Yesterday my shipment from Hong Kong arrived of a $39.32 60x90cm softbox which is very good quality and included a speedring mount for my swiss-made strobe light.
I had been looking at different softboxes available and the one I had been thinking about getting previously was over $300. The savings on getting the one I did therefore was substantial.
For a beginning photographer like myself the cost of equipment can be daunting. I almost spent more than double what I would have needed to spend on a strobe light until, after researching it, I realized that in my small studio space I don’t need a high-wattage unit. The one I got is only 100 watts and is more than sufficient working inside here.
It pays to do research on these things. So many people on forums hype up other products and I’m sure they’re good, but this particular strobe I got actually has not been widely discussed in American forums and is more popular in Europe. It also has a built in wireless receiver which is quite amazing.
The quality of the light, compared with my previous hot lights which I switched between tungsten and CFL bulbs, is exceptional.
The only thing about the softbox: the speedring didn’t fit exactly. I had to go to the hardware store today and get some sandpaper and files to file it down a little bit. To fit the Elinchrom light there are two slots on either side with little lips that the bars inside the light slide over. The ring then is supposed to twist in place and be able to lock. Mine wasn’t twisting because there was not quite enough clearance over the lips at the end of the slots.
My guess is that the manufacturer in China probably used another Elinchrom mount speedring as a template to make this one but did not have an actual light to test it on. But they cut the slots close enough to spec that it only took a little elbow grease on my part to get it to fit.
There was also no instruction manual with it. I was looking at the rods and the ring and thinking “What?!”. It seemed like it would not go, but then I realized that the rods can bend forward and everything fit perfectly. I’m so happy! This softbox even has an internal baffle like more expensive ones.
Here’s a link to the seller on eBay with the bargain softboxes. FYI the softbox I got was not listed as having an Elinchrom mount. I had to contact the seller and specifically ask that they had it.
$39.32 plus a couple files, sandpaper, and some elbow grease! In the end, you have to think, what is a softbox? Basically a couple pieces of nylon to diffuse the light. I can see spending some $ for something well made but the difference between $39 and other models is extreme. Chinese companies are starting to cut into the photo equipment market because the price levels are just too extreme and it seems often unnecessary.
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