Which brand of soft box?

addysdaddy · Mar 18, 2005

Bought a Paterson 3x4' lightbox and I'm returning it. First day of shooting and the inner baffel snaps pulled off. Would like to keep the budget at $200 or less. I'm looking at the Photoflex for $125 but frankly I can't tell anything from the internet. Can you point me in the right direction?

bethrouns · Mar 18, 2005

I bought a couple of these (Large and X-Large). They are Photoflex knockoffs. They are pretty nice. I read that Photoflex files a suit against the company for copyright infringement.

http://search.ebay.com/PHOTO-LIGHT-SILVER-SOFT-BOX-SOFTBOX-W-ACCESSORY-KIT-NEW_W0QQsojsZ1QQfromZR40

Anyone else ever use them? And, what is your opinion?

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TMacaw · Mar 18, 2005

bethrouns said:
I bought a couple of these (Large and X-Large). They are Photoflex
knockoffs. They are pretty nice. I read that Photoflex files a suit
against the company for copyright infringement.

http://search.ebay.com/PHOTO-LIGHT-SILVER-SOFT-BOX-SOFTBOX-W-ACCESSORY-KIT-NEW_W0QQsojsZ1QQfromZR40

Anyone else ever use them? And, what is your opinion?

--
-Beth

------------------

These are VERY heavy (because they are also stated to work with 'hot' lights. I also found these internal baffle snaps to be questionable in terms of the amount of elastic stretch required to attach the internal baffle. Perhaps they are improving these from batch to batch though.

My current choices would be Chimera .. Wescott .. Photoflex in the 'middle-to-upper-middle' bracket. Photoflex MultiDome is a versatile choice. Westcott also has a 'hot' light silver SB but is heavier. These force you to really crank down on your monolight 'tilit' lever to keep the weight of the softbox from slowly pulling the light position down. On the really heavy ones you almost need to mount the speedring on the lightstand and let the monolight support it self (or use a 2nd stand) .. PITA!..
TMc

addysdaddy · Mar 18, 2005

B&H recommended the Photoflex because it has the same features as the Chimera but for a lot less money. Because it's recessed, it will take all the standard baffels.

The only Chimera in my price range is the Pro II and the B&H folks told me to stay away because the front panel is fixed. What do you think of the that?

Have heard of Westscot of couse but have no experience with their products.

TMacaw · Mar 18, 2005

addysdaddy said:
B&H recommended the Photoflex because it has the same features as
the Chimera but for a lot less money. Because it's recessed, it
will take all the standard baffels.

The only Chimera in my price range is the Pro II and the B&H folks
told me to stay away because the front panel is fixed. What do you
think of the that?

Have heard of Westscot of couse but have no experience with their
products.

----------------------------------------------------------

I agree re. fixed front panel .... you could do as well with diffusion panel and barndoors. I have had pretty good support from calling Photoflex's 'staff photographer' ... Rick, I believe ... (when he is there). One thing neat about internal baffles, you can try some wild things (on your own) depending on subject sizes and shapes. You can try pieces of window screen, nylon stockings, cut ellipses and other shapes ... This is another reason why fixed front panels are not as good.
At the price point .. Photoflex seems to do a good job.
TMc

wwinn · Mar 18, 2005

These may interest you:

http://sell-it-on-the-net.com/online_store/softbox_pop_open.htm

Ted Wilson · Mar 18, 2005

http://www.redwingphoto.com/

I have several and they are very nice. They are budget versions of Plume wafers. The main difference is the internal baffle is fabric instead of Lexan.

wwinn said:
These may interest you:

http://sell-it-on-the-net.com/online_store/softbox_pop_open.htm

--
--
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has
genius, power and magic in it. - Goethe

http://www.tedwilsonphoto.com/

Brian Li · Mar 18, 2005

I have an extra-large and large size litedoom from Photoflex. I love them. They are good price, easy to install and can take a lot of accessories like grids, louvers etc.

Don't know much about the multidome since I don't need silver or gold inside at this point.

You can find almost all kinds of speedring for your strobe, which is the other main reason I pick Photoflex. In case you switch another brand for your strobe, just get the correct speedring.

Hope it helps.

addysdaddy said:
Bought a Paterson 3x4' lightbox and I'm returning it. First day of
shooting and the inner baffel snaps pulled off. Would like to keep
the budget at $200 or less. I'm looking at the Photoflex for $125
but frankly I can't tell anything from the internet. Can you point
me in the right direction?

thinkin2 · Mar 18, 2005

wwinn said:
These may interest you:

http://sell-it-on-the-net.com/online_store/softbox_pop_open.htm

WolfyWho · Mar 18, 2005

Are these any good?

http://www.amvona.com/v7/shop/?page=shop/flypage&category_id=b163ab3e9ae76e061c456948a52f8ebf&product_id=1911

The prices sure look good.

Brian Li · Mar 18, 2005

You pay what you get. I have Amvona's backdrops . It never get it right for what they showed you in the picture. I ordered the aluminum case which was rusty when it arrived. I gave them a netural feedback at eBay, they gave me a -ve feedback for revenue. What a joke since I paid them and have done my part. You can do a serch of people's opinion about Amvona at this forum.

WolfyWho said:
Are these any good?

http://www.amvona.com/v7/shop/?page=shop/flypage&category_id=b163ab3e9ae76e061c456948a52f8ebf&product_id=1911

The prices sure look good.

RDKirk · Mar 18, 2005

If you need to take them down pretty frequently, I like FJ Westcott Apollo softboxes. They open like umbrellas and are very well made. Monte Zucker uses them exclusively. They don't need speedrings (they mount on the light's umbrella shaft mount), and they are slightly cheaper than most.

I've got 50-inch, 28-inch, and 16-inch models. B&H and Adorama sell them.

--
RDKirk
'TANSTAAFL: The only unbreakable rule in photography.'

TMacaw · Mar 18, 2005

WolfyWho said:
Are these any good?

http://www.amvona.com/v7/shop/?page=shop/flypage&category_id=b163ab3e9ae76e061c456948a52f8ebf&product_id=1911

The prices sure look good.

-----------------------------------------------

...the Photoflex lawsuit may have caused changes ... description seems the same .. can't say for sure.
TMc

addysdaddy · Mar 20, 2005

Hey RD these Westcott modifiers look interesting. My problem is having no real experience with these devices, it's difficult to know what I like and what I don't. I think I'm just going to go with the Chimera Pro I 3'x4', as I don't think I can go wrong. I want a beautiful broad soft light that wraps around a small group of 1-4 people. If I need something else later on, I'll purchase another modifier for a different look. Perhaps by that point I'll know what I want - which should make this a bit easier. Thanks for the suggestion.

Or maybe I should convince the Mrs. that we need a road trip to NYC and I can get lost at B&H. Oh well, nothing like wishing.

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Which brand of soft box?

addysdaddy

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bethrouns

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TMacaw

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addysdaddy

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TMacaw

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wwinn

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Ted Wilson

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Brian Li

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