Softboxes: eBay vs. brand name

[brianodell]

looking for a pair of softboxes for my Yongnuo Speedlites. Possibly a 24" box and maybe a strip, with stands. Has anyone had any luck with the cheaper eBay type stuff? Or should I spend the extra $ and stick with Lastolite, Wescott (the Rapidbox and Strip look nice), etc?

Thanks!

 

[privatebydesign]

I'd recommend the cheapies, it is amazing what you end liking and not liking and I'd suggest getting cheapies until you narrow down what modifiers you like, then get better versions of those when it becomes time to upgrade.

The difference in light output between the Chinese clones and the Lastolites is normally zero, you are paying for the build quality and materials, and the reputation.

 

[Pookie]

There is some validity to buying the cheap stuff when you're starting out. What I've found is you do pay for what you get, even in the realm of cheap chinese knock-offs. The problem with going with cheap stuff is the same as buying cheap tripods... you buy a bunch and deal with the BS because you bought cheap tripods. Then you get sick of inferior gear, commit and buy a really good one. The you realise how much time & money you wasted because you wanted to save a little cash.

I do like Lastolite, built like a tank (for most of their stuff) and easy to use. Wescott is good too although sometimes made with cheaper material. Profoto is quite nice also. The one thing I'd advise against are umbrellas, yes you can get nice light from them but I can't tell you how many I've purchased only to toss them once the take a spill on site. Break a rib and they go from zero to trash in nanoseconds. Just my two cents...

Next you going to need stands... the same story as above. Buy the best and buy once... or go cheap and replace numerous times until you decide to spend a little more on quality.

Best of luck...

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

As long as you are not using high temp lights, it shouldn't be a big deal. My experience with Chinese imports is that they use materials that may not be flame retardant, and the plastics in light sockets may not hold up. Then there is the little spring contacts in the bulb sockets that are made of cheap metal that will lose its spring properties under stress of high temperature, and then arcing can happen along with a meltdown and fire.

CFL's or other low temp bulbs are fine, but using a 500 or 1000 watt light is risky.

 

[sagittariansrock]

I am planning to get the cheap softboxes from eBay, and I think you're talking about the 24x24 foldable softboxes.
I bought a Neewer one, which had to go back because it had the wrong bracket, but here's my 2 cents:
I have seen the Ezybox, and build quality of the Neewer was almost as good.
The diffusion fabric, however, changed the color temperature. I think that doesn't happen with the Lastolite.
Also, the Lastolite attaches by velcros while the cheap stuff uses clips- takes a lot of fidgeting.

If you want really good quality and don't want to pay Lastolite prices, look at Cheetah Stand. They have the best quality of all three, and I have seen rave reviews about their customer service. It is also on sale now:
https://www.cheetahstand.com/Cheetah-QBox-24-Pro-p/q24.htm

 

[Viggo]

Buy quality, you'll get better quality of light more output and the build makes it last 5 years. I grew so tired of buying "eBay-boxes" and having them break on the first outing. You save tons buy buying proper quality.

 

[blanddragon]

I have to agree with most of the comments. I've been a grip and photographer for over 30 years and this is the number one mistake people make. All gear, stand mounted/boomed monolights in particular, should be safety cabled if possible and always bagged. About umbrellas, they are cheap if broken and most EVERYONE who says they 'fell and broke' has had this happen because they do not properly bag their gear.

As others have said a balance between budget and quality is something only you can decide on. Buy the best gear you can afford, but buy up if possible and you'll have many years of productivity with your gear.

 

[FTb-n]

I am planning to get the cheap softboxes from eBay, and I think you're talking about the 24x24 foldable softboxes.
I bought a Neewer one, which had to go back because it had the wrong bracket, but here's my 2 cents:
I have seen the Ezybox, and build quality of the Neewer was almost as good.
The diffusion fabric, however, changed the color temperature. I think that doesn't happen with the Lastolite.
Also, the Lastolite attaches by velcros while the cheap stuff uses clips- takes a lot of fidgeting.

If you want really good quality and don't want to pay Lastolite prices, look at Cheetah Stand. They have the best quality of all three, and I have seen rave reviews about their customer service. It is also on sale now:
https://www.cheetahstand.com/Cheetah-QBox-24-Pro-p/q24.htm

I also bought a Neewer softbox from Amazon and am impressed with the build quality. I can't address any color shift yet.

