Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)It's a softbox, not super complicated. If you're in the market for a softbox, you already know the deal; more control and efficiency than an umbrella, in exchange for higher cost and a slightly more complicated setup. You can compare this with similar units made by Lastolite, Alzo, Adorama, and numerous eBay sellers.
At 24" square, it's a useful size,and significantly larger than a lot of the 16 and 20 inchers you see out there. Works well for single person head and shoulders portraits, or a soft hair light. Or my personal favorite, pull it back a bit and use it as a full body edge/rim light.
Pros:
- Cost. This is one of the cheaper 24" hotshoe softboxes out there.
- Weight/Packed size. Softbox itself folds like a reflector, and it's very small indeed when you're done (especially with compared to a 24" monolight softbox). The bracket , the ring, and the ballhead stand mount, add some bulk, but not considerably so. I usually carry it in my lighting bag, but I can throw it in the top compartment of my Lowepro Fastpack with a flash and a compact lightstand in the side pouch, and have a capable, compact, lightweight kit.
- Softbox quality - So far, the softbox itself seems to be made from sturdy, quality materials.
- Quality as a light modifier - Works pretty well. Makes your hotshoe flash capable of making fairly soft, even light (see caveat below) on location. I was worried about spill from the back, but it seems well controlled.
Cons:
- As mentioned, the ballhead stand mount is flimsy. It's easily replaced with something better, but that adds to the cost.
- The bracket is well sized to hold a flash, but not so much a flash on top of a radio trigger. The 1/4-20 screw is a bit long for the screw socket on CTR 301 triggers (I'd assume their screw insert is standard depth) and there's a stud on the bracket that blocks the trigger's forward travel, and thus perhaps your ability to get the flashhead into the opening. Don't get me wrong, it works, but is a bit fiddly. And of course that varies by the strobe and triggers used.
- Accessory quality - As with ballhead the above, this is obviously where some money was saved. While having a pouch for the softbox and a case for the whole kit is nice, that stuff is made out of very thin nylon with flimsy zippers. With any level of use/abuse i'm sure it will disintegrate. But as they say, TANSTAAFL.
- Single diffusion panel. It's fine under most circumstances, and with a hot shoe flash power is at a premium, so you'd probably only use a single panel most of the time anyway. But you will get some hotspots.
- No instructions. This is the biggest weakness. If you don't already have an idea about how these things typically work, you'll fumble a bit. And refolding is quite tricky (at least for me) at first. A simple 1 page instruction sheet would be a huge improvement
Even with these caveats I still think this is a good deal, provided you know what you're getting. I intend to buy another.
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CowboyStudio Photo / Video 24" Large Speedlite Flash Softbox with L-Bracket, Shoe Mount & Carry CaseA softbox is a necessary item in a professional portrait studio. The softbox diffuses the strobe flash, giving you perfect even lighting. Our speedlite softbox is high quality, durable, easy to setup, and simple to use. Size of the softbox is 24" x 24"; Easy to assemble; Case is black and easy to pack. NOTE: Flash and stand are not included.
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