Speed Light 580EX II and Westcott Softbox

Hi folks,
I would like to try my hand at OCF and am planning to buy a softbox. I've been reading the forums and see that the Westcott Apollo is pretty popular. I'm thinking of buying this model here -> Westcott Apollo. I already have a Speedlite 580EX II and a cable from FlashZebra Canon 24ft. ETTL Cord.

My concern is that the Westcott softbox comes with a shoe mount umbrella bracket but the cable from FlashZebra has a 1/4-20 thread on the bottom. Will I still be able to use the Westcott with the FlashZebra cable? When they say shoe mount umbrella bracket, what exactly mounts onto the shoe...? The softbox or the flash? And if I have to screw the FlashZebra cable to a 1/4-20 post and mount the flash on that, how do I mount the softbox. I want to make sure I buy the right stuff.

Thanks in advance for assistance on this.

No experience with wescott softbox but I just got a qbox 24 from cheetah and I think is a good product.
I think you might take a look here jjust to have another option.
http://www.cheetahstan​d.com …e-Cheetah-QBox/Categories

Do you have a swivel bracket to connect your stand to your flash? If so you are set. If not you are going to need one. Look at the swivel brackets from flash zebra. The westcott softboxes mount exactly like an umbrella.

borism wrote in post #10247977
No experience with wescott softbox but I just got a qbox 24 from cheetah and I think is a good product.
I think you might take a look here jjust to have another option.
http://www.cheetahstan​d.com …e-Cheetah-QBox/Categories

I'll check it out. Thank you.

gonzogolf wrote in post #10247987
Do you have a swivel bracket to connect your stand to your flash? If so you are set. If not you are going to need one. Look at the swivel brackets from flash zebra. The westcott softboxes mount exactly like an umbrella.

No. I don't have a swivel bracket... but that is what I needed to know. Thank you.

WoW,

There is just so so much stuff out there -

An aside: [I just came off another Thread where I saw a Westcott stand/brolley/clamp combo for $69.95 being sold via B&H that I am interested in too!]

My thoughts on this suggested option for the 580exII, would be to go for the Paul C Buff PLM (Parabolic Light Modifier) at roughly the same prices.
I think the overall shape, build and design looks more stable.
Anyway, its something that I am really leaning towards instead of acquiring a super-sized Softbox. Take a look and see what you think:

Link to a review: http://www.studiolight​ing.net/paul-buff-plm-review/

Link to Paul C Buff: http://www.alienbees.c​om/plm.html

I recognise that it is very much horses-for-courses - just another option to consider!

Does anybody know the size of the Westcott Apollo 28" when it's collapsed?

Cham_001 wrote in post #10254691
WoW,

There is just so so much stuff out there -

An aside: [I just came off another Thread where I saw a Westcott stand/brolley/clamp combo for $69.95 being sold via B&H that I am interested in too!]

My thoughts on this suggested option for the 580exII, would be to go for the Paul C Buff PLM (Parabolic Light Modifier) at roughly the same prices.
I think the overall shape, build and design looks more stable.
Anyway, its something that I am really leaning towards instead of acquiring a super-sized Softbox. Take a look and see what you think:

Link to a review: http://www.studiolight​ing.net/paul-buff-plm-review/

Link to Paul C Buff: http://www.alienbees.c​om/plm.html

I recognise that it is very much horses-for-courses - just another option to consider!

I've been waiting 6 weeks now on plm's to be in stock, so while its an option its not going to happen quickly.

tangokat wrote in post #10255133
Does anybody know the size of the Westcott Apollo 28" when it's collapsed?

Its pretty compact, maybe 36 inches tops. I can measure later this morning if its critical.

gonzogolf wrote in post #10255190
Its pretty compact, maybe 36 inches tops. I can measure later this morning if its critical.

Thanks that would be great. I want to see if it fits my suitcase for travel if I were to buy it.

gonzogolf wrote in post #10255180
I've been waiting 6 weeks now on plm's to be in stock, so while its an option its not going to happen quickly.

Amigo - thanks for letting me know, I have got my heart set on this one!

Do yourself a favor and go with something other than the apollos. They are a pain to work with. Putting the whole thing together and then making changes to the flash once its all setup arent as easy as they are with other solutions. The Qbox seems to be a better solution but I cant speak to that from experience.

ben_r_ wrote in post #10256310
Do yourself a favor and go with something other than the apollos. They are a pain to work with. Putting the whole thing together and then making changes to the flash once its all setup arent as easy as they are with other solutions. The Qbox seems to be a better solution but I cant speak to that from experience.

I ordered the QBox 24 yesterday. It should be here tomorrow. I had some questions so I called and left them a VM. The guy called me back that day and spent a good amount of time on the phone with me telling me some tips, tricks and how to get the most out of it.

Don't know about the performance of the Qbox yet but their customer service is outstanding. I got all kinds of great ideas to try once it gets here.

I'll post some samples as soon as I can.

Awesome! Please do!