580EX II softbox

hi

i have just bought a 580EX II and want a softbox for it, will the speedlite have any problems filling a 80cm softbox? or do i need a smaller size?

thanks
nick

It will fill a 80cm

Manual Zoom and 14 degree panel down to ensure complete coverage.

thanks for the quick response

what's the best or maybe not best but "good quality" softbox out there for speedlite?
i saw lastolite ezybox for $216+ but dont know if there are some more out there cheaper than this and can be good enough for use...

westcott is good, but the flash goes inside so it depends how you are going to trigger it. If with the STE-2, that is not a good solution. And every time you want to change the flash power if used with a PW, you have to rip open the velcro and stick your hand inside to get to the flash.

With the Lastolite, the flash goes through a speedring and is always accessible to both line of sight firing and ease of adjustment.

I have both, the Westcott and the Lastolite. I love the Lastolite, both the 24 and 15 inchers.

mark

MDJAK wrote in post #9782100
westcott is good, but the flash goes inside so it depends how you are going to trigger it. If with the STE-2, that is not a good solution. And every time you want to change the flash power if used with a PW, you have to rip open the velcro and stick your hand inside to get to the flash.

With the Lastolite, the flash goes through a speedring and is always accessible to both line of sight firing and ease of adjustment.

I have both, the Westcott and the Lastolite. I love the Lastolite, both the 24 and 15 inchers.

mark

thanks Mark... that help me a lot. that was my first option, to get the lastolite. i was just looking around if there are other shooters here that use other brands aside from those 2.

And the Westcott has umbrella splines inside and opens like an umbrella. The lastolite sort of pops open like their reflectors. Their quality is very high; thus the higher price. The also pack down into small round bags. Very easy to set up, take down and use.

MDJAK wrote in post #9782160
And the Westcott has umbrella splines inside and opens like an umbrella. The lastolite sort of pops open like their reflectors. Their quality is very high; thus the higher price. The also pack down into small round bags. Very easy to set up, take down and use.

is it worth of buying it though? i mean. i'm using umbrella right now and i dont know what's the difference if i use softbox instead of shoot thru umbrella...

Cheetah 24" softbox w/grid for $99.95 Works great!

Cheetah Qbox! Great product with great efficiency! No need to pull down the 14mm diffuser, because the box has an internal diffuser panel to spread the light out evenly. Also comes with the grid!

Dave

Just got the Photoflex Q39 Medium. Easy to set up, and take down. Love the quality of light. I use mine with not only my 580EX, but my 430 EX and my Vivitar 285's. I was shooting self portraits, at about 5 feet, @ f/11 with the 285, yesterday. The medium has a internal baffle, like the Cheetah, to further diffuse the light. I like the fact that the Speedlight is accessible and easily adjustable. The Vivitar's are more difficult to adjust. Good value for the money. I'm off to B&H to order another. I need one for my fill light.

jj fad wrote in post #9782253
is it worth of buying it though? i mean. i'm using umbrella right now and i dont know what's the difference if i use softbox instead of shoot thru umbrella...

Shoot through umbrella:
cheap
ultra portable
very quick setup
lots of spill/light spread

Softbox:
More directional/less spill
More even lighitng
Nice catchlights (no umbrella ribs)
Possible to add a grid for even more control

I have this one. Pretty well-built. http://alzodigital.com …_speedlight_sof​tboxes.htm

I'm using a few of these ones.
http://cgi.ebay.com …&ssPageName=STR​K:MEWNX:IT

they have just one diffuser, but so far no complaint about them. And at that price, I can afford to carry a spare. The bracket by itself could even be useful to build a beauty dish later on.