Speedlight softbox

Nostromo

Nostromo

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Dominic
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I'm looking to get a softbox or two for use with speedlight/s.
They will be used for a variety of subjects, eg pet portraits, still life/table top. I don't do people portraits or anything much bigger than a dog. This is all hobby stuff for me, not for clients or anything.
So my, maybe stupid question is, what would be a maximum size of softbox for a speedlight (yongnuo 685) to be effective? I would guess you can go too big or too small. I was looking at 50x70cm, 60x90cm
Also what is the difference between the flash shooting forwards through the diffusion and one that shoots into the back of softbox?
Just as a side note, I'm not a fan of the octagon shape type as I prefer the shape of the catch light given by square /rectangle boxes.
 
If you’re using a forward facing speedlight then I wouldn’t advise anything bigger than this

60cm ones are available and probably the most commonly recommended softbox round here.

Westcott types with rear facing speedlights look great on paper, but they don’t actually tilt down well IMHO without some proper bodging.
 
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Thanks @Phil V, the Godox is on my ebay watch list. I just want sure if 60cm was of sufficient size and did want something I could put a grid on.
 
Nostromo said:
Thanks @Phil V, the Godox is on my ebay watch list. I just want sure if 60cm was of sufficient size and did want something I could put a grid on.
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As Phil said really, though personally I'd go for the 80cm version (which is significantly smaller than 80cm across the light area) which is actually the one in Phil's link (complete with grid).

Edit: you'll get brightest light with most even coverage with the flash head on widest zoom setting (without the wide-panel) and using the inner diffuser material.
 
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Phil V said:
If you’re using a forward facing speedlight then I wouldn’t advise anything bigger than this

60cm ones are available and probably the most commonly recommended softbox round here.

Westcott types with rear facing speedlights look great on paper, but they don’t actually tilt down well IMHO without some proper bodging.
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Yes an accessory arm/boomarm on the lightstand will be needed to get the full movements often needed. That can to some extend negate the benefits in weigth, bulk and simplicity. Ive had success with a 80cm forward mounted Octa and suspect a 90cm octa will do fine too. But thats the absolute limit to me.
 
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Nostromo said:
Thanks @Phil V, the Godox is on my ebay watch list. I just want sure if 60cm was of sufficient size and did want something I could put a grid on.
Click to expand...
The one I linked is 80cm (well it’s not quite 80cm - but that’s what it’s sold as)
 
soeren said:
Yes an accessory arm/boomarm on the lightstand will be needed to get the full movements often needed. That can to some extend negate the benefits in weigth, bulk and simplicity. Ive had success with a 80cm forward mounted Octa and suspect a 90cm octa will do fine too. But thats the absolute limit to me.
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Reverse-firing softboxes (of the type mounted on the umbrella shaft) have a mixture of pros and cons:
- as mentioned, you need an accessory arm of some sort to get decent tilt-down movement
- flash really needs to be mounted so that the head is as close to the central axis as possible, and as far away from the back as possible
- they mix the light up well with good evenness of coverage across the front but with a dark shadow where the flash unit is which shows in the eyes etc (easily cloned out in post processing)
- they tend to be slightly less efficient if you're short on power (ie not quite so bright as a conventional softbox)
- they're less front-heavy though, so better balanced on a stand
- and are more space-efficient in a small studio as you can push them right up against the wall/ceiling
 
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Nostromo said:
I just want sure if 60cm was of sufficient size and did want something I could put a grid on.
Click to expand...
IMO, either 60 or 80cm is going to be pretty limited... the 80 will probably be ok for tabletop/pets. The main issue is really the speedlight. As others said, I would get the 80 w/grid for the speedlight you have. But if pursued farther I would look into other options (AD200) that can fill larger modifiers and have more power.

Also note that a small softbox can always be used as "first stage" to illuminate a much larger silk, uneven illumination/fill can be used for purpose, and really "soft" light is also "flat" light... not always what you want. So while a speedlight in a small softbox may have numerous "issues," that doesn't mean it's not useful.
 
The problem with speedlights in big softboxes is not so much the size per se, but the depth. Larger softboxes tend to get relatively shallower which doesn't allow the light from a speedlight projecting forward to spread to the edges so well.

Also, if you're after the last drop of brightness, with that Godox-type speedlight bracket, you'll gain a couple of tenths by covering the area around the speedlight head with white/silver card to block it off. Very easy to do.
 
I use a 80cm Softbox with Bowens plate mounting for speedlite. I do need to remember to set speedlite on wide and up the power as the soft-box will absorb light output from the speedlite. Get a softbox with a grid as this will give you more options for lighting effects.

As for stands I either get some one to hold it of use one of my 2 tripods. I keep meaning to buy a pair of light stands, just haven't got round to it.
 
Tysonator said:
I use a 80cm Softbox with Bowens plate mounting for speedlite. I do need to remember to set speedlite on wide and up the power as the soft-box will absorb light output from the speedlite. Get a softbox with a grid as this will give you more options for lighting effects.

As for stands I either get some one to hold it of use one of my 2 tripods. I keep meaning to buy a pair of light stands, just haven't got round to it.
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Nice option to have, but they also eat light.
 
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