So we've all heard the advice to spend your money on the lens rather than the body (generally speaking). I have heard a similar mantra regarding lighting and modifiers. i.e. spend more on the modifiers rather than going cheap (which is easy to do). Does anyone have any gems on quality modifiers - specifically quality of light, build quality and longevity - recommended brands etc etc.
and please use their services
Softboxes and modifiers in general
- Thread starter Wellsyboy
- Start date
- Messages
- 5,435
- Name
- Terry
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Lencarta, all you need really.
Good quality stuff.
And you can ask their advice via a phone call.
Good quality stuff.
And you can ask their advice via a phone call.
LongLensPhotography
Th..th..that's all folks!
- Messages
- 17,633
- Name
- LongLensPhotography
- Edit My Images
- No
Godox lights - really can't fault them too much.
Ad200, ad400, 600pro...
You can do so much with just the 200s.
A minimum of 2 to really get going and you add more when you can
Modifiers do matter, but even more important is how you choose and use them.
Good idea to get nice big umbrellas.
Pixapro 130 and 160 are by far the best I've seen. And no they are not same as godox in this case.
Then you add softboxes beauty dish, reflector, whatever you need. Maybe you prefer hard light with Fresnel lenses and projectors. Who knows
Have a look at pixapro, wex and go to their showrooms. Buy only what you need and what is made to last.
P.s. avoid very deep softboxes. They only waste space. They are huge hype atm but in real life a huge POS in real life
Ad200, ad400, 600pro...
You can do so much with just the 200s.
A minimum of 2 to really get going and you add more when you can
Modifiers do matter, but even more important is how you choose and use them.
Good idea to get nice big umbrellas.
Pixapro 130 and 160 are by far the best I've seen. And no they are not same as godox in this case.
Then you add softboxes beauty dish, reflector, whatever you need. Maybe you prefer hard light with Fresnel lenses and projectors. Who knows
Have a look at pixapro, wex and go to their showrooms. Buy only what you need and what is made to last.
P.s. avoid very deep softboxes. They only waste space. They are huge hype atm but in real life a huge POS in real life
Garry Edwards
Moderator
- Messages
- 12,336
- Name
- Garry Edwards
- Edit My Images
- No
It's complicated.
As with most things, the internet and better communications have killed off almost all of the poor flash heads, so it's now hard to buy a (new) bad one, unless you go for one of those terrible cheapies with fixed reflectors from eBay or Amazon.
That leaves us with Godox, who have killed off nearly all of the competition, and their flash heads are OK, although some of their other products are poor. There are a couple of niche makers outside China, but their prices and VFM means that they only appeal to their diehard fanboys.
Softboxes and fabric beauty dishes - AFAIK now all made in China, regardless of the brand name on them, and nearly all made in one of two large competing factories, with the exception of the Godox brand, which I would avoid.
The firm I was involved with dealt with one of these factories, which made everything from complete junk to the very best, and the very best are made from materials made in Vietnam. It isn't the job of either a factory or a retailer to tell customers what to buy, so the vast majority of people, who know no better, buy the junk.
Generally, when people talk about the quality of the light, they are really talking about the modifiers, not the flash heads.
Sadly, less and less people now understand lighting, and this may be due in part to technological advances, better editing software and excellent high ISO performance, leading people to think that they can fix any problem in PS and that lighting is about quantity of light, not about understanding the laws of physics - creating less demand for quality products and pushing cheap crap forward. I think that some of the misleading and awful tutorials, including many on YouTube, also adds to the lack of understanding.
I disagree about umbrellas, far too uncontrolled I think, and I only use them for on-axis fill.
I agree 100%, just marketing BS.
As with most things, the internet and better communications have killed off almost all of the poor flash heads, so it's now hard to buy a (new) bad one, unless you go for one of those terrible cheapies with fixed reflectors from eBay or Amazon.
