36" Octa vs. 47" Octa in tight studio space ?

I currently have both the 36" & 47", but I did not open/assemble the 47" yet. I only opened/assembled the 36".

In my studio space (12ft x 12ft), the 36" is actually a little bigger then I thought it would be... so I fear the 47 will be huuuge, lol.

Having said that, I would like to keep the 47" but I'm not sure if there's any real world lighting advantage in my studio space over the 36".

With the space I have, I'm limited to 3/4 shots at most right now.

Any thoughts? What would you do? Keep both or return the 47" ?

My studio space isn't much bigger than yours, and I've managed to use some pretty huge modifiers. I regularly use the 60" Photoflex octa, and I even use the 74" Elinchrom octabank in there (if you want to talk about huge!). If you were only doing headshots, you could probably get away with just keeping the 36", but if you're doing 3/4 shots, I'd say keep the 47" and try it out.

My space is about 13x20 but I only have 7' ceilings. That means only shooting kids or adults (families) sitting, which is fine for me. My two most used modifiers are my 47" octa and my 64" PLM. I also have a 43" convertible umbrella and a 22" beauty dish but those don't see much use.

When you first start working with mid sized modifiers that seem absolutely enormous. That wears off after a while.

As others have posted, you can easily work with huge modifiers in small spaces and still benefit from the size and quality of light without the size of the space being a problem.

I use a 69" Octa and a 54" x 72' Softbox in my studio, which is only 14' x 17' x 8'.

You need to work with the light source before you can make any determinations and seriously, these are things that you should be able to figure out without asking these questions every time you make a move.

Please don't take that the wrong way but most of us have formed very definite opinions about lightboxes and modifiers based on our own personal experiences. Most of us have also gone through the process of buying a modifier that we thought was so perfect for our space or for the work we do, only to realize that it wasn't a great choice.

This is also why I tried to stress to you that you should start building a modifier collection slowly and carefully so can make those determinations about what really works for you. We can sit here all day telling you about the modifiers we love to use and it really means nothing. It has to be you that makes the call and the only way to do that is by lighting everything and everyone you can and making observations and doing experiments.

We always talk about SEEing the light and this is a big part of it. You need to SEE how these modifiers perform and do the things you expect to be shooting.

m.shalaby wrote in post #12351830
Any thoughts?

you are way too indecisive

m.shalaby wrote in post #12351830
What would you do?

i would stop conducting polls and start to research what i need for my space and shooting style, nobody can tell me what i need

m.shalaby wrote in post #12351830
Keep both or return the 47" ?

i would keep both and use both, it will serve well to learn what each one does, and if i found i didn't use the 36"

i would sell it and the loss would be the value of the lesson, that's how i learned

ok, guys. thanks for the input

perhaps my next thread will be a 47" Octa vs. 60" PLM ??

m.shalaby wrote in post #12352979
perhaps my next thread will be a 47" Octa vs. 60" PLM ??

Both.

m.shalaby wrote in post #12352979
perhaps my next thread will be a 47" Octa vs. 60" PLM ??

Have you received the Bowens 40x32 softbox yet?
You have a lot of modifiers for only one flash unit

^ Yes, I have the Bowens box and the two octa's. Correction though, I do have a dual 430EXII setup now.

I'm playing around in my home studio with all of these and starting to get the hang of each one's impact on lighting.

I like the Bowens box the best in terms of breakdown/set-up. Its a breeze.

The Octa's are very tough to keep setting up/break down so I just leave them set up.

So which double bracket are you currently using? I'm anxious to see your bowens setup, I'm on the edge of ordering something like that myself.

I don't use a dual bracket. A single 430EXII fills the 47" octa box just fine.

MInd you I don't shoot in direct sunlight. I'm either in the shade/cloudy day, or inside studio.

I use a single 430exII for whatever modifier I'm using.

Right now I"m in the testing stages of all of these, and so far I love them all.

The Bowens box is by far the easiest to break down. The Octa's are a PITA and I just leave them assembled.

I turn my apartment living room into a studio for portraits, it has a 7 ceiling and all my furniture and I use a 74" Elinchrom Octabank a lot and I don't think the working area is as large as yours. I also use a boom with a beauty dish hanging from above a lot for both portraits and table top photography. I don't have a problem with it at all, but you do have to get used to how it works best for you.

I also shot a portrait of a man in his dining room using the 69" Octabox and a 39" Deep Octa for the hair light. We had to move the table over and some of the chairs but it worked great.

One of the things I do is work the diagonal of the room, I put the backdrop across a corner and then I can back up into the other corner and have room for my key light off to the side toward one of the corners if I need it. Actually I work the room for the placement of the key light when I'm using the big Octabank and then make everything work to it. Another thing is I do lots of headshot portraits and I have them sit, this allows me to get the lights above them where with a 7' ceiling I would imagine it's difficult to do with people who are standing.

Especially when you are getting used to the lights, larger modifiers are much more forgiving and easy to work with, both of what you have will be excellent- have fun.

You can always make a bigger light source smaller, but you can't make a smaller one bigger. If it came down to keeping one or the other, I'd keep the 47"