Lastolite Vs. eBay softbox

[redtippmann]

I have had a umbrella for a while and was looking into getting a softbox. There are two that I am looking at, and I was wondering if there was any real BIG difference between the two.

The first one is from ebay its 60cm and goes for $60:
24"/60cm Easy Fold Hot Shoe Soft box Kit diffuser - eBay (item 370299403956 end time Dec-30-09 09:18:32 PST)
Then on B&H there is a Lastolite 60cm softbox that goes for $190:
Lastolite | Hot Shoe EZYBOX Softbox Kit - | LL LS2462M2 | B&H...

So besides price is there a difference? Thanks!

 

[Darkhunter139]

Just be careful if you get the one from ebay! Hahaha

"When removing the softbox from its bag, hold it tightly to prevent it from springing open and hitting you in the face "

 

[KmH]

Yes, there is a difference.

Look closely at the differences in the speedring/flash mount and the materials the softboxes are made of.

Lastolite's gear stands up to every day use and is high quality professional studio equipment. Plus Lastolite has an online lighting school the eBay seller doesn't have: Lastolite Videos

Now, for your purposes is it worth spending the money for the Lastolite unit? I don't think so. As far as that goes, you could make your own hot shoe softboxes for much than $60 each. you just need to do an Internet search for "DIY hot shoe softbox": Flickr: Discussing A DIY Soft box in DIYPhotography

The real issue is: what can you effectively light with such a small softbox? Plus, it's hard to fill a square softbox with a rectangular light without an internal diffuser. Of course a diffuser will eat some light.

Have you considered blocking off part of your umbrellas to make a square or rectangular opening?

 

[redtippmann]

I'm not really a DIY person. but is a 60cm softbox small? And would a sto-fen diffuser work as well as a internal diffuser?

Also would a sb-600 be powerful enough to shoot through two layers of diffusion?

 

[KmH]

Sure you are. You have a digital SLR camera, lights, umbrellas, light stands. That's pretty DIY.

www.onlineconversion.com Click on length and convert cm to inches. Don't they teach the SI (metric) system in school? It's used in photographic gear specs a lot.

No.

It should be plenty because one of the advantages of a softbox is you can get it close to your subject. Not only does it make the light appear large (which softens the shadows), it minimizes the light fall off physics demands (Inverse Square Law).

I thought you had 1 or 2 285HV's? They have more power than the SB-600.

 

[redtippmann]

Yeah I have a 285hv but it's been giving me some problems. I would like to get a couple of 600s sometime but I'm on the fence about studio strobes and speedlights. But money will probably be the main factor.

 

[KmH]

What kind of problems?

 

[kundalini]

Lastolite's gear stands up to every day use and is high quality professional studio equipment. Plus Lastolite has an online lighting school the eBay seller doesn't have: Lastolite Videos

Although the vids are self promoting, as it should be, the videos are quite instructional. You can learn alot about controlling light.

I've been looking at several of Lastolite's products and the EZYBOX is one of them. I'm trying to find a reason not to like it.

 

[Olympus E300]

This might not be what you are looking for but I just bought a couple of studio lights off of eBay. To be honest, I am really quite impressed with them. They are quite portable, versatile and work very well. If you're interested in seeing what I bought, go HERE. They are a constant "ON" light - they do not opperate with your flash. Each of the five bulbs has its own individual on/off switch as well. Personally, its what I would recommend for studio work but I'm VERY new to this stuff.

Cheers!!
- Dan