Strip softboxes

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simonbarker

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Is there any reason to buy a strip softbox when you can just use masks to cover up one with another shape?

Thinking of buying some fabric for this purpose, any suggestions on material and thickness would be welcome.
 
Yes, there is a good reason to have a strip softbox. If you reduce the width of a larger softbox, you lose an enormous amount of light - basically if you mask off 2/3rds of the softbox then 2/3rds of the light hits a black absorbent surface and just disappears. That doesn't matter if you're using very powerful flashes, it does if you're not.

If you're going to mask a larger softbox, the correct material for this is Cinefoil. Other brands are sold under the generic name of blackwrap.
 
I've used foamboard and cinefoil to mask off softboxes. You don't lose a huge amount of light if the light-side is white or silver/kitchenfoil.

But to make a decent size strip from a softbox, you need a huge softbox to start with and you end up with a great big unwieldy thing that sometimes can't be positioned accurately and gets in the way.

Bessel strips are cheap.
 
While there's a thread about strip softboxes;), i am sure i read somewhere that you cant really use a strip softbox with a speedlight as they don't light them evenly, is this correct?
 
Bassit said:
While there's a thread about strip softboxes;), i am sure i read somewhere that you cant really use a strip softbox with a speedlight as they don't light them evenly, is this correct?
Click to expand...

It makes it more difficult. Two speedlites angled slightly towards each end would be cool.
 
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