW Flex ....I'm not sure why you are laughing....is the price too high for you?
I am laughing because I was just looking at it. Price is not bad at all. Anything under 200.00 is safe in my book. There are so many choices out there that it is hard to make a decision sometimes.
(That price doesn't include the bracket assembly shown in my photo, which is from a different soft box but worked to move the light off the stand. There are many ways to mount the Speedlite -- or more than one Speedlite -- other than the way the maker intends.)
A couple advantages the EZboxes, Qboxes, eBay knock offs with a second diffusor have is, one, more even distribution of light at the front of the softbox (from tests I've seen online, see link below), two, the ability to tilt downwards more than the Apollo, and three, the nice advantage of typically coming with a grid to control light (thought that might be more useful indoors I suppose). The disadvantage of those 24X24 boxes in my mind is that they are front heavy and somewhat floppy on the flimsy mount they come with, although it's doable. It just doesn't seem quite 100% secure in my mind, whereas the Apollo is better. The other question is access, and the Apollo is fine if you have radio controlled flash, but may be a bit bothersome otherwise. The Apollo is a bit bigger in surface area, so more diffused light, assuming that's the desire. If it's not the desire, then also consider a beauty dish, which may be somewhat better suited to outdoor conditions, including slight breezes. And with a sock, the beauty dish essentially becomes a softbox, so it's versatile, although almost none fold down for portability.
Here's the link with the comparison of light being emitted, as well as some relevant discussion:
erichard wrote:
A couple advantages the EZboxes, Qboxes, eBay knock offs with a second diffusor have is ...the ability to tilt downwards more than the Apollo...
That is a real issue with the Apollo. The way it's designed -- with the stand coming up through a hole in the bottom of the box -- tilting is very limited, and the further you have the back of the box from the stand (by running the "umbrella shaft" further out from the mount) the more limited it is.
I use two mounting variations that totally eliminate the restriction. The first is to mount it on the end of a boom, with the hole in the box to the side rather than down. That lets me change the angle by rotating the box on the boom.
The other way -- useful for peoploe who don't have a conventional boom stand -- is to use a short riser mounted on the tilt adapter, and mount the Apollo on the riser. The tilt adapter is then outside the box, and again that lets me change the angle of the box as needed.
I don't use nearly as long a riser as the guy here did, though; no sense in having the principle of the lever arm working against me and making my rig unstable. Just long enough to put the tilter outside the box is all you need.
This Westcott clone looked interesting as it comes with an attachment to enable tilting, and is quite a bit cheaper to boot. The catch is, I don't know where you buy outside of the UK (small problem, hehe):
Micansu Ezy Up Softbox (cloned the clone "Easy Up" from Phottix, which doesn't seem to be available in the U.S. either...sounds like patent problems.)
. Nice box, nice light. I also have a cheap Photoflex box I haven't used in a couple of years about the same size. Works fine. Construction probably won't hold up as well as the Lastolite, but for someone starting out it'll do a reasonable job without costing an arm and a leg. Oh, and the Lastolite is also silver lined and double diffused...the Photoflex has a white interior and single diffusion if that matters to you.