Does the number of bulbs in a softbox matter?

Putting together some softboxes to do some product photography tests of the wife's crafts. While researching DIY options, I saw some commercial softboxes have 2 or 4 or more bulbs. What I didn't see was an explanation of why they used more bulbs?

Would 4 25w CFLs be equal to 2 45w CFL? or would does the 4 bulbs just give a better dispersion of the light in the box?

Is it safe to assume that the larger the box (say 24" x 36") would necessitate more bulbs than a smaller box?

Thanks in advance for helping out a studio lighting noob.

Bill W

Look at the lumens, not the wattage on the bulbs. That will tell you how much light you're getting. I would think that having more bulbs would reduce potential hotspot, but that'll come down to overall softbox design.

It gives you more power, but these types of bulbs are no where in the league of speedlights and can't hold their breathe with strobes.


Which isn't an issue for the stuff you want to do, since you can just put the camera on a tripod and use long exposures.

Right. My "subjects" are not moving. And I can use the lights for video if need be.

That's what I use mine for also.