What's the biggest modifier you can use with a speelight (off-camera)?

Tom Pinchenzo

Tom Pinchenzo

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My main uncertainties are around a) does the lack of power in a speedlight limit the size of the modifier? b) are there issues with attaching a large modifier to a speedlight? Are larger modifiers designed to be attached to standard strobes? Does anyone have any examples of large-ish softboxes that are designed for speedlights? I've done some googling and have some ideas but wondering what experience you all had. THANKS!
 
The limitations of speedlights in large modifiers are twofold:
1 softboxes etc are designed to spread the light from a bare bulb, the speedlight reflector is designed to be the opposite of a bare bulb. You can mitigate this somewhat by modifying the speedlight with a dome, bodging with other reflective materials to counter this.

2 the amount of power a speedlight outputs means that a larger modifier which eats more power becomes impractical, and exacerbates the natural hotspot.

none of that is insurmountable, but given a small bare bulb flash costs less than an own brand speedlight, you have to question whether it’s worth persevering.

If you’ve got mains available a 300Ws studio flash is less than £100.
If you need to work outside a bare bulb 200Ws flash is about twice that (prices might be slightly out of date - but I could equip an entire studio for the cost of Canon’s latest speedlight)
 
The amount of light that will get to your subject is affected by...
  • The output of the flash gun
  • The distance from the flash gun to the back of the material.
  • How much light will get through the material.
  • The distance from the front of the material to the subject.
The first you should already know, the second might be available in the vendor's literature and the third is under your control.

However, the power available from most camera fitting flashguns is too low to work with any but the most efficient softening devices. A studio type flash will give much more output and make the whole thing a great deal easier. Personally, I would stick to umbrellas for hand held flash guns, the variables are much easier to understand and control.

For more information, you could start here: https://petapixel.com/2021/07/03/the-ultimate-guide-to-softboxes-the-anatomy-of-light-shaping-tools/
 
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As a sideways look at the question, those ‘umbrella box’ things, where you mount the flash close to the brolly shaft through a hole in a front diffuser, if you zoom the flash to its extreme wide angle, create an OK largish light source.
You can see the flashgun in the catchlight, but other than that, despite the fact they’re single diffused, they’re very usable at a pinch.

In fact, as they’re quite inexpensive, they’re a decent option for weddings and events, if they fall, they take most of the force and you don’t mind em bending at that price.
 
And I always use those Godox S type brackets that clamp the flashgun, they enable me to use brollies, softboxes and snoots with speedlights, or with the AD200.
 
As Phil says, in all three posts :cool:

If you already have a decent speedlight and simply want to extend its usefulness at minimal cost for a bit of home portraiture, then go ahead. You'll be okay for solo portraits and couples indoors as they generally don't need much power. But for larger groups you'll struggle without pushing ISO, and outdoors in daylight it may be a non-starter (pushing ISO is no help there).

On the other hand, a pretty decent mains-powered studio head can be had for modest money these days. It'll give you a bare-bulb light with plenty of power, fast recycle times, and a modelling lamp - all great assets.

And I'm a big fan of those umbrellabox type softboxes Phil mentioned and use them all the time now for people pictures. The reverse-firing design is good at spreading the light around (even with speedlights) and they're so cheap, lightweight, fast and easy to use (y)

 
Mount your modifier to your speedlite and face it toward the wall and just a about 2 feet away. With for TTL and take a photo of the light from the flash on the wall. Is the light on the wall in your photo the same shape and proportion as your modifier? If it is, the speedlite is filling your modifier. If not, well you know the answer.

Charley
 
CharleyL said:
Mount your modifier to your speedlite and face it toward the wall and just a about 2 feet away. With for TTL and take a photo of the light from the flash on the wall. Is the light on the wall in your photo the same shape and proportion as your modifier? If it is, the speedlite is filling your modifier. If not, well you know the answer.

Charley
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That’s illogical, it would work for a brolly, but a softbox requires the light to primarily bounce off the sides of the softbox and reflect out through the front.

a snoot or std reflector, or barn doors likewise are designed for a bare bulb, not to deal with the already focussed beam of a speedlight.
 
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CharleyL said:
Mount your modifier to your speedlite and face it toward the wall and just a about 2 feet away. With for TTL and take a photo of the light from the flash on the wall. Is the light on the wall in your photo the same shape and proportion as your modifier? If it is, the speedlite is filling your modifier. If not, well you know the answer.

Charley
Click to expand...


??? sadly don't do this. You'll never do so even assuming that a TTL preflash is close to the same power output as you need, you need to consider
It’s remarkably difficult to notice the preflash when using E-TTL, because it fires so quickly… so even if you look for it, you might have trouble seeing it.
Click to expand...
 
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