That leaves us with Godox, who have killed off nearly all of the competition, and their flash heads are OK, although some of their other products are poor. There are a couple of niche makers outside China, but their prices and VFM means that they only appeal to their diehard fanboys.
Softboxes and fabric beauty dishes - AFAIK now all made in China, regardless of the brand name on them, and nearly all made in one of two large competing factories, with the exception of the Godox brand, which I would avoid.
The firm I was involved with dealt with one of these factories, which made everything from complete junk to the very best, and the very best are made from materials made in Vietnam. It isn't the job of either a factory or a retailer to tell customers what to buy, so the vast majority of people, who know no better, buy the junk.
Generally, when people talk about the quality of the light, they are really talking about the modifiers, not the flash heads.
Sadly, less and less people now understand lighting, and this may be due in part to technological advances, better editing software and excellent high ISO performance, leading people to think that they can fix any problem in PS and that lighting is about quantity of light, not about understanding the laws of physics - creating less demand for quality products and pushing cheap crap forward. I think that some of the misleading and awful tutorials, including many on YouTube, also adds to the lack of understanding.
I disagree about umbrellas, far too uncontrolled I think, and I only use them for on-axis fill.
I agree 100%, just marketing BS.
Thanks Garry - yes I realise its complicated but I understand that the modifiers are the most important thing to get right and I am making it my mission and priority to understand light. I want to invest in something that is going to last and be reliable as well as give me quality light. What would you consider the higher end modifiers from that point of view. I don't mind spending extra if I need to but also understand that the most expensive are not always the best. SOme suggestions would be most welcome.
Garry Edwards
Moderator
- Messages
- 12,336
- Name
- Garry Edwards
- Edit My Images
- No
How large is your studio space? How high is the ceiling? What do you want to light?
Going to use a room at home - 2.5 metres high 3.5 metres wide and roughly 5-6 metres length would be the space I want to do portraits in. May do some location stuff and the occasional "studio" space for fashion type stuff (daughter has a small clothing business so the occasional shoot for that). SO I am just starting my Lighting journey and will be starting small - one or two lights to start with and hopefully see where it goes. What I don't want to do is get something to get going and then find something better a bit down the line. Would prefer to get the best that I can but in small stages knowing that I won't need to sell them to replace them short term. SMaller stuff to start with because of the size of my portrait space. For me it's more about finding a reliable and quality brand.
I look for certain characteristics, rather than necessarily about 'durability' and 'quality'.
- I look for modifiers that produce EVEN illumination, without HOTSPOTS as seen in reflections of the modifier.
Double-diffusion design is better if the flashhead only can be pointed FORWARD, as it evens out and prevents hotspots much better than single-diffusion. Single diffusion designs work OK when the flashhead points BACK to a reflective surface. - If using a source with a halogen modelling light, get a softbox which is vented to allow heat to escape its interior.
- I hate the ability to see umbrella spokes in the catchlights visible in the eyes
- I hate seeing catchlights whose shape is not ordinarily found in everyday circumstance...octagonal or hexagonal windows are not things we see in offices/homes.
- Size is NOT related to area of illumination, size only suggests the degree of softness and freedom from resultant shadow edges of smaller sources
Last edited:
Thanks - these are really helpful tips.
Garry Edwards
Moderator
- Messages
- 12,336
- Name
- Garry Edwards
- Edit My Images
- No
You have a reasonable amount of space but very limited height, which you can usually get around by having your subject seated, to a large extent.
This umbrella, for on-axis fill https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-studio-umbrella-100cm-white-reflective
2 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-smartflash-4-studio-flash-head-300w
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/godox-xpro-wireless-trigger-ttl-hss
2 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-light-stand-265cm-pneumatic-air-damped (the best stands available IMO)
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-standard-reflector-7-inch-bowens-s-type-fit (used with umbrella)
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/neewer-5-in-1-collapsible-light-reflector (extremely useful and often has the effect of an extra light)
I would want 1 more light for some situations, and especially for where backlighting is needed, and there's no provision above for lighting a background, which is a separate subject, but the list above will get you going for your present needs. If you do find yourself wanting to do location photography in the future, then add a AD200 or AD400, they are battery operated. They will work seamlessly with the kit in my list, but I haven't included them because the cost is much higher - and it always makes sense to use mains-powered flash when we can.