My primary modifiers are Photoflex umbrellas and Paul C Buff PLM brollys. I like the PLMs the best and use 51" and 64" the "soft silver" umbrella with the diffusion fabric. They are very economical, $53-66, no reason to go to knock-offs.

Still, I ventured into the Neewer to gain some experience with a 24" softboxes and I'm not, yet, convinced that my needs/interests will warrant putting more money into soft boxes.

 

[Besisika]

I would say, buy real light stands and umbrella holders - don't go cheap on those - when the wind blows you will remember what I said if you neglect it.

When it comes to softboxes the answer is not that obvious as it really depends on what you do and your lighting styles.
There are so many variables that you need to consider. On location or in studio, portability, easy packing, double vs single diffusion, windy day, rectangular vs octagon, what size (head shot vs half vs 3/4), and so on, and then are you serious about using off-camera flash? Will you stay with speedlites or move to strobe?
Anyway, for softbox start with cheapies. I would say go with umbrella softboxes on ebay but remember that you will need to upgrade it should you like that path but then you would know exactly what you want. You won't need someone's advice anymore.

 

[FTb-n]

I would say, buy real light stands and umbrella holders - don't go cheap on those - when the wind blows you will remember what I said if you neglect it.

When it comes to softboxes the answer is not that obvious as it really depends on what you do and your lighting styles.
There are so many variables that you need to consider. On location or in studio, portability, easy packing, double vs single diffusion, windy day, rectangular vs octagon, what size (head shot vs half vs 3/4), and so on, and then are you serious about using off-camera flash? Will you stay with speedlites or move to strobe?
Anyway, for softbox start with cheapies. I would say go with umbrella softboxes on ebay but remember that you will need to upgrade it should you like that path but then you would know exactly what you want. You won't need someone's advice anymore.

Agreed. I like the 60" Photoflex convertible umbrella, and experience with it led me to the Paul C Buff PLMs -- which I expect to use long term. I also tried the Photek Soflighter II, but like the PLMs better. The PLMs are heavier, so I save the Softlighter for overhead use.

The point is that modifier costs can add up in a hurry. I'm not, yet, certain how soft boxes will benefit my interests overs the PLMs, so it's easier for me to explore brands like Neewer before stepping up to name brand.

Stands and brackets are different. Years ago, I invested in Bogen and Photoflex stands. These were good investments. However, I did gamble with a a pair of Cowboy Studio heavy duty 12' stands which are now my favorites. They're heavy and sturdy and handle the 64" PLMs with ease.

As for brackets, I had a plastic double flash bracket that I liked -- until the wind blew down the stand and broke it. Now I use Manfrotto metal Swivel Lite-Tite brackets. (They were $35 a couple years ago, now I see that they are $45.)

Quality stands and quality brackets will likely outlast your modifiers.

 

[LarryC]

If I was shooting with expensive studio lighting I would probably also go with expensive softboxes and stands, but like the OP, I use mostly Yongnuo speedlights, and find the Amazon/eBay modifier brands to be a perfect match. I tend to buy the Fotodiox brand through Amazon to get their (Amazon's) great customer service when there's a problem, and I do usually have to modify their brackets to get them to hold well, but I have an entire studio filled with perfectly functional and, so far reliable, modifiers for what would have been the cost of one "pro" softbox and light stand.

 

[brianodell]

I am planning to get the cheap softboxes from eBay, and I think you're talking about the 24x24 foldable softboxes.
I bought a Neewer one, which had to go back because it had the wrong bracket, but here's my 2 cents:
I have seen the Ezybox, and build quality of the Neewer was almost as good.
The diffusion fabric, however, changed the color temperature. I think that doesn't happen with the Lastolite.
Also, the Lastolite attaches by velcros while the cheap stuff uses clips- takes a lot of fidgeting.

If you want really good quality and don't want to pay Lastolite prices, look at Cheetah Stand. They have the best quality of all three, and I have seen rave reviews about their customer service. It is also on sale now:
https://www.cheetahstand.com/Cheetah-QBox-24-Pro-p/q24.htm

I also bought a Neewer softbox from Amazon and am impressed with the build quality. I can't address any color shift yet.

My primary modifiers are Photoflex umbrellas and Paul C Buff PLM brollys. I like the PLMs the best and use 51" and 64" the "soft silver" umbrella with the diffusion fabric. They are very economical, $53-66, no reason to go to knock-offs.

