Do the overexposed findings make you cringe when you use your flash?
Have you ever taken a picture outside only to discover that your main focus is in the shadows or underexposed despite the sun?
At a low cost, diffusing the light with a Speedlight softbox will solve both of those issues.
A softbox for Speedlight helps you to take good pictures because photography is all about lighting. A softbox, as the name suggests, is a box made of soft material that can be folded easily and transported easily. It’s used to diffuse light from an artificial source, making it more uniformly distributed.
Buying Guides For The Best Softbox For Speedlight in 2023
Here are the guidelines we used to choose the Speedlight softboxes for our buying guide. Please keep in mind that these softboxes can come in a variety of kits and multipacks in addition to shipping alone in some cases, and the attachment ring may be sold separately if it is not universal.
The best speedlight softbox can be classified in a variety of ways, including mounting process, scale, and design. Since size matters, we include the softbbox’s exact measurements. Size is a personal preference, and depending on your needs and applications, bigger might not be better.
You’ll want to know if this softbox needs a stand or can be used directly with your Speedlight. Because of its ring mount system, a softbox may often handle several speed lights. Softboxes are ranked for durability in a subjective manner. The more durable a softbox is, the more likely it is to withstand wind outside or daily active use.
Features for the Best Softbox For Speedlight in 2023
Size:
In general, the softbox should be the same size as your topic. An 18 to 24-inch box will suffice for portraits and headshots, and you’d want to double the higher end of that for full-body shots. One or two rectangular softboxes 24 by 24 inches and a 20 by 27 inch should suffice in most cases, especially for beginners or hobbyists.
In terms of buying, two-box softbox lighting kits cover the majority of scenarios. Make sure the kits you buy have decent rotational stands and high-wattage bulbs.
Material:
Ensure that the lightbox is made of high-quality materials to ensure that it lasts for several years. In reality, the quality of your shots is determined by the quality of the unit. As a result, choose a softbox that will not quickly crease.
The uniform delivery of light is ensured by a portable speedlight softbox with a black nylon cover and a reflective PVC interior. For those that are unaware, most units have a white or silver interior finish. Silver inner-lined choices aid in the projection of bright light with rich contrast. If you need to keep your colors neutral during a shoot, however, go with a subtle white lining.
Inner Color:
Most softboxes have a silver or white paint job on the inside. The white lining allows for subtle lighting and is a great option for indoor shoots that require a neutral look. Silver, on the other hand, creates vivid, contrast-rich lighting. Both have their own uses and aesthetic appeal, so it’s important to consider the needs of the shoot before making a decision.
Angle:
The angle of your light has an impact on the appearance of your picture. When shooting portraits, make sure the softbox is pointed in the best direction for your subject. This is where the most concentrated amount of light will be produced. If you place the best portable softbox for speedlight above your subject, it will cast a shadow over their eyes, under their nose, and under their chin. Finding the best perspective is crucial to the final outcome of the photograph.
Diffusion:
All of our softboxes come with two layers of diffusion, which are designed to provide very even illumination across the softbox’s entire surface. The diffusers assist in converting your flash’s harsh point light source into a larger, softer light source that creates a more even and diffused quality of light that is more flattering to your subject.
Specular highlights and deep shadows are often reduced by Diffusion. The photography softboxes are widely used in portrait and commercial photography because they mimic the light from a north-facing window, which was commonly used in the early days of photography to achieve the best lighting.
Portability:
If you’re in the business or a hobbyist, being able to pick up and shift your gear adds to the experience. This does not apply to you if you have a studio. However, having portable appliances makes it much simpler for the majority of people. If this is important to you, many softbox lighting kits come with carrying cases or, at the very least, have a design that makes them easy to transport.
Shape:
Your softbox with speedlight can be made in a range of shapes. Rectangular or square is the most common, but octagonal shapes are also popular. The shapes decide how the light is cast, despite the fact that there isn’t much of a difference. A rectangular light casts a long shadow, while a square casts a more even light.
While an octagonal kit is better for close-up human subjects, a simple kit with two rectangles or one square and rectangle will suffice for the majority of employment. The higher reflectivity of a silver interior lining can appear specular and with greater contrast, while a white interior lining holds the light neutral and softer.
Honeycomb Grids:
Honeycomb Grids (also known as Egg-Crates) are used to control the spread of light and prevent it from spilling into places where you don’t want it, such as the background when shooting a low-key shot. At PIXAPRO, we use centimeters to scale our Honeycomb grids. The more compact the grid, the more limited the light distribution would be.