Lencarta EZ-Pro Folding 80cm 2 in 1 Beauty Dish / Softbox is probably your best choice for your main modifier, big enough to produce soft lighting when used close, if required, but not too big for the height available. Much more versatile than either a softbox or a beauty dish. https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-eq-pro-80cm-2-in-1-beauty-dish-softbox
This umbrella, for on-axis fill https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-studio-umbrella-100cm-white-reflective
2 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-smartflash-4-studio-flash-head-300w
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/godox-xpro-wireless-trigger-ttl-hss
2 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-light-stand-265cm-pneumatic-air-damped (the best stands available IMO)
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-standard-reflector-7-inch-bowens-s-type-fit (used with umbrella)
1 of these https://www.lencarta.com/neewer-5-in-1-collapsible-light-reflector (extremely useful and often has the effect of an extra light)
I would want 1 more light for some situations, and especially for where backlighting is needed, and there's no provision above for lighting a background, which is a separate subject, but the list above will get you going for your present needs. If you do find yourself wanting to do location photography in the future, then add a AD200 or AD400, they are battery operated. They will work seamlessly with the kit in my list, but I haven't included them because the cost is much higher - and it always makes sense to use mains-powered flash when we can.
Excellent stuff - thanks for the advice Garry
- Messages
- 9,795
- Name
- wayne clarke
- Edit My Images
- Yes
I might be setting up a home studio myself, looks like I've got a spare room coming up. Backgrounds all I need. 
LongLensPhotography
Th..th..that's all folks!
- Messages
- 17,633
- Name
- LongLensPhotography
- Edit My Images
- No
It will obviously NOT give you a hard or highly controllable output for a fixed studio work, and yes you will have some spill if working in a small space. If that's what you are after then you need to look elsewhere.
However, sometimes you are after something you can setup in 5s, take it with you anywhere on location, even outdoors and get amazingly soft and diffuse light in a very large size perfect for someone with less than perfect skin, babies, groups of people - and yes you can use the spill as an extra fill if walls are suitable (white). For real estate that is my absolutely go to modifier. Even if some softbox was better (they are not, you often want the spill) nobody has time to take it down and reassemble every time you go to a different room
. Also use them as large diffusers outdoors, etc. For the money it is hard to justify not having it.That's the shoot through and I am not talking about the usual small 80cm flat trash by the way.
The super large silver can also double as a huge softbox with the optional cover. No it won't be anywhere nearly as good as dedicated profoto 150 with double diffusion, but it will do the job when needed, and do so very quickly. Also a great tool for fashion and catalog work in a hurry.
If you have the cash to burn - just get Broncolor Para 133 and a few other nice toys along with assistants. However, you are still not getting that up in anywhere near 5s...
I would also argue that if you are not yet very experienced with lighting, it is probably best to play it safe with larger and softer modifiers to begin with rather than jump into hard, specular lighting straight away. Particularly if you have paying customers...
- Messages
- 25,333
- Name
- Phil
- Edit My Images
- No
There’s a lot of bull written about ‘the quality of light’.
Garry has cut through most of it, and LLP has added some more useful info.
As long as you avoid the really cheap crap, the difference between a £80 softbox and a £500 one is non existent regarding 'light quality', despite what some marketing materials might suggest.
In fact moving a light 6" laterally will change an image more than spending an extra £300 on a softbox, good luck on your journey
- Messages
- 3,069
- Name
- Tim
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Great advice as always from @Garry Edwards.
The discussion reminds me that I really should post a review of the Godox para reflector 128 which I had on loan to test last year and ended up keeping.
The discussion reminds me that I really should post a review of the Godox para reflector 128 which I had on loan to test last year and ended up keeping.