Anyone with an Octagonal softbox?

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I'm looking for an Octagonal softbox and for those of you who use them I'd like to know what size you use for full length shots? :)
 
You can use literally any size.
If you use a small one
a. You will need to position it much further away, the light will have to travel much further and so you will need much more flash energy because the light loses power over distance
b. Because it is both small and far away, the light will be much harder - this is not necessarily a bad thing, whether it's good or bad depends on the effect you wan to achieve
c. Because it is far away, there will be much less difference in the distance that the light which goes past your subject has to travel before it hits the background, therefore the background will be much brighter than if it is close to the subject.
 
Hi Garry, thanks for that (by the way I used the light yesterday.. now you know who I am!:D) I also went through your online videos on lighting yestday so now I know who you are! ;)

You might remember I'm in a limited space, 3m x 11m, I'm already using your stripllight but want to compliment my selection of tools with an octagon. I saw some images posted in the portrait section. They used an octagon to gain a very pleasing soft even light. I thought it would be interesing to see what others were using and with what results.
 
I have recently bought an octagon softbox and like it. I still need to play about with all the light settings/power to achieve perfect results. I bought a 140cm softbox and its pretty large.!!
I only have a cheap set of 3 x 180w lights but for the size room I have they do the job.
The link below is one of the 1st pics I took using the octagon softbox. I had the backlights set too bright which has caused a small amount of wrap but overall I am pretty happy with my set up.

BTW.... my softbox cost £42... not one of the best good enough for what I want anyway.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=2127399#post2127399
 
Vinny, yes I'm sure she'll love it :D
What space were you working in and where did you get the softbox?
I think I'll end up with a minimum of 120cm.
Is that Homebase acrylic you have used?
 
VinnyB said:
Sorry, got the pricing wrong... It was £32.99 + £5.99 delivery
See link below:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230392781512&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

They do other size octagon boxes.
The flooring is 2mm acrylic sheet 900mm x 1800mm from Wickes @ £22 approx.

I had a look in B&Q for the same acrylic sheet and found it to be slightly more expensive.
Click to expand...

Cheers for that link Vinny. How easy/hard is it to put up/down one of those softboxes? Does the light fitting work okay?

Thanks :)
 
The hole/aperture that connects to the light is quite large and has 4 x screw clamps that has a lot of adjustment. When I get home I will measure the hole and the possible maxium & minimum diameters it will connect to.

I have some 60cm rectangular softboxes that I find very easy to set up. The octagon one is a bit harder to set up as it has 8 rods instead of 4. I have only set it up and put down 3 times so far but it gets easier each time. It took me about 5-6mins to set up last time. The 1st time did take me nearer to 15mins though ..... LOL
 
VinnyB said:
The hole/aperture that connects to the light is quite large and has 4 x screw clamps that has a lot of adjustment. When I get home I will measure the hole and the possible maxium & minimum diameters it will connect to.

I have some 60cm rectangular softboxes that I find very easy to set up. The octagon one is a bit harder to set up as it has 8 rods instead of 4. I have only set it up and put down 3 times so far but it gets easier each time. It took me about 5-6mins to set up last time. The 1st time did take me nearer to 15mins though ..... LOL
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Sounds like a bit of a faff, but they must give very nice light for not a lot of money :)
 
Haven't had much time to photograph softbox but the hole is variable from 70mm to 140mm diameter
 
Hi

I use a lencarta folding octagonal softbox (140cm) which is huge but a breeze to put up and take down.

There is talk in the thread of acrylic sheet for the floor, is this clear sheeting or white shiny plastic?

Stringy
 
i hate octo softboxes! the light from them is too good but they're such a pain to assemble. always worth it in the end! i tend to use mine in very limited space, so its always very close to the model (typically in a clamshell set up). ive got a 120cm one and to be honest it is a little awkward.
 
Its clear acrylic sheet. There are various thicknesses but mine is 2mm and I lay it over the top of my white backdrop.

You can find it in DIY stores and I think it is in the section/area for secondary glazing equipment.
 
Well, the softbox is out of the equation now! In my little storage cupboard I found a softbox I bought about 18 months ago before I had the studio. Its 6' x '6 so that'll do the job quite nicely. Now what can I buy instead!:D
 
I have a bowens Octo 150. it is awesome but not cheap! I like the way the head faces backwards to help eliminate hotspots, its like a big moveable sun!
 
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