As compared to a softbox without a honeycomb grid, there is a small lack of light with honeycomb grids. Since the distribution of light is restricted, there is also a slight loss of softness. Both problems can be resolved by bringing your small softbox for speedlight closer to your subject if possible; this will compensate for the light loss and increase the apparent size of your light, resulting in a softer light.
When backlighting or rim-lighting your subject, honeycomb grids are particularly useful for reducing the risk of lens flare.
Quality of Light and Stand:
Make sure your light source is steady, particularly if you’re shooting video, but the quality of the light is even more important. Its brightness and ability to diffuse through the desired region are crucial.
Furthermore, it is not just about the light or the diffuser; the stand on which they are placed is equally essential. You want sturdy stands that won’t wobble or break down over time. With adjustable heights ranging from 27 to 80 inches, a firm rotation is over 200 degrees.
Uses of Softbox For Speedlight:
For Fashion Photos:
Fashion generally means working in a controlled environment, such as a studio or an outdoor area with a perimeter. You’re more likely to photograph your subject from all sides, such as all sides of an outfit. Diffusion can cover a larger region.
You may be looking at a mix of several portable speedlight softbox in this situation. Larger ones are angled away from the subject to highlight the clothing’s otherwise shadowed sides. Smaller ones have primary light to fill in the information in front of the model.
For Weddings:
This gets a little more complicated, but let’s start by saying that everything we said about fashion usage applies here, plus a little more. Weddings must also be imaginative because you may want to emphasize just one side of a couple or the bride and groom. You may also want to add just enough light to provide small details, such as their facial expressions, while the sun sets in the background and outlines their bodies.
If you can get close to your subject without interfering with the moment, a mini softbox mounted on your on-camera flash can help. It also allows you to bounce the light to fill in corners.
For Close-up Photoshoot:
You can use the same set-up for close-ups of food or interior design as you would in a wedding setting with a mini or dome softbox mounted on your on-camera Speedlite. Depending on your Speedlight angle, having something you can focus on or bounce can bring out details of part of your subject into artistic shadow.
For a full-room shot, pair this with a large octagon softbox, or use a mid-sized model to illustrate a table setting while placing the food on show. If you’re photographing items, you’ll need enough light to catch the logo without looking harsh, which is normally in the mid-sized range.
For Nature Photography:
Though we do stage some nature shots, the majority of our photography in this category is done on the fly. We can’t tell the hummingbird to stay put while we adjust our softbox, so we adjust ourselves while holding the camera to make the most of what we have. Softboxes for your on-camera Speedlight, either attached to the hot shoe or on the flash bracket, are therefore important.
However, don’t forget the importance of having at least one larger softbox in your arsenal. If you have a larger setting, such as a flower bed, and you know it will attract hummingbirds, the softbox with speedlight can be set up to provide fill light to supplement whatever your current conditions are.
Available Price:
You can not always get it right with softboxes; photography equipment is always a matter of trial and error. As a result, rather than splurging on the most expensive model, newcomers can check out a mid-range model to see if it suits their needs. Since most photographers use a combination of softboxes, it’s more cost-effective to allocate funds accordingly.
FAQs on the Best Softbox For Speedlight in 2023
What is the purpose of a softbox flash diffuser?
A softbox flash diffuser is a box that diffuses harsh light from shoe mount flashes or other photographic lights. Softboxes, often known as light modifiers, soften the light source and provide more natural light while removing the majority of harsh shadows from your image.
What is the difference between a softbox and an umbrella?
Although both a softbox and an umbrella can be used to adjust the lighting of your pictures, the softbox softens and dampens the light source, while the umbrella reflects it.
With an umbrella, the subject will be facing the umbrella, and the flash will be directed at the umbrella. The flash will then be reflected by the umbrella and illuminate the subject.
What is the purpose of a softbox?
A softbox is one of the most important resources you'll need as a photographer to monitor the light in your photographs. The Best photography softboxes soften and diffuse bright light sources, allowing you to control the shape and direction of lighting in your photos. Since softboxes are generally square in shape, they create more natural lighting by mimicking the feel of light coming through a window.
What size softbox should I use for a close-up shot?
This will be determined by the sort of close-up photography you do. In general, the larger the room or topic in your photography, the larger the softbox would need to be. However, if you want to illuminate a small area with extreme lighting, a smaller softbox would suffice.
Obviously, the illumination would be smaller and more focused on the subject with a small softbox for speedlight. A larger softbox, on the other hand, can provide much softer lighting, but it will need a larger light to fill it.
What is the concept of a Speedlight?
