Speedlite Softboxes

futureal33

futureal33

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,390
Name
Nick
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

I am just wondering how people find the quality of light from a speedlite inside a softbox. I have an el cheapo £30 eBay special 60x60cm softbox with a single internal diffuser which takes a speedlite in the back of it. I struggle to get this light to look "soft", although it is better than a bare flash.

In comparison, I have a 400w portable studio light and a huge softbox with dual diffusers inside... the light from this is very soft.

Just wondering if better speedlite softboxes are better at producing soft light than the eBay cheap ones. Im looking at things like the Lastolite Exybox - which although smaller than my current 60x60cm, do have 2 internal baffles and reviews suggest they product very soft light.

I am looking to light up 2 people at a time - either full body or half body type shots, with the light as close as I can get it
 
Speedlights have a very concentrated beam of light designed primarily for a long throw.

You can get over this to some extent by changing the angle setting to a wider beam (not all offer this).

So.. however big your softboix is, you wont be illuminating the whole front evenly, whereas a studio head (and certain bare bulb units such as the Lencarta Atom and the Quantum T5) are design to throw light everywhere, and for that light to be controlled by the modifier.
 
I did some experiments with speedlites vs studio heads and softboxes in response to another thread a couple of months ago. The key finding was that a double diffuser makes more difference to even light distribution than anything else, with both speedlites and studio heads. That's the obvious fix, and makes sense if you think about it.

I also got reasonable results with a single diffuser using a speedlite with the wide-panel in place. Using a Stofen diffuser cap as is often suggested wasn't that good, but if you're prepared to experiment a little with that, sticking little patches of kitchen foil inside or cutting/drilling holes around the sides/front, that kind of thing, then you can get good results.

Softness of the light depends on the size of the light source, but remember that effective size is relative to distance. Relative size follows the inverse square law, so moving a softbox back to double the distance means the effective light area is reduced to one quarter. Basically, with a smaller softbox you have to move it pretty close to get soft shadows.
 
Last edited:
It will be different & you may also 'lose' a stop (just guessing at this) which may then mean that the shot is no longer viable with a speedlight.

Speedlites are NOT replacement travel studio lights - you may be better off with a Lencarta Safari if this is a large part of your photography...
 
This is the photo from a wedding yesterday that got me thinking. My 60x60cm softbox was as close as I could get it.

To me, this doesn't look like "soft" softbox lighting - which is why I was wondering if its down to the fact im using a single diffused SB.

Technical details

Flash set to 24mm
ETTL + 2
Flash poked just inside softbox
 
futureal33 said:
This is the photo from a wedding yesterday that got me thinking. My 60x60cm softbox was as close as I could get it.

To me, this doesn't look like "soft" softbox lighting - which is why I was wondering if its down to the fact im using a single diffused SB.

Technical details

Flash set to 24mm
ETTL + 2
Flash poked just inside softbox
Click to expand...

That's purely down to distance. Fiddling with the softbox would do diddly there, you've got to make it much bigger/closer. And outdoors light usually looks harder as there's zero light bouncing back from ceiling/walls to fill-in.

Looks okay though, with the light at a decent height. Easy and practical answer there is probably a small dash of on-axis fill flash. Even the pop-up is good for that :)
 
Do you think that might have looked softer / more even if Id used the softbox from a more direct position - either directly over my camera, or at less of an angle? Im not a huge fan of the right side of his face being in shadow. Obviously a softbox either side is the obvious answer, but ideally looking for how I could have improved on that with just 1 light source
 
No it's as simple as Richard put it, to make it softer, it needs to be much bigger. Or you can slightly soften the shadows with another light from the front.

What I'd have done? Got the B&G to the r/h 1/3rd and then you could have got the light closer. But I'd be looking for a Safari and an octobox. (I just did) but I'll still be trying to get it as close as possible.

From that, I'd remove the light and shoot another frame to the right to re centralise the B&G and another one to the left so that I could use it as a large panoramic for the album cover.

One shot of the B&G 3 different compositions.
 
Last edited:
futureal33 said:
Do you think that might have looked softer / more even if Id used the softbox from a more direct position - either directly over my camera, or at less of an angle? Im not a huge fan of the right side of his face being in shadow. Obviously a softbox either side is the obvious answer, but ideally looking for how I could have improved on that with just 1 light source
Click to expand...

Yes, ideally have the light a bit more central. Personal pref, but I wouldn't have it dead centre for sure, I like the shadows there, suits the sunset time of day, and wouldn't want to kill them. I'm not sure about a softbox on the other side either, though obviously that's out anyway. Maybe a big reflector if you have an assistant, and take care to get the angles right (not always easy without a modelling light to guide you).

You perhaps need to do some experiments, suggest outside for the reason mentioned above. Try the speedlite/softbox from 0.5m, 1m, 2m and 4m and that will give you a good fix on what distance does. Then add some on-axis fill, start low and dial it up gradually. It must not dominate, though the exact balance is personal pref.

Edit: forgot to say, another way of changing the shadows without moving the light - just position the B&G facing more towards the light, then get them to angle their heads a little towards the camera. Chimp and check, adjust pose accordingly - might be all you need.

