Need some soft box suggestions

[suzanne_taylor1]

<p>Hi Everyone, <br>

I am looking to get a softbox for my SB800 flash and I have no idea where to start for off camera flash. <br>

I do a lot of on-location photography and would like to have this as an option. <br>

I also don't want anything excessively bulky or terribly expensive as I am on mat leave and the budget is looking a little drained.<br>

Thanks in advance,<br>

Suzie</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>It will help if you mention what you're photographing. Table-top product/food shots? Full-length bride and groom portraits? Cars? Kitchens? Head-and-shoulders portraits?<br /><br />Here's the point: a softbox can do a nice job of helping the light to "wrap around" the subject, softening hard shadow transitions, and letting the light fall more evenly. This is true because the light source is large (compared to the small surface of a naked flash unit's output lens). Let's say you're using a 2 x 2 foot (24-inch) softbox. If it's used three or four feet from the face of a portrait subject, you'll still see some of that wrap-around look. If you move that same softbox to, say, eight feet away, the size of that light source is now much smaller, relative to the subject. Move it far enough away, and it's going to be little different than using the strobe with no modifier at all ... except that you're losing power because the softbox does eat up a stop or two of the light.<br /><br />This is why you see large (several feet or more) modifiers in use on large objects like head-to-toe human beings. Speedlights (like your SB800) can drive a fair size modifier, but the bigger they get, the more light you give up, and quickly. And since light's power falls off at the square of the distance, you need all the horsepower you can get when you use the strobe at any sort of distance. Most people don't go bigger than a 24-inch softbox with a single speedlight. <br /><br /><strong><a href="00REb8">Here is a thread</a></strong> where some of this was discussed, and you'll see I posted some images of how an SB800 fits into such a device.</p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Also, make sure you read the strobist blog (<a href="http://www.strobist.com">www.strobist.com</a>)....</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>+1 for reading strobist. Start with the lighting 101 archives. Starting out I'd use an umbrella, probably a convertible one (removable black cover) to use as either a white bounce reflector or shoot through, like a Westcott 43" with collapsible shaft. Umbrellas are measured along the entire top arch, not the open diameter, so the open diameter will measure smaller. Add an inexpensive stand and an umbrella swivel head. Total is easily under $100.</p>

[luke_kaven]

<p>You might look into a Photek softlighter. It's a ten-panel umbrella with a reflective white-or-silver backing, and a white diffusion cover over the front as a scrim. Very compact, inexpensive, fast and easy to set up and take down one-handed. Very clean white balance, none of the color cast of inexpensive softboxes. Very nice for portraits. It also has a two-piece shaft that can unscrew to shorten, so you can use the light in a close setup or with a boom. Very consistent results. For what it's worth, Annie uses these too.<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/42419-REG/Photek_SL_5000_Umbrella_Softlighter_II.html</p>