A Speedlight, also known as a Speedlite, is a form of an on-camera flash that is an integral part of any photographer's kit. The Speedlight adds light, reduces camera shake, and produces crisp, transparent images. A Speedlight is also much more effective than your camera's built-in flash, allowing you to illuminate your subjects more rapidly, easily, and precisely.
Unlike the built-in flash, you can bounce the flash with a Speedlight by turning and angling it. When it comes to lighting your images, this will give you more power and precision. Furthermore, compared to a focused flash from your camera, it will provide you with a more normal, balanced light.
Which Softbox Works For You?
Video Transcript:
Hey everyone, it’s Rob from Hypop & welcomes back to another video. In this one, we’re in the studio today because we’re going to be comparing lighting modifiers and the different shapes that they’ll produce. So, for our comparison, we’ll be keeping the light in the same location which is 45 degrees pointing towards the subject. And also the model in the same location, so that way we can actually compare the different effects that the light produces. For our first lighting modifier, we’re using the Godox 80 x 120 cm softbox. It’s a rectangle softbox.
And it’s the one that you have to assemble. It offers a squarish catch light in the subject’s eyes and also has a clearer edge with the light drop off compared to round softboxes or octagon softboxes. Rectangle softboxes are ideal for lighting head to toe. Perfect for portrait shoots with a model or for e-commerce stores shooting with mannequins. The next lighting modifier that we’ll be looking at is the 360cm x 150cm diffuser sheet. We’ve doubled this up on a c-stand here, so we can actually mimic natural daylight because it offers a wider spread of light in a wider area. It’s perfect to be used in fashion photography and portrait photography because it offers a less obvious light drop-off and also reduces shadows. In this scenario, we’ve actually got the AD600Pro with a reflector behind the actual diffuser sheet so we can light up the entire studio space. The next lighting modifier we’re looking at is the Godox 120 cm octa box. This particular lighting modifier is round in shape.
So, that means it offers a round catchlight in your subject’s eyes. It’s also a collapsible softbox, so, it’s quick to set up and pack away. It’s perfect to use in portraiture photography and also fashion photography because it offers a nice pleasing wraparound effect on your subject. It also offers a wider spread of light, so that means there’s a little bit of a light drop-off onto the background. So, if you’re wanting to light the background, the octabox is perfect for you. The next one we’re looking at is a spectrum pro parabolic 120cm softbox. This particular softbox is a circle in shape. So, that means it offers a round catch light in your subject’s eyes. It’s also a collapsible softbox. So, it’s quick to set up and pack away. It’s perfect to be used in portrait photography and also video.
So, if you’re using this with a continuous light it’s ideal for that. This particular softbox is deeper in shape. So, that means it offers a more subtle light drop-off compared to a rectangle softbox. And it doesn’t light the background as much as an octabox. The next one is the Spectrum Pro Lantern 80cm softbox. This unique lantern-shaped softbox is not as directional as standard softboxes and offers a wider spread of light in a 180-degree plane. It offers a round catch light in your subject’s eyes. And it’s also collapsible, so that means it’s quick to set up and pack away.
It’s perfect to use in lighting multiple subjects. So, that means you can use this in an interview scenario even with video and continuous lighting. This next lighting modifier is quite unique and that’s the Jinbei 50cm softball diffuser. It’s made from a hard plastic diffused material. And it offers a round catch light in your subject’s eyes. The light dispersion is almost 360 degrees. So, it’s commonly used for baby photography and children’s photography. It has a less obvious light drop-off. So, it’s perfect for lighting an entire scene. The next lighting modifier we’re looking at is the 80cm Collapsible Beauty Dish softbox. It’s round in shape, so that means it offers a round catch light in your subject’s eyes. It’s also collapsible which means it’s quick to set up and pack away.
Since it’s not as deep as traditional softboxes, it offers a harsher direct light. This leads to stronger highlights and shadows to create a more dramatic effect. This last modifier we’re looking at is the Godox 43-inch diffuser umbrella. We’ve paired this up with a standard flash reflector with the Godox AD600Pro. It’s still the cheapest modifier that offers that round shape. So, that means a round catch light in your subject’s eyes. Due to it being an open modifier that means it’s going to be a lot of light spillage and it’s less directional. Not like a softbox.
It’s perfect for travel work because it’s lightweight, portable & compact. So, that was just our comparison of the different types of lighting modifiers. Special thanks to Daniel from Innkeeper Studios. Follow them on socials @innkeeperstudios. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more videos just like this. Drop a like on this video if it’s helped you in any way. Feel free to leave down in the comment section below your thoughts on lighting modifiers, or if you have any questions follow us on social media @hypop and visit our website hypop.com.au. Thanks for watching.
