Soft box help..

Paintedhead123

Paintedhead123

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Jason
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Hi guys just wondered if someone could help. Due to space I'm thinking of swapping my soft boxes for umbrellas I was thinking of shoot through ones and a silver one. What I wanted to know is would there be a big loss in light, I mainly do toy/product and the odd portrait.

Ps when I say for space I know umbrellas are bigger than my 60x60cm soft boxes but its more down to ease of use and storage as I wouldn't want to be stripping my boxes down after every use.

Cheers

Jason:)
 
Umbrella softbox?

You can get cheap Westcott Apollo style equivalents from China from £15-£50 depending on size for flashes and about £70-£100 for studio heads.
 
losbandidos said:
Umbrella softbox?

You can get cheap Westcott Apollo style equivalents from China from £15-£50 depending on size for flashes and about £70-£100 for studio heads.
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Hi thanks for your reply, I was going to get some from Lencarta as I already have the smartflash 200 heads I think there about £15 for the brollies. Anyone help on the light loss question:)

Cheers

Jason;)
 
There will be some loss of light, but it's impossible to quantify, sorry.

There is always some loss of light by reflection, whenever light is reflected from any surface other than a perfectly clean mirror, some of the light doesn't make it.

But most of the light isn't "lost" at all, it's just spread around over a larger area, and the greater the distance from light source to subject, the greater the loss. And of course it also loses a substantial amount over distance anyway (Inverse Square Law).

Anyone who says, for example, "this softbox loses 2 stops of light" is talking nonsense - but many people do.

Don't worry about "light loss". It can be an issue with hotshoe flashguns, but your studio flash head will have enough power to cope with it.
 
losbandidos said:
Umbrella softbox?

You can get cheap Westcott Apollo style equivalents from China from £15-£50 depending on size for flashes and about £70-£100 for studio heads.
Click to expand...

Paintedhead123 said:
Hi thanks for your reply, I was going to get some from Lencarta as I already have the smartflash 200 heads I think there about £15 for the brollies. Anyone help on the light loss question:)

Cheers

Jason;)
Click to expand...

He didn't mean umbrellas.


If you prefer to use softboxes but don't like the time / space issue. Then any kind of easy up softbox is the answer. The Lencarta Profold look great but they're not cheap, The Bessel is cheaper and has a grid in the price, but you could go really cheap. Or you could go really cheap.


A brollie gives an entirely different light and is particularly useless in a small space, where you'll have issues with stray light reflecting back onto your subject from all over the place.
 
Thanks for the info guys;) will there be a 60cm x 60cm folding soft box coming from Lencarta in the future Gary?

Cheers

Jason.
 
Paintedhead123 said:
Thanks for the info guys;) will there be a 60cm x 60cm folding soft box coming from Lencarta in the future Gary?

Cheers

Jason.
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I don't know, it's possible I suppose
 
Personally I'd stick with softboxes even with the hassle, but if you go the umbrella route use white opaque ones, softer light than silver. The reason I avoid the shoot through type is shooting from behind them can give problems with flare unless using a lens with a well matched hood. & if the walls are a strong colour the light bouncing back, bounces off the wall & back into shot can cause a colour cast.
 
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