Softbox/Diffuser Help

Snipet

Snipet

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Gareth
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Hi guys and girls,
Im in need of a long oblong softbox, to do a possible portrait/art nude shoot.
Ive seen this one on ebay:


But where that one is quite a wide oblong shape I was after one alot thinner like this one:
.

Does anyone know if the ↑↑↑Above↑↑↑ one would be the best shape for what I want to use it for, and where I could get one for about £15 ish?
I dont want to spend loads of money as this shoot is not a definite yet.

On a side note it does need to be compatable with a speedlight, like the one in the first picture link so I can use it with my 430ex.
 
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To be honest, a honeycomb like the one in your picture will be useless.
You need one like the one shown here (sorry, not the same angle but I think you'll be able to get the idea).

It's difficult to get anything at your budget that works, and difficult to get anything at all from Ebay that works...
 
Im assuming its the big size of the honeycombs on the cheap one that makes it useless, as that's the only difference I can see between that and the £145ish lencarta one.

It was mainly the shape I was questioning, though I must admit I was also only really looking at the diffuser ones and not the honeycomb, would I be best off with a honeycomb one for the shots I want to try?

And I don't need it to be the up-most top quality as I will only probably use it this once, as I'm a landscape and macro man myself, so the ebay ones would be perfect for me, I've got alot of bits from there and most if you look properly are nice, simple and do the job perfectly for a stupidly cheap price.
 
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Snipet said:
Im assuming its the big size of the honeycombs on the cheap one that makes it useless, as that's the only difference I can see between that and the £145ish lencarta one.
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Well, if you ignore the fact that the cheap one looks really floppy.... Also the feather edges on softboxes make a huge difference as does the material you make the diffusers and internal reflectors from.

See my other post on beauty dishes - there are far more ways to "save" money on a softbox and ruin the light from them.

It was mainly the shape I was questioning, though I must admit I was also only really looking at the diffuser ones and not the honeycomb, would I be best off with a honeycomb one for the shots I want to try?
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Dunno. I like honeycombs. But then I like shadows. Conventional wisdom is that it's very hard for a hotshoe flash to fill a stripbox and give anything like even light so you may find you get hotspot issues regardless of brand.

And I don't need it to be the up-most top quality as I will only probably use it this once, as I'm a landscape and macro man myself, so the ebay ones would be perfect for me, I've got alot of bits from there and most if you look properly are nice, simple and do the job perfectly for a stupidly cheap price.
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Then it sounds like your mind is made up ;)

ETA: not sure of the rules - but I think the mods don't like you posting pics that aren't yours even if it's pulled from an eBay auction.
 
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Basically what Jonathan said. A honeycomb with enormous great gaps like that won't do anything other than look pretty - if you think it looks pretty. The function of a honeycomb is to control both the spread of the light and to prevent lens flare when the light source is pointing more or less towards the lens, which is really the same thing.

The problem with the Ebay junk is that it's all pretty much copies of copies of copies, with the people actually making it having no idea of why the original was made and designed in the way it was, not caring whether it works or not and concerned only with making it as cheaply as possible.

And a hotshoe flash won't be able to fill a softbox of that length anyway, you would need at least two (but preferably 3) flashguns on a special mount, angled to point in different directions.

I'm not trying to put my hand in your back pocket, but unless you're prepared to spend a reasonable amount of money on the right tools, you're wasting your time.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Then it sounds like your mind is made up ;)

ETA: not sure of the rules - but I think the mods don't like you posting pics that aren't yours even if it's pulled from an eBay auction.
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Not really, cause none of my 3 questions from my posts have really been answered.
1) Which of the two shapes would be best for art nude,
2) Where to get one cheap (Ebay is not always the cheapest)
3) Would a simple defused one do the job or will it not work with out a honey comb.

And ill double check the rules, and if i am breaking them. then my sincerest apologies and i shall remove the pics as soon as I find out they are not allowed.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Basically what Jonathan said. A honeycomb with enormous great gaps like that won't do anything other than look pretty - if you think it looks pretty. The function of a honeycomb is to control both the spread of the light and to prevent lens flare when the light source is pointing more or less towards the lens, which is really the same thing.

The problem with the Ebay junk is that it's all pretty much copies of copies of copies, with the people actually making it having no idea of why the original was made and designed in the way it was, not caring whether it works or not and concerned only with making it as cheaply as possible.

And a hotshoe flash won't be able to fill a softbox of that length anyway, you would need at least two (but preferably 3) flashguns on a special mount, angled to point in different directions.

I'm not trying to put my hand in your back pocket, but unless you're prepared to spend a reasonable amount of money on the right tools, you're wasting your time.
Click to expand...

Ah well at least i know to stop looking, I'm not prepared to spend £100+ for a single shoot that I'm not 100% is even going to happen.
Thanks for the time to comment though.
 
Snipet said:
Not really, cause none of my 3 questions from my posts have really been answered.
1) Which of the two shapes would be best for art nude,
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Depends what you want to do. Which I know is dodging the question. Personally I'd pick a stripbox with decent honeycomb.

2) Where to get one cheap (Ebay is not always the cheapest)
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Rent? Many people think Profoto make the best light shaping tools. Pro centre will rent you a Profoto 6 foot by 1 foot strip for £24 a day. Smaller sizes and cheaper brands are probably available for less money.

3) Would a simple defused one do the job or will it not work with out a honey comb.
Click to expand...

Again, it's going to depend what look you want. But I think you may struggle without a honeycomb or proper edge.

And ill double check the rules, and if i am breaking them. then my sincerest apologies and i shall remove the pics as soon as I find out they are not allowed.
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:) Personally I like it as it saves some clicks.
 
Jonathan, I've checked the rules and cant find anything that makes the posting of these images against the rules. Thank you for reminding me to check, if the Mods have a problem I'm sure they will let me know or take them down for me.

And apologies for my response to your reply earlier, when reading back my reply it does come across a bit snappy and short, which was not meant or intended.
 
if your feeling a little handy with a craft knife and a hot glue gun you could always make your own!!! i did, made a smaller version to the one in these links http://www.diyphotography.net/files/images/striplight_assembly.pdf
http://www.diyphotography.net/two-great-weekend-projects-striplight-and-softbox its pretty easy to build and if its only for a one time use then why not!!!
i have made loads of light modifiers in the past and love the satisfaction from getting results out of something you have built yourself
 
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Garry Edwards said:
The problem with the Ebay junk is that it's all pretty much copies of copies of copies, with the people actually making it having no idea of why the original was made and designed in the way it was, not caring whether it works or not and concerned only with making it as cheaply as possible.
Click to expand...
unfortunately with companies shipping their manufacturing abroad to reduce costs, bigger non "junk" companies get their products, tech and designs copied at will, some of these copycat companies are getting quite successful too!
granted there a PLENTY of poorly built and useless products which are simply a waste of money but if you dig deep enough you can find some gems out there
 
Ok so say I do get one of the softbox's. If my 430ex isnt going to be strong enough to light it would this:


And is it a good price at £39?
 
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No, that probably won't work better than your 430ex, it still has a built in reflector which can't be removed, so the light can't spread around the inside of the softbox.

It's probably good value, if you're not worried about handling an electronic flash with thousands of volts inside it that hasn't even got an earth wire. At least, from what I can see in the picture, they aren't pretending that it complies with EU standards, which makes a nice change
 
Ah well, looks like i might have to give this a miss then.
Time to stick with my macro, i know what im doing there.
 
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