With harder light, accurate positioning is critical for shadows and very small changes can make a big difference.
 
Last edited:
Cheers guys. Heat of the moment thing I guess :) I still absolutely love the photo, just was expecting the light to be a little softer.. but appreciate that distance is probably the kliller here.

Thinking about it, I was remotely firing a 600ex from another (on-axis) 600ex with it's flash disabled... so I could have used the on-axis one for fill... but didn't think of it at the time. That might have combated some of the RHS shadows.

I guess another approach would have been to do a composite... one with flash in-shot as close as possible and then another shot without flash, to mask the sky in/out. As always, hindsight! Ps this was taken while the B&G's food was literally on the table going cold, I just couldn't resist getting them outside for this photo, so time really was of the essence!
 
Just food for further thought, I've just finished the Hotshoe diaries, warming the light might add to the mood.

And for where you're mixing urban lighting with flash and the sky, a fluorescent gel for the flash exaggerates the magentas in the sky.
 
futureal33 said:
Cheers guys. Heat of the moment thing I guess :) I still absolutely love the photo, just was expecting the light to be a little softer.. but appreciate that distance is probably the kliller here.

Thinking about it, I was remotely firing a 600ex from another (on-axis) 600ex with it's flash disabled... so I could have used the on-axis one for fill... but didn't think of it at the time. That might have combated some of the RHS shadows.
Click to expand...

Yes (y)

I guess another approach would have been to do a composite... one with flash in-shot as close as possible and then another shot without flash, to mask the sky in/out. As always, hindsight! Ps this was taken while the B&G's food was literally on the table going cold, I just couldn't resist getting them outside for this photo, so time really was of the essence!
Click to expand...

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but you can also over-analyse. IMHO, the technical priority there is getting decent light on the subject and the flash/ambient balance right, and you've nailed those two things. Then concentrate on the couple and the right pose/expression/moment.

With situations like this, outdoors with serious limitations and little time, compromise is the name of the game. The trick is to hit the best compromise straight off and then make the most of the subject. The couple will be thrilled with that I'm sure, and would not thank you for a technically slightly better shot where they don't look their best. I'm no wedding photographer but I guess this is all down to experience. A seasoned pro will know all the options - what's possible, what's not, and what looks best. They've done it a hundred times, quite possibly in that exact same spot before, so the technical stuff is a given and they can get on with the important stuff.

Sorry to teach you to suck eggs ;)

PS re Phil's post, I've just been using the selective/local adjustment feature in Lightroom, new to LR5 I think. Well impressed :) So easy to adjust brightness and colour locally eg lighten darker faces at the back of a group, maybe tweak colour of the bride's dress etc. Or apply local noise reduction, sharpening, whatever. A Godsend for wedding shooters I would have thought.
 
Last edited:
Continuing on from this thread yesterday, has anyone here used the Jo McNally 54cm Ezybox? Specs look good, a few videos out there about it, and very positive reviews. Its over £100 though which is the downside, for less than half that money you could get something similar on eBay - Im just trying to determine if its worth it.
 
I can't comment on that particular one, but what you should be looking for is:
2 diffusers
A deep lip at the front (cheap ones have no lip and therefore are crap for feathering light)
Easy to set up

Nice to have would be the ability to change the speed ring to fit a studio light later, esp if you're spending a lot.
 
futureal33 said:
Do you think a double internally diffused softbox would help to spread the light more?
Click to expand...

Yes it does, but I still found hot spots. If you add a stofen to the flash and use a softbox with two diffusers you can just about get rid of softspots.

The down side of this is that you lose maybe 2/3's of a stop from the stofen and a stop and a half or more with the softbox diffusers. That's maybe 3 stops of light gone and a Speedlite doesn't have all that much power to begin with. However, if you shoot fairly open and keep your softbox close to your subject it is a workable solution to some styles.
 
futureal33 said:
Continuing on from this thread yesterday, has anyone here used the Jo McNally 54cm Ezybox? Specs look good, a few videos out there about it, and very positive reviews. Its over £100 though which is the downside, for less than half that money you could get something similar on eBay - Im just trying to determine if its worth it.
Click to expand...

Can't say about that but I has a westcott Apollo umbrella soft box after recommendations on this forum. I find this works very well, with the speed lite firing backwards into the brolly part. But it is a soft, diffused light source so distance is the key.
 
I also use a Westcott style one, it only needs a single diffuser, but getting it to tilt far enough is a royal PITA.
 
futureal33 said:
Continuing on from this thread yesterday, has anyone here used the Jo McNally 54cm Ezybox? Specs look good, a few videos out there about it, and very positive reviews. Its over £100 though which is the downside, for less than half that money you could get something similar on eBay - Im just trying to determine if its worth it.
Click to expand...

I love it... inner and outer diffusers, and the selling feature, the white interior does actually make a difference (as opposed to the traditional silver)... it is a creamier light... and you can add grids to it as well (the Ezybox hotshoe 54x54 fabric grids). But then I'm biased... :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top