SMDV softbox 60cm (advice)

LATER EDIT: please disregard this post.
It was made with too little sleep, just a little gin and under the influence of crappy, inaccurate and misleading advertising. :(

For the sake of accuracy, the product to which you have linked is not a softbox (whatever the sellers choose to call it). It is more usually referred to as a light tent or a light cube.
A softbox is a modifier that attaches to the front of a flash unit (or continuous light) and which has a diffusing material on its front which lets out the light. Also very often a second sheet of diffusing material set back from the main diffuser (to further diffuse/even out the light), and often a grid (optional) to restrict the spread of light from the front diffusing material.

Light cubes such as this one can be useful for quick and dirty e-bay photos (or similar) of small objects if lit with one, two or three sources (generally placed outside the side and top surfaces), since they can minimise shadows and set the subject on a (relatively) white base and background.

However, that's pretty much all they're really good for, and I would not describe them as particularly versatile.
You can achieve pretty much the same results by using a few sheets of white paper or a cardboard box with the sides cut out and the resultant holes covered with tissue paper or ordinary copy paper.

Of course, you can use fewer light sources and be more inventive in your light positioning, but these things only really do the one thing.

You can do the same thing just as well - better, in fact - by using a 'real' softbox (or diffusing panel, or umbrella) and a number of simple reflective surfaces. These will give you infinitely more flexibility.
 
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Nionyn said:
For the sake of accuracy, the product to which you have linked is not a softbox (whatever the sellers choose to call it). It is more usually referred to as a light tent or a light cube.
A softbox is a modifier that attaches to the front of a flash unit (or continuous light) and which has a diffusing material on its front which lets out the light. Also very often a second sheet of diffusing material set back from the main diffuser (to further diffuse/even out the light), and often a grid (optional) to restrict the spread of light from the front diffusing material.

Light cubes such as this one can be useful for quick and dirty e-bay photos (or similar) of small objects if lit with one, two or three sources (generally placed outside the side and top surfaces), since they can minimise shadows and set the subject on a (relatively) white base and background.

However, that's pretty much all they're really good for, and I would not describe them as particularly versatile.
You can achieve pretty much the same results by using a few sheets of white paper or a cardboard box with the sides cut out and the resultant holes covered with tissue paper or ordinary copy paper.

Of course, you can use fewer light sources and be more inventive in your light positioning, but these things only really do the one thing.

You can do the same thing just as well - better, in fact - by using a 'real' softbox (or diffusing panel, or umbrella) and a number of simple reflective surfaces. These will give you infinitely more flexibility.
Click to expand...
I take it you haven't Google this item?
It's a softbox.
 
Nionyn said:
For the sake of accuracy, the product to which you have linked is not a softbox (whatever the sellers choose to call it). It is more usually referred to as a light tent or a light cube...
Click to expand...

A victim of the link skimming, it seems. The softbox listed is a quality umbrella box.
 
macvisual said:
Looking advice regards this please;

SMDV speedligte diffuser box 60cm (softbox). Does anyone here use this versatile softbox with their flash units..?

Any experience/thoughts/advice would be appreciated.


Thanks;
Peter
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I can't find a UK seller, so I'm guessing you'll not find any users. It looks a quality bit of kit at first glance.
 
That's a lot of money for what it is.

What's drawing you to it?
 
Peter,

I have the 70cm version, very well made, great light quality, extremely lightweight, very easy to put up and down, it is not an umbrella softbox but an ingenious collapsible zeppelin soft box.

It works brilliantly with my Godox Witstro's and although it was expensive I am highly delighted with mine, I bought it for location/travel but find myself using it in the studio too as its a cracking bit of kit.
 
To be fair the 70cm version with 12 ribs does look attractive, but with no scope for a grid and at a price, it's not for me - it does look nice though.

Although - now there's a rumour they'll ship to the UK - for similar money I'd have this.
Stupid name but it ticks all the boxes.
 
