You can get 60" Photoflex convertibles or Photek Softlighters in the $40-70 range.
But large umbrellas and the high-end parabolics from folks like Profoto and Bron aren't the same thing at all. Don't expect to use them interchangeably.
I picked up a 5 foot octagonal from Amvona on eBay... It was about $100 landed in Canada IIRC. Works pretty well - double baffle - inner silver/gold reflector panels, and it's served me well for the price.
Granted it's not a Profoto or Bron - but the price was right!
njw wrote:
I picked up a 5 foot octagonal from Amvona on eBay... It was about $100 landed in Canada IIRC. Works pretty well - double baffle - inner silver/gold reflector panels, and it's served me well for the price.
Granted it's not a Profoto or Bron - but the price was right!
Any chance you could post an image of it?
Does the light it produces at all resemble that from the more expensive parabolic mods?
I'm looking for inexpensive alternatives to experiment with to see if it's something I'd want to invest in or not.
shatterkiss wrote:
You can get 60" Photoflex convertibles or Photek Softlighters in the $40-70 range.
But large umbrellas and the high-end parabolics from folks like Profoto and Bron aren't the same thing at all. Don't expect to use them interchangeably.
Yeah, I know they're different animals. I'm really wanting to just get my hands on something cheap to see what they do. I'm very much a hands on learner. I like to see for myself and experiment.
oobie wrote:
Does the light it produces at all resemble that from the more expensive parabolic mods?
It's going to be totally different light. A big octabox puts out light that's more like a softbox but with different wrap characteristics, a big parabolic is more like a giant beauty dish.
If you want samples of shots taken with the light, I'll be using it again on Tuesday and could see if I can find some past samples (assuming I can remember which sessions I used it for!). I could also see if I can take some shots of the unit when setup on Tuesday.
Shatterkiss nailed the comparison between these octaboxes and parabolics, and I don't really have any point of reference at this time in comapring the Amvona units to more expensive systems from other manufacturers. The key with Amvona is - you EXPECT it to be inferior to the big names, but like you, when I bought mine, I was wanting to experiment with a large octabox before spending a fortune on a better one, and so far it's done well for me (I've got 2 years of use so far) so it won't hurt when it wears out and I have to repalce it. But at that time I hope to be able to justify a better unit.
I just wanted to add that the listing I linked to is the Amvona site where you can buy direct from them for about $100 for the 5 foot model. You can also browse eBay for the same product number and often get them for less than their store prices if you don't mind waiting for an auction to close.
If you want samples of shots taken with the light, I'll be using it again on Tuesday and could see if I can find some past samples (assuming I can remember which sessions I used it for!). I could also see if I can take some shots of the unit when setup on Tuesday.
Shatterkiss nailed the comparison between these octaboxes and parabolics, and I don't really have any point of reference at this time in comapring the Amvona units to more expensive systems from other manufacturers. The key with Amvona is - you EXPECT it to be inferior to the big names, but like you, when I bought mine, I was wanting to experiment with a large octabox before spending a fortune on a better one, and so far it's done well for me (I've got 2 years of use so far) so it won't hurt when it wears out and I have to repalce it. But at that time I hope to be able to justify a better unit.
oobie wrote:
Yeah, I know they're different animals. I'm really wanting to just get my hands on something cheap to see what they do. I'm very much a hands on learner. I like to see for myself and experiment.
oobie,
I would never dissuade anyone from buying a cheap umbrella as even the cheapest umbrella still puts out a nice light. But if you REALLY want to see the difference between a big umbie and a parabolic you're money ahead if you rent them and experiment first. Looking at someone else's shots doesn't really tell you what you need to know. Differences are subtle but real. Just like a beauty dish compared to a SB you'll need to work with the parabolic a bit more than the umbie to get the most out of it. Rental guys can really help you there as well.
