Folding softbox

[Laurence Cremetti]

Softboxes. Great, no question about it, but what about a semi portable softbox, (for studio lights).
I've recently seen some umbrella type mechanism based softboxes by a company called "Bessel."
I rang them, basically to ask, "can you detect the wire framework crossing the light?" This effect, which I always think of as the "spider" image, is very noticeable from umbrellas, and I wondered if it were true of this type of folding soft, or "ezybox."
Bessel said "no," but all the same, I'd really like to hear from anyone who has tried them, (or something similar).

Anyone?

 

[Hamish Gill]

I haven't, but I haven't experience this spider thing...
Surly that's solvable by having the umbrella quite far from the light?

I'd be interested in a link to this product!

 

[Mark Grant]

The site is here Hamish:

http://www.bessel.co.uk/acatalog/Soft_Boxes.html

here is a link to an ' umbrella' type softbox and if you look close you can see the umbrella mechanism just in front of where the flash tube would be:

http://www.bessel.co.uk/info/60x60 Speedbox.html

looks a good idea

 

[Pete Askew]

Have you looked at the Lastolite ones?

http://www.lastolite.com/ezybox.php

 

[Shaun Hill]

Have you looked at the Lastolite ones?

Lastolite, Manufacturer of Softboxes and a Wide Range of Studio Equipment.

Wow, those look great.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

They do look very easy to use Pete - very nice

I have used the portable Prolinca models - which do fold away to a very small size, but are more fiddly to assemble than the Lastolites I expect.

You basically have a material soft box, and a set of flexible rods that slot into the base to hold the box shape.

The whole lot folds up into a bag, sillier to a tripod bag - light weight and easy to transport.

 

[Pete Askew]

The Bowens go together in a similar way but the advantage of the Lastolite ones for portable use is that just snap into shape and then fold flat in a bag when you're done. They take seconds to set up and take down and weigh next-to-nothing.

 

[Laurence Cremetti]

Once again, I must apologise for writing in so infrequently.
I bought 2 Bessel 60x60cm boxes, and find that at the price, (£40 each), they are pretty effective and easy to use.