How do you set up a speedlight softbox?
Video Transcript:
Hey everyone Joe here well today I’d have a quick photo tip video for you and talk about setting up these Octagon umbrellas softboxes now this is not your normal set up video because I’m gonna go over some of the bracket options and what I think is probably the best way to set your speed lights up inside them so let’s get in here and get started okay everyone let’s first talk start talking about brackets now I have three different types of brackets here and they all can work inside these softboxes now each one has their pros and cons not this to go over that, okay the first bracket here is called its type bracket and this is one of the newer heavy-duty one plastic ones that are out on the market.
Now now the good thing about this one is the speed light can sit closer to the center of the softbox which gives you a much better spread the downside to it is that it’s big and you can only fit one speed light inside the softbox okay so I’m going to set this one over to the side let’s talk about the other two now these other two are the most common type here you have your single speed light bracket and here you have a tri bracket now there’s pros and cons of these as well first Pro to this one is well it’s smaller lighter and it’s also a little bit cheaper okay now the conduit to it is well it’s only one speed light to it and the way it sets the speed lock on top it can offset some of your uh light spread inside the softbox and I’ll explain that in just a moment the other type.
Here is a tribe bracket this is the bracket I normally use the most now I don’t use it too actually you say three-speed lights on it I only use two-speed lights the good thing is you can put one speed light on each side and gives you good even spread the downside to it is well it’s just cost a bit more but other than that I find it a great bracket now let me show you how to set these up on a light stand and we can show you how to set up your spear softbox while we’re at it okay everyone well here I have a 9 foot light stands a little generic one about 25 dollars you can find these on Amazon all day and these are actually really well such as softbox of bone.
Now I recommend a nine-foot stand not because of the heist because I seldom use it much higher it is right now the reason I recommend these is because they have a wider base to them which if you’re going to use in your softbox outside that means the wind is less likely to blow it over now let’s take our little bracket here a single one and will note the hole here in the center this is where your hole for your softbox will go through all right now right here I have the newer 32-inch speed light softbox now as you can see this is quite large now there are two ways to you can open these up now what this is because the pole if you notice on the inside is shorter.
Then say a regular umbrella now let’s say there are two ways one you can grab the front here and grab the inside part and push to open it up or you can just grab the part in the center and do what I do and just press it onto the floor like so and when you’ve done you didn’t have your softbox already opened up now on these South boxes there normally is a zipper part at the bottom that you open up all the way to help slide your softbox over your pole and you simply just open it up and fix it about Center ways once we’ve done that we can now take our speed light and set it up on it okay if we grab our speed light set it up on there and you can bend it down now I mentioned a while ago these don’t give it even spread that’s because the light is hitting here.
And it’s bouncing down here now what when you actually test this out what you get is an area that appears on top that gets very little to no light where all your light is shifted down this way this is why I don’t use these brackets that much so let me get the other bracket out I’ll show you how to set speed light Savonia okay everyone well I now have my other bracket set up and you’ll notice that the actual umbrella pole goes through the top square piece of these tri brackets now there is a hole down here at the bottom but it’s not used if you want to use it you could but it’s going to offset your light now let me show you what I like to do with my speed lights.
Let’s get speed light number one and put here just tighten it up just a little and set it there now speed light number two take on this side of the bracket and tighten it down and set it there I’ve seen a lot of times when people want to put one here and one here whatnot and I do not recommend that I recommend it this way that way it bounces light here and here it’s the same time it gives you a nice even spread of light so that’s how I like to set things up okay everyone well let’s get our little screen here and set this up now when you set these up a lot of people want to put these out to the far edge you do not want to put these up to the far edge.
You want to put them right inside the velcro edge here into the center as much as possible this gives you a much better fit okay everyone well you can see we now have a nice good fit on the side of this softbox now another reason to do this is you can get egg-crate grids for these now I’m still trying to find it create the grid for this particular one but many of these softboxes do have them another thing is you do want to leave the edge that way you get more light control options here the edge can be the difference between spreading light out too far or keeping it more manually controlled.
This is the whole reason to have a softbox in the first place but that’s it for this tutorial but before I go I want to give a pro tip out to everybody now a lot of people like these but the problem is we’re using a lot of speed like softbox is you have no modeling lamp now I do not use a modern lamp to direct my light because I like to see what it looks like in-camera and I have a really good idea of how things look anyway when I’m setting my lights up, however.
