Softbox pricing

X100

X100

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The price of soft boxes and stands are mad. I would be cheaper buying a sewing machine, teaching myself how to use said machine and then making one. Only expensive part I see is the reflective materials. Any experienced folk out there want to tell me any secrets I am missing?
 
they're really that expensive? Have a look at the offerings from Bessel, or for a better quality but also good prices, Calumet.

they're carefully designed to get an even spread of light.

the materials are carefully selected for particular reflective and colour accurate properties. Different brands of softbox definitely have a slight different feel to the light from them.

at least the high quality brands (eg profoto, chimera) are very very well made and designed to live well through years of hard use eg in a rental scenario.
 
There are some very cheap ones about for people who feel as you do.
A lot of people actually buy cheap ones too, and when they find out that it leaks light everywhere, provides uneven illumination, that the diffusion materials are the wrong colour/and or are too thin, and that the cheap design doesn't allow light to be feathered and doesn't allow a honeycomb to be fitted, they throw it away and by the one that they should have bought in the first place:)

As someone who has been to the factories and actually seen them being made, personally I think that the decent ones are good value for money - generally - although of course there are some premium brands where you're paying an inflated price for the logo printed on it, but then that applies to all products, e.g. fashion, too.

Many years ago, I bought a Chimera, it cost me a small fortune but it was worth it because I used it primarily for fashion shots, where the main function of a softbox is to make cheap clothes look expensive:) Chimera used to be (and maybe still is) the best of the best, after all they were the people who invented fabric softboxes in the first place. Good brands from other suppliers (no, I'm not specifically talking about just Lencarta, Bowens are just as good and come from the same factory) are basically based on the Chimera design and with what are hopefully improvements. The cheap ones however tend to be copies of copies of copies, made by people who have never actually used a softbox and who don't know or care about the consequences of taking shortcuts in production and using inferior materials,
 
Just to paraphrase what Garry said - if you want to know how much a decent one is worth - use a cheap one.

The really cheap stands are great for flashguns and in small places, but a decent stand isn't that much more money - until you get to needing boom arms - but then you're measuring against H&S considerations and budget moves down the list of considerations.
 
X100 said:
The price of soft boxes and stands are mad. I would be cheaper buying a sewing machine, teaching myself how to use said machine and then making one. Only expensive part I see is the reflective materials. Any experienced folk out there want to tell me any secrets I am missing?
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It does seem that way but assembling your own would be equally mad as materials, tools and time would end up costing a lot more than even the expensive softboxes. If you're so inclined and you have the time you might get some satisfaction out of it but most of the expensive models are aimed at professionals that will easily justify the expense within a few hours and even under extreme conditions the softboxes should last a while.

Now if you want to talk madness let's get onto the cost of grids!
 
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I'm sure the sewing machine comment was meant tongue in cheek but you can make yourself a very effective scrim for not a lot of money, a few lengths of 2x2 and some tracing paper, whilst i am on the subject, does anyone know where to buy rolls of tracing paper ?
 
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Love the answers. Been a touch frustrated today looking over soft boxes. The seamstress in me would indeed make it a very expensive operation think enough cuttings and offshoots to make xxxxx patchwork quilts. Tongue in cheek it was but the clouds have blown over and I am off to window shop once more ( wishing I had put a max spend on my eBay this month). Thanks for,the response folks yet again this forum corrects my course.
 
Bassit said:
I'm sure the washing machine comment was meant tongue in cheek but you can make yourself a very effective scrim for not a lot of money, a few lengths of 2x2 and some tracing paper, whilst i am on the subject, does anyone know where to buy rolls of tracing paper ?
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Would have said woolworths but they are probably closed now. Would avoid wh smith like the plague so my suggestion is google :-S
 
Wouldn't eBay or Amazon be your first stops for something like tracing paper?

You do see the homemade stuff pop up from time to time, I recall seeing an advert for an Elinchrom softbox with a home made grid which looked better than the average Chinese product but perhaps not quite as nice as something from Lighttools (although it probably cost less than a bajillion pounds) and at some point I picked up a nice little silver/gold reflector made for or by someone called Graeme.
 
Bassit said:
I'm sure the sewing machine comment was meant tongue in cheek but you can make yourself a very effective scrim for not a lot of money, a few lengths of 2x2 and some tracing paper, whilst i am on the subject, does anyone know where to buy rolls of tracing paper ?
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Might be talking rubbish here but I thought white baking paper can be used for that as well (available from most supermarkets).
 
Personally I've never seen a decent (new) softbox on Ebay or Amazon. And second hand ones have usually yellowed by the time they find their way there.

Tracing paper? If you want diffusion material, get something that actually works
 
I think I paid 50 quid for a second hand Bessel 4ft octa. No brainer to me. I bought a cheap 40 cm softbox off amazon for 25 quid. No comparison.

Have a beauty dish and another couple of softboxes from Bessel. Bessel seems to be where my price/quality is most comfortable!
 
You don't need to be rude about my web search skills, you just need to pay attention to what is actually said.
I was talking about a good quality new softbox, you linked to a honeycomb:thinking:
 
Garry Edwards said:
Personally I've never seen a decent (new) softbox on Ebay or Amazon. And second hand ones have usually yellowed by the time they find their way there.
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I was recommending them for hobby and craft materials not softboxes although Amazon has a huge stock and plenty of shops list their stock there so they do carry a huge range of studio gear.
 
Just bought a profoto but got diddled on the speedlite mount 180 on eBay 150 on amazon. I wish I was as frugal as I pretend to be ;-)
 
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