Lumiquest softbox?

I have recently got a lumiquest mini softbox for my 580 exII

I rate it 5 star! Did a wedding with it on all the time... was great indoors and for filling in while outside in the bright sun.
 
I've got a mini too and it's great but I do use a sheet of kitchen roll over it too just to give it a little more for close up stuff.
 
Thanks both for the swift reply...been having a read up on them and think it would be great for some of the close up work..
 
I also have the lumiquest mini softbox and i cannot fault it , better than
anything else i have tried eg.. stofen and fong thingy (y)
 
Thanks Chrissy..whats the difference between the softbox and the softbox 2??..have seen on some images the design looks slightly changed?
 
StuartH said:
Thanks Chrissy..whats the difference between the softbox and the softbox 2??..have seen on some images the design looks slightly changed?
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not really sure but according to the Lumiquest website

The SoftBox II enlarges and diffuses the light with the flash in the direct flash position. It is designed exclusively for use on bare bulb flashes such as Lumedyne, Quantum Q Flashes and Sunpak 120J.
 
:) Thanks for that mate..but ordered one now..would still like to see how these fair though..I will be taking close ups of reptiles mainly..so if you have a rattlesnake to hand that would be handy..;):D
 
Well there's my girlfriend, but her skin is more leathery than scaly :) Definitely cold blooded though :D
 
:LOL: Be interested to see diffused pics against non diffused when you get chance mate..no rush though.
 
Here are some samples. Ambient light was insignificant in these shots. The biggest differences are evident in the softness of the shadow edges. There are differences in how the subjects appear illuminated but I wouldn't say clearly that one or other has an obvious advantage. The first three pairs are with the 580EX on camera and the last pair is with the flash off camera and placed almost directly overhead. All shots were taken using ETTL and +2 FEC, to combat the white background. The flash head had the builtin 14mm (wide angle) diffuser in place for all photos. There are no edits whatsoever except the resize from original raw files to jpeg in Lightroom.

In this pair you can see how the shadow of the exhaust has almost entirely disappeared in the second photo, with softbox.
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In this pair, with the camera in portrait orientation, the flash is now off to the side. Again the disappearing exhaust shadow is the biggest clue to the softbox.
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My substitute reptile :) Shadow softness, especially of the "head" is the biggest clue to the softbox.
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Flash now off camera and almost directly above the subject. Shadow softness, especially of the "head" (nearest the light source!) is the biggest indicator of the softbox. Strangely, the softbox picture looks brighter and whiter. It's impossible to tell from these small images, and only subtle at 100% magnification, but the enlarged light area of the softbox does lead to enlarged hotspots on the black balls. That may be a disadvantage for scaly skin.
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(y) Thanks for taking the time to do these mate..Must admit I would have chose the diffused images every time..they just look "punchier"..I will post some of images with and without the softbox when it arrives...and that is one funky looking reptile!;) (thanks for all your input today much appreciated mate)(y)
 
I have to admit that while my eBay softbox did slightly improve the shadow edges the overall improvement was not as I had hoped. So I thought I'd fire off a shot to see just how even the light was, coming from my cheapy. Well unless there's something very wrong with my capture technique, it seems my box is actually complete rubbish. I'm sure I can mod it to improve things, but fundamentally it is nothing like a proper, double-baffled, softbox. Just look at this beautiful, soft, evenly distributed light (NOT!).

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I certainly hope the Lumiquest does a better job.

I just tried a different approach, this morning, bouncing the flash off a white reflector (5-in-1 reflector/diffuser) suspended just a little way above the subject. The flash itself was on the camera and simply titled upwards towards the bounce surface. Here is the result....

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Still unhappy with that result, I then tried shooting through a large diffusion panel, with the flash handheld at the end of an ETTL sync cable and the panel just a few inches above the subject. Here's the result....

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Maybe the light is a little too flat, in this example, but that is easily adjusted by moving the diffuser a little further away from the subject and/or moing the flash closer to the diffuser (or narrowing its beam).

Here's the actual setup....

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Mmm that first one isn't good mate..and I hope the lumiquest is better!
That last shot has really reduced the shadows,much better..
 
:D Well had the mini softbox delivered today and can't wait to get chance to try it out..To be honest I am quite surprised by the quality of it when I saw the tiny box it arrived in I was expecting something real cheap and nasty but imo its pretty well made.
 
yea, had a chance to play with it yet? i'd like to see! been thinking about this as an alternative to the fong cup & lastolite flashgun softbox (which i hate!!!).
 
dking99 said:
I think the Lumiquest softbox sucks...

This beats a Lumiquest softbox any day:
http://store.garyfonginc.com/ls2-clear-more.html
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I admit, despite the haters, that I like my Fong bong, but it is not as good for closer shots. Within 6 feet, you might as well be bouncing it off a white card.

Heck, I made a diffuser from a piece of translucent food storage container and it works better up close.

The Fong Bong is better for lighting a larger area than the tupperware.
 
englandshottest2 said:
when you use the lightsphere dome, do you tend to use it whilst the flashgun is aimed upward toward the ceiling? have yet to try that in a room with high ceilings like a church!
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Mostly aimes up at the ceiling, but experiment a little and bounce it off walls as well. If you aim it right to the side and get a good bounce, it should appear as if there is a window / remote flash w/ umbrella coming from that direction.
 
Preacher said:
I admit, despite the haters, that I like my Fong bong, but it is not as good for closer shots. Within 6 feet, you might as well be bouncing it off a white card.

Heck, I made a diffuser from a piece of translucent food storage container and it works better up close.

The Fong Bong is better for lighting a larger area than the tupperware.
Click to expand...

You are right, but my solution to that is carry a zoom with you. a 70mm shot at 4 feet away from suject may not produce the results you are looking for, but step back 10 feet and pull out a 200mm. Problem solved.
 
dking99 said:
You are right, but my solution to that is carry a zoom with you. a 70mm shot at 4 feet away from suject may not produce the results you are looking for, but step back 10 feet and pull out a 200mm. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! Unfortunately, that isn't always possible. Great for set portrait shots, not so great for dynamic situations.
 
It's taken me a long time but finally I have got round to modifying my eBay softbox and the results seem effective. The main modification was to glue (Pritt) a single sheet of flimsy vinyl shower curtain directly onto the original front diffusion panel. I did not bother trying to double baffle it. I also taped up the gaping holes at the sides, so now it does not leak light and all the power goes where it is supposed to. It also no longer folds flat, but I'd rather have something bulky that works than something compact that doesn't. The final part of my mod was to enlarge the back end of the softbox so that it fits around my 580EX rather more than it did, and again this stops light leaks and gathers just a bit more light from the flash, rather than simply blocking it. The shower curtain was 89p (or was it 94p?), including curtain rings, from Asda.

I've been experimenting with flash options and have posted some test samples to an album here....

http://picasaweb.google.com/EezyTiger/POTNFlashShadow?authkey=90e0hbk5dfQ

The last several shots are with the modified softbox. Here are before/after examples of the light spread from the softbox....

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