Need Modifier Kit Suggestions??

[Bilsen]

Thanks all. I'm gonna look at every suggestion. I have two weeks to order them, get them and figure out what they do.

Sailor, I like that Photek a lot. That's definitely on the purchase list.
I think that and a 1/8 grid, plus a gel kit may be just the ticket.

[cyclohexane]

The Honl Photo stuff is the gold standard of hot shoe flash modifiers in terms of functionality and durability, and was the first of the fancy commercially-available systems for speedlights that offered a complete selection of quality grids, snoots, reusable gels, etc. Don't forget the speed straps needed to mount the equipment to your speedlight heads; the straps are only included with the "Traveller8 softbox". The "softbox" really isn't a true softbox; it's more of a cone that gives you somewhat diffused light that maintains fairly high contrast. Works great close in for a headshot as either a key or a fill.

One company is producing stuff derived from stuff that Honl shared with them when he was negotiating with them to manufacture his line of products; I think it's ExpoImaging's Rogue line but I don't remember which one it was. Their stuff should also be a fine choice.

I'm biased towards Dave Honl's stuff because he's a cool guy, and I may have bribed with a free DVD last April.

LumiQuest makes some cute little plastic "softboxes" (models are SB III, LTp), but, like the Honl stuff, seeing as they are small modifiers (their largest product, the LTp, being the size of a laptop sleeve) they don't really produce particularly soft light. Like the Honl "softbox", they still do look a lot better than the bare speedlight though, and if you work them real close in you can make nice headshots and portraits with them. I'm always worried about the durability of the Lumiquest items; I feel like they'd break if subject to hard use, though many users report that they're held up just fine. I personally baby these, as opposed to the Honl stuff which I have no qualms about knocking around.

The small "EZBox" type softboxes from Westcott (Apollo), Lastolite (the aforementioned EZBox), Alzo, and other companies work okay, but you may find yourself hurting for power when competing against the sun, and some of the boxes are really too small to be good for anything other than a headshot. If you have experience running studio or location strobes with traditional softboxes, these are closer to those than the other stuff.

Lightware Inc. took another approach: they made a square softbox called the FourSquare (comes in two sizes) that sets up rather traditionally with the rods, plus a square speedring that will hold up to four flashes. With accessories that can fit five, eight, or even nine speedlights into each softbox, you won't be hurting for power in all but the most extreme of circumstances, and the softboxes work great with even just two flashes in each one (what I usually do), but the drawbacks are that the FourSquare is somewhat expensive, and with four flashes it makes a very heavy and somewhat cumbersome unit (and even more expensive when you factor in the cost of the multiple speedlights in each unit). The quality of light from the FourSquare, however, is gorgeous, and will give a quality on par with using location strobe kits and full-size traditional softboxes, but at the cost of a long set-up and the expense of having enough speedlights to take full advantage of this system is rather daunting; it is sometimes easier to work with a location strobe system and traditional softboxes than the FourSquare, though several FourSquare softboxes and even fifteen speedlights would pack smaller than a pair of Profoto AcuteB2 packs and equivalent softboxes.

Well, you only have two flashes right now, so I digressed a little bit.

I would get a Honl Speed Grid and maybe a snoot (with mounting strap) and call it a day until you've played with them and feel like you have a grasp on what you want. Don't get the 1/4" grid; it looks too much like their selection of snoots and is still kind of loose compared to the 1/8".

[aniverm]

Originally Posted by zemlin

Got Glue?
http://www.sonicartistry.net/zemlinp...structions.htm

Thank you for the link, that is a very professional looking homemade tool!

[gryphonslair99]

Interfit STR100 Strobies Portrait Kit STR100 B&H Photo Video

[dgs]

The stuff on this site looks very good. I don't know much about it though.
Demb Flash Products - Flash Modifiers - Flash Reflectors Diffusers and Brackets - Flip-it! - