Softbox vs. Softbox

[b_covey]

I will be buying 2 softboxes for home portrait photography. Probably, 3'x4' and 4'x6'. The

price difference between something like alien bees and Larson for similar size softboxes is

significant. Why?

[ellis_vener_photography]

Build quality and materials, profit margins, labor costs.

[._._z]

Some materials yellow (or yellow more quickly) over time. Some, as Ellis noted, have better

build quality.

[fewellp]

I use all Larson soff boxes, they are the best I have used. The 4x6 is a great box-I have three of them, it is really large for use in your home. The starfish is an awesome fill light. With any modifier you need more than 1 so purchase them as you can afford to. I have spent the last three years adding enough equipment to run three five light set ups at once. I shoot a lot of dances and proms. The box connectors are also very expensive regardless of brand. The first time I looked at a larson at a trade show I thought how can a box that size cost so much. After conversations with another photographer who had recently purchased the 4x6 box I jumped in and bought 1. I shot it once and ordered a second box from larson. They provide the closest thing to window light you can find and they do not color shift or fall apart as they get old. I have about a fifteen or so of their boxes and they will repair anything that they sell. The good folks at Larson are definitely friends of photography and offer a superior product for the money. I have a dance tonight and will use 5-of their boxes and a Les Brandt background with photogenic strobes and pocket wizard radio slaves. I shoot 100% digital for commercial work and I can tell you that no one in town ever beats me out of a contract and I usually charge 10-30 percent more than the other two companies I bid against. The difference is they use two lights and cross light the subjects-the images speak volumes and translate into dollars! Any modifier will work well when you learn how to use it, I am also shooting a lot of my senior portrats with a combination of hard and soft light, it gives a nice edge and great contrast, the young faces were made for hard light...call the folks at larson, I love them and as a bonus the boxes are constructed here in the USA! Regards Phillip