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juggler said:
Same price, much larger, better design, allows for grids, local customer service:
http://www.lencarta.com/studio-lighting/softboxes/profold-softbox/95cm-octa-folding-pro-softbox
You'll still need a speedlite bracket though.
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Phil V said:
To be fair the 70cm version with 12 ribs does look attractive, but with no scope for a grid and at a price, it's not for me - it does look nice though.

Although - now there's a rumour they'll ship to the UK - for similar money I'd have this.
Stupid name but it ticks all the boxes.
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You are both missing the point, the SMDV is way more advanced than either of those, I can get it open and on a stand in under 30 seconds, it is extremely lightweight and coupled with a Manfrotto Nano stand makes the ideal travel/portable kit, yes it is expensive but it does the job I bought it for and much better than anything else I have seen.

I bought a Zeppelin softbox similar to the one in Phil's link and is was a nightmare to erect plus it was bloody heavy!

macvisual said:
Toxic;

Can I ask where you bought yours from please?
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From here Peter, came in less than a week and is the best bit of kit I have bought in ages.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-SMDV-...antum-Flash-/121651277849?hash=item1c52fb3019
 
Toxic said:
You are both missing the point, the SMDV is way more advanced than either of those
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Interesting - in what way more advanced?

Phil V said:
To be fair the 70cm version with 12 ribs does look attractive, but with no scope for a grid and at a price, it's not for me - it does look nice though.

Although - now there's a rumour they'll ship to the UK - for similar money I'd have this.
Stupid name but it ticks all the boxes.
Click to expand...

The lack of grid is the killer for me too. I tried to get hold of one of those rice bowl things.. but they didn't respond to my emails asking about shipping to the UK. The Rotalux Deep Octa looks to be the next best option - but is of course Elinchrom and 3rd party grids are ruinously expensive. The Westcott Zeppelins are similar.

(fwiw I did some calculations for lots of different parabolic reflectors & softboxes and the Rotalux was the only direct flash model to position the flash tube at the focal point of the parabola).
 
10 seconds is quick?
You can certainly beat that with the Lencarta one and I expect that the one re-branded by Cheetah Stand (which is also a very good product) is just as quick.
Of course, neither of these can be described as 'extremely lightweight' but then, looking at the Ebay listing, the weight of your one is stated to be 1.76kg, the much larger Lencarta one weighs very slightly more, at 1.81 kg - but that weight includes a very sturdy box, so the actual softbox must weigh less than yours, and neither the Lencarta nor the Cheetah Stand ones use fibreglass rods, which IMO are far too flimsy for the job.

But, as long as you're happy with it, that's all that matters.
 
Garry Edwards said:
10 seconds is quick?
You can certainly beat that with the Lencarta one and I expect that the one re-branded by Cheetah Stand (which is also a very good product) is just as quick.
Of course, neither of these can be described as 'extremely lightweight' but then, looking at the Ebay listing, the weight of your one is stated to be 1.76kg, the much larger Lencarta one weighs very slightly more, at 1.81 kg - but that weight includes a very sturdy box, so the actual softbox must weigh less than yours, and neither the Lencarta nor the Cheetah Stand ones use fibreglass rods, which IMO are far too flimsy for the job.

But, as long as you're happy with it, that's all that matters.
Click to expand...


Exactly!
 
Well, I'm feeling slightly smug now, 'cos my Lencarta popup Octa arrived yesterday and confirms my prejudice that the design is a good one. For ages now - when I've not been in someone else's studio - I've been managing with a mixture of umbrellas, cheapo popup speedlite softboxes & hybrid brolly box things. There is a world of difference in build quality between that stuff and the new modifier, and someone has really thought about ease of use.
 
Phil V said:
To be fair the 70cm version with 12 ribs does look attractive, but with no scope for a grid and at a price, it's not for me - it does look nice though.

Although - now there's a rumour they'll ship to the UK - for similar money I'd have this.
Stupid name but it ticks all the boxes.
Click to expand...

They said they would so I asked and they wanted US$90 to ship to the UK so I said keep it

Mike
 
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