Soft box with sb-900

[brian_f2.8]

Anyone using a sb-900 with a soft box? I'd like to buy one but I'm trying to get opinions first. I'm mainly shooting portraits inside and outside.

 

[tirediron]

Not on a '900. I have a small one that I use on my 600s and 800. They're handy and worth having IMO.

 

[KmH]

The trick with a speedlight is that you can't easily use just any softbox.

Some softboxes are designed specifically to be used with speedlights. Westcott 2331 28-Inch Apollo Flash Kit

Westcott 43" Apollo Orb Speedlite Kit

Photek also makes a hot shoe adaptor to work with their Softlighter II brolly's - Photek OP54 46" Hot Shoe Diffuser, Shoe Mount Adapter & Velcro

Photek Softlighter II, 46" Umbrella with Diffuser

For portraiture the SB-900 is kind of overkill. Since what you are shooting will essentially be static, you'll get much more consistant results using manual mode rather than an iTTL mode which negates about $400 worth of the bells and whistles a SB-900 has. Plus, with the SB-900 in a softbox, using CLS commande mode to fire it will be problematic - no line of sight for the optical infrared CLS signal.

 

[kundalini]

I use SB600 & SB800's also.

I have 2x 15" Alzo sofboxes (single baffle :er and a 24" Lastolite EZYbox thumbsup

 

[cgipson1]

I have a lastolite EZY 24" that I use with my SB-900's.. does a nice job for head and shoulders in highly mobile settings. I either put it on a lightstand.. or have an assistant use it with a handheld boom. It is a tight fit in the lastolite for a PW and the 900, but it works awesome!

 

[brian_f2.8]

im trying to use the sb900 because ill be doing some shooting at race tracks and portraits outside. portability is the most important thing.

 

[brian_f2.8]

Not on a '900. I have a small one that I use on my 600s and 800. They're handy and worth having IMO.

why not on a 900?

 

[Garbz]

You don't need lineof sight, you just need sight. In any scenario that isn't outdoors you'll likely find that CLS triggers flashes just fine. I even find I can trigger them one room over from behind a wall depending on how the light from theonboard flash spills around corners.