Lumiquest Soft Box for Macro

[quinte]

Any of you that use Lumiquest softbox on a flashgun for macro, what model do you use?

 

[Overread]

The original Softbox works well with a typical speedlite flash, giving a good soft light and not being too large that its difficult to manage. I do have the larger version which will soften light more so, but its a bigger box and more tricky to get into the right position and at the right distance; so generally I stick to the regular sized softbox.

 

[quinte]

Wo you use it camera mounted or a bracket?

 

[quinte]

Should be "Do" not "Wo."

 

[Overread]

Depends on the lens - with my 150mm macro I can use a speedlite (in my case a 580EXII but any similarly shaped flash will work) in the hotshoe with the flash and get good light. With a 100mm or shorter macro lenses you'll get far more shadowing of the flash light by the lens itself (esp at the 1:1 distances). In that case I would use a bracket to hold the flash.

My experience however is that most cheap brackets are not suitable for macro work as they wobble and shift too much at close distances (fine for further distances, but at closer distances it makes focusing much harder). I now use a RAM-Mount based approach which, for the cost, is fantastic and has no problem holding even a heavy 580EXII flash rock steady.
My very flexible Macro flashbracket: Studio & Lighting Technique Forum: Digital Photography Review
gives more details on the RAM-Mount approach.

 

[cgipson1]

I don't use the lumiquest, but I have several different size Fotodiox flash mount softboxes (these are really cheap, so if they get trash.. no big deal). they work well as long as you use a diffuser on the flash (stofen, OEM, etc) before putting in the softbox. The 6x8 is a good size.. easy to manage, even with the flash camera mounted. For large softboxes I use a Kirk macro bracket Kirk Enterprises : SIngle Flash Bracket.. nice, but more costly than Overread's solution.

I just recently ordered a Lastolite 8x8 EzyBox to test, and maybe do a writeup about. It has a internal diffuser as well as the external.. and can be diffused a bit more by using a on-flash diffuser also. Puts out really nice soft wrap-a-round light... although it is big enough to be a pain. Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite Softbox 8.75'' square attaches to flashgun - Ezybox Speed Light