I don’t know about you , but for me softboxes are just too expensive. I enjoy doing portraiture and the like part time, but paying more then 100 even 200$ dollars for a softbox -probably not made here anyway- is not my idea of wise spending. So in my search if an alternative and not looking to cut corners I looked to eBay. I realize many cut corners on eBay to find cheap alternatives, but when I search I look for the most qualified items to stand up to the wear and tear. I came across a softbox sold by the user “PhotoLoving 2008.” I bought my unit several months ago, but a very similar product seems to be offered here from the same seller. I wanted to share a bunch of photos and a sort of review of their product if you are in the market for something similar. I had always wanted a nice softbox for my SB-800, but I never could afford it.

You’d be suprised what you can do with n speedlight off camera. There is quite a lot of power. So much so it works in this 60cm x 60cm (24″ x 24″) more then well. When looking for a softbox it also had to be easy to use. I had read about a collapsible version via an umbrella mechanism which sounded closer to what I wanted, but it still wasn’t enough. I wanted something ultra compact and could go eaisly anywhere and the only difficulty would be dealing with the stand.

This is as small as a package that it gets. Can you believe that? I was surprised myself. I used a NikonD70 for some scale to show you truly how small it is. I mean it’s smaller then many collapsible reflectors (in width)! I will demonstrate piece by piece as I build it into its full setup to show you how it works; with a little description along the way.

This is where we start. All the basic items that come in a kit. Lets break them down and their uses:

• Collapsible Softbox – This is the main piece. It folds together easily like this and then you twist it like a regular reflector to collapse it down to a very small size. Have I stressed how smalled it gets yet?
• Carrying case – It’s a lightweight nylon carrying case with a zipper running half way around its circumference. Every piece you see in the picture above fits inside of it.
• The adapter – This is the magical piece that comes included and allows you to attach your speedlight and point it into the softbox itself. There are two versions. One that is now currently sold and the other that I requested from the last of the batch. Both versions work, but to be honest I prefer the older model. Some will differ in their opinion. More later on the comparison.
• Ring adapter – (Sorry to use adapter twice, I just realized it.) The ring you see is the piece that will attach to the softbox. The rear of the sofbox has protrusions as the structure curves to form the structure. They are slid over the ring itself and holds it firmly in place.
• Inner baffle – This is a great idea in the softbox. The inner baffle is attached inside about 1/4 of the way in from the front. It adds an extra layer of diffusion for the light before it hits your subject. I am not sure if most come with it, but to my knowledge they don’t. A very nice attention to detail.
• Outer diffusion screen – The outer screen material is of high quality. I find no issues with color contrast and the velcro lining for attachment is of high quality. I haven’t found any issues so far and it fits onto the softbox perfectly.

These are the two adapter models. The one on the left is very similar to the style offered (left) and the one that was one of the last at the warehouse (right.) Their customer service was spot on and something I value in a company.

I prefered this setup for one reason. I don’t trust small ball heads. Does the small ballhead work?  Sure does. And there is a great advantage; you don’t need anything else other then a light stand. However I own an umbrella bracket and I prefer using that as an adjustment.

The newer ball head may be better and probably is then the one I recieved. It works and for that I can’t complain. Usually due to the weight of the softbox it only stops tilting at the tightest position. Also on the newest it appears to have gotten rid of the plastic baseplate on top.

The back of the box.

The inner setup sequence.

Here’s the back view and setup once you have your speedlight installed. I pushed the highlights to show you some more detail in the shadows. I only have one flash and the pop-up doesn’t cut it All the more reason to take that speedlight and use it off camera.

All wrapped up in a neat little package. (any simpsons fans out there?)

This softbox comes with everything you need and is of  high quality. I have used this on shoots and it has performed flawlessly. Whether it was formal portraits at a sweet sixteen or just shooting solo it has performed flawlessly. I can highly recommend you get one of your own and start improving your photography. It’s a great light modifier and controls light in a much more controlled fashion then an umbrella. Both forms of light moifiers are important, but when you need to control light and prevent scatter this is your go to product.

Dina was a good sport and allowed me to photograph her using the new softbox. Worked just as I wanted with no issues. In the first photograph of her I added a high wattage incandecent bulb to provide some color and separation from the back. It was great too as I don’t normally like using incandecents, but our basement is so damn cold it worked as a local heat source. The softbox was simply setup 45 degrees from the subject and above the eye line close to the subject. Nothing left to it. One great thing to add about the sale of the sofbox is that the seller actually adds a great visual manual so you know exactly what you are getting. No guessing and completely upfront. I think its a steal for ~60$