Still, I ventured into the Neewer to gain some experience with a 24" softboxes and I'm not, yet, convinced that my needs/interests will warrant putting more money into soft boxes.

The 51" and 64" PLM soft silver's look very interesting... Especially with the optional diffusion panel. I've heard some great things about the PLM system, but never really looked into it. What mount would be needed for these to successfully use the speedlites originally posted about?

 

[sagittariansrock]

I am planning to get the cheap softboxes from eBay, and I think you're talking about the 24x24 foldable softboxes.
I bought a Neewer one, which had to go back because it had the wrong bracket, but here's my 2 cents:
I have seen the Ezybox, and build quality of the Neewer was almost as good.
The diffusion fabric, however, changed the color temperature. I think that doesn't happen with the Lastolite.
Also, the Lastolite attaches by velcros while the cheap stuff uses clips- takes a lot of fidgeting.

If you want really good quality and don't want to pay Lastolite prices, look at Cheetah Stand. They have the best quality of all three, and I have seen rave reviews about their customer service. It is also on sale now:
https://www.cheetahstand.com/Cheetah-QBox-24-Pro-p/q24.htm

I also bought a Neewer softbox from Amazon and am impressed with the build quality. I can't address any color shift yet.

My primary modifiers are Photoflex umbrellas and Paul C Buff PLM brollys. I like the PLMs the best and use 51" and 64" the "soft silver" umbrella with the diffusion fabric. They are very economical, $53-66, no reason to go to knock-offs.

Still, I ventured into the Neewer to gain some experience with a 24" softboxes and I'm not, yet, convinced that my needs/interests will warrant putting more money into soft boxes.

The 51" and 64" PLM soft silver's look very interesting... Especially with the optional diffusion panel. I've heard some great things about the PLM system, but never really looked into it. What mount would be needed for these to successfully use the speedlites originally posted about?

It works like an umbrella, so you just use a swivel.
However, advice from PCB tech support:
Keep the Speedlite as close to the axis as possible. (My addition: using a Godox S-type bracket or connecting the Speedlite by the screw mount on the side will help achieve that)
Make sure the Speedlite's light is non-directional, so use a Stofen or something. (My addition: my Godox bare bulb does exactly that)
Mind you, PLMs can be unwieldy outdoors if there isn't someone holding on to them.

 

[FTb-n]

For swivel brackets, I really like the Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite metal bracket. This is especially good with heavier modifiers like the 64" PLMs.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Manfrotto&ci=3536&N=4062040361+4184435916+4289361368

I prefer using two Yongnuo 565 EX II flashes with a Yongnuo 622c remote on each flash. Put a third 622c on your camera and you can control the flash from the camera menu. Incidentally, I prefer setting the power and zoom setting manually and not relying on ETTL.

With two flashes, I can keep the power level down between 1/8 and 1/16, which allows for 2-4 frame rapid fire, fast recycle, and long battery life.

I have made my own mount, very similar to the DIYP double flash bracket (see the link below). It's basically a sheet of aluminum with holes drilled for two straps of 3/16" bungee cord around the head of each flash. Like the DIYP bracket, I mount the heads vertically. But mine is wide enough to swivel the bottom of the flash so the remotes can be mounted in the shoes vertically. One motivation for me was make the aluminum plate large enough to take the brunt of a fall and save the flash for outdoor shoots with smaller modifiers -- or no modifier.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/811643-REG/DIY_LK_DFB_Double_Flash_Bracket_Kit.html

The 64" PLM umbrella is large enough that any dual flash bracket should work. But, I prefer the flat aluminum because each flash is close to the axis.

 

[brad goda]

id go brand name
better build, color and light quality…
for boxes I personally prefer white interior… softer light and last longer.
Plume, Chimera, Profoto or Elenchrom --- those are name brands.
the hard thing for me was find is a good mounting system for speed lights…
ALL the crap on the market is made of flimsy material and or parts that just twist and spin in the wind…
and thats just mounting up a small box … how do you get a sturdy mount for a medium or large box that will first handle the torque/weight and or a bit of wind…
all I found was the profoto RFI mount… its great and will mount two heads!!
but I made my own… this DIY accepts ALL Profoto modifiers… Is sturdy and costs 45.00 that with the bogen mount and lumiquest diffuser… I can mount an umbrella reflector, magnum, soft light or chimera speedring.