120cm Profold Folding Octa Softbox to fit Elinchrom SOF072
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Softboxes are often considered to be the ideal tool for creating soft light, because they combine the soft, diffused light effect of a shoot-through umbrella with the controlled, directional (but harsher) light of a reflective umbrella. But traditional softboxes do have a major disadvantage, because, when used in the home or when they are transported, they need to be taken apart and reassembled, which can be very time consuming and sometimes difficult. The Lencarta Folding Pro softboxes completely solve this problem because they open just like an ordinary umbrella – it takes just a few seconds! Umbrella softboxes have been available for some time but most of them are incapable of producing soft light because they are designed to work like a reflective umbrella, with the flash head between the softbox and the subject, which forces them to be placed too far away for soft lighting. The Lencarta Folding Pro softboxes work in exactly the same way as conventional softboxes, so they can be placed as close as you wish. Octa softboxes are ideal in several very different lighting situations. At 150cm, this softbox is large enough to light couples or groups and is also ideal for full length shots, and is also the perfect solution for product photography shots of reflective subjects. Because it is physically large, and requires a high ceiling for its most effective use, we do not recommend this model for use in small home studios. Fitted with both an inner and an outer diffuser, both of which can be removed if required, this softbox can produce both soft lighting and a much harder, specular light. It takes only seconds to remove or replace the diffusers. As with all our softboxes, the speedring is fittted with a locking nut, allowing the softbox to be rotated to the exact angle needed. This is probably the largest Octa softbox that can be used effectively in the average-size home studio, and may be too large for some home studios. This softbox fits to Elinchrom flash heads, other speedrings are also available, which allow it to be fitted with other makes of flash headEach of our Profold Softboxes is made in the same way,with solid steel construction and uses the same top quality wall and diffusion materials. For a softbox to perform well, it needs to be deep, so that the light from the flash head can bounce off of the reflective walls properly, and end up with perfectly even light distribution by the time it reaches the diffusers, and the diffusers need to be made of thick material that diffuses the light properly, and this simply doesn't happen with cheap softboxes that have not been expertly designed and specified.
And good softbox design isn't just about the light that goes forward, it is also about preventing light from escaping from the sides and rear of the softbox, where it is very likely to cause lens flare, reduce the contrast of your shots and spill unwanted light onto reflective surfaces such as the ceiling and walls. So, our Profold Softbox range has extra thick walls and, as the photo on the right shows, also has heavy duty fastening flaps at the rear to stop light leakage. And the front diffuser is deeply recessed, this allows a honeycomb grid to be fitted if required and because the recessed area is covered in hook and loop material, which is both black and non-reflective, our softboxes can also be used very effectively both for feathered lighting and for creating graduated lighting on backgrounds etc. These important design and quality extras more than justify any extra cost, compared with cheaper copies of our ProFold range. SPECIFICATIONS Assembled: What's in the box? Please note that the flash head and stand shown are NOT included. |
There are other important features, found on our ProFold range, too. Both diffusers are highly resistent to yellowing with age, the opening mechanism includes a deflector plate, this restricts the light in the centre of the softbox and directs it towards the softbox walls, which creates extremely even and consistent light quality across the entire front diffuser. This deflector completely prevents the hotspots found on other softboxes. And the deflector does even more than this, because it allows either the inner or outer diffuser, or even both diffusers, to be removed from the softbox without creating a hotspot, and of course this makes the ProFold a much more versatile tool for creative photographers.