There are times when you may not have enough light in the studio to be able to get focused correctly with your camera now these are the lights setups right here you can get that coming fly lighting setups that are near sales and stuff that and of course limo studio Cowboys soon I’ll sell these little lights setups here now normally I don’t recommend you put any kind of light bub in these as it can get too hot but a lot of these new LED bulbs.
Like this 12 watt one here I got actually uh yeah 12 what LED bug do not get very hot at all you can leave this thing running for an hour and still be a touch to hold the bub without burning yourself or being any kind of pain whatsoever so it doesn’t get hot at all so if LED bulbs get more a better quality these days you can actually put one of these little bulbs.
In there just simply kind of run to the pole that your softbox is using to the center and you’re good to go and then just give you enough light to actually get proper focus and stuff but anyway that’s it for this video folks I hope you watch this tutorial to a quick tutorial and if you do find it helpful in lock the video please give me a thumbs up thumbs-ups always highly appreciated if not subscribe to my channel be sure to subscribe Rabin’s free it’s for you legend or lease more videos until next time everyone thank you for watching.
How do you assemble a softbox?
Video Transcript:
Hello photographer and welcome back to my channel in this video I will be doing a tutorial on how to set up a softbox so this is a Godot softbox that I got a few days ago it comes with the s2 mount which is this thing I will be walking you through the things that you will need in order to set up your softbox and its entirety and secondly how to do it if you like the content I’m doing hit like subscribe hit the bells well do all the youtube stuff because this is going to help my channel and massively so without further ado let’s get right in now here is the list of things that you will need first of all you need a light stand.
To hold your light as well as a softbox secondly you will need your light for the sake of this video I will be using my young nor 562 flash really you can use any light that you like that’s on a point but I just wanted you to note that you will need at least one light that goes into the softbox well that’s quite a pair okay and the final thing that you will need is the softbox let’s see what goes into the softbox pack, okay so this is quite important this is the mount the thing that holds your light the softbox in place and this is how you attach your softbox onto your lights and this is the softballs itself so now it’s folded nicely into a small packet but when you unfold it’s going to expand into this massive softbox here are two pieces of diffusers this goes into the softbox so this is a smaller piece with these cute little handles I don’t want to call them and this is how you fix the sheet into the softbox.
And this larger piece of material goes into kind of the rim of the softballs which is the final layer that the light passes through before it leaves the softbox, okay so that is all you need to get yourself all set up now we can move on to talk about the steps involved in setting up a softbox the first thing that I do is to set up my light set a quick tip is that to start with set it up to your shoulder height the reason for this is because you will need to mount this all falls onto your mount and the entire thing onto your lights and you will be able to do this more conveniently if the amount is around your shoulder height and you can always go back to adjust the height of the light stand after you have mounted the stop box the second thing I do is I attach my mount onto the light stand there.
Is this down here this is a part that goes into the light set you tighten up the screws and you also tighten up this handle which controls how much amount is spent after that you open up a softbox which is contained usually in a smaller packet like this one different folded your softbox you will notice that on your narrower and a circular opening which is for you to attach the softbox on to the mount so you slip this wider side of the mount into the four pieces of wires that is how you secure the softbox onto your mount now the next thing will be to insert your light from this way.
Into the holder using a flash I will insert my flash into this area holy screw it so that it locks my light in place in this case I’m using an off-camera flash which means that I will need a wireless trigger that’s why I have this extra bit that goes below my flash which is a transceiver now that I’ve put the entire light into place we are ready to seal the softbox as I mentioned there are two layers of diffusers that goes into the softbox the first is a smaller one which goes deeper into the softbox it reflects the light that is fired from the flashback into the silver lining of the softbox.
Effectively it fills up entire cell Fox with light equally this is why I saw Foss is able to produce a soft lighting second piece of white material goes onto the outer and after softbox, it acts as the final diffuser through which her light travels from the softbox to your subject so basically, now the entire softbox is intact and all you have to do is to make final adjustments as with the height of the Star Fox and secondly the angle at which you want to tilt your softbox.
That is it it’s really simple to set up softbox and I hope you found this helpful if you like this content it likes subscribe hit the bell as well because this will help my youtube channel grow massively also if you happen to be interested in portraiture head over to my Instagram where I give a lot of tips and tricks if my caption that is easy to fool also head over to my blog where I write articles in which I pour out every single bit of photography knowledge I have thanks for watching I’ll see you in the next video bye.
Conclusion:
You can easily shop for the best speedlight softbox on the market using the above-mentioned guide. Make sure, though, that you do your own research and determine what works best for you. We hope you find this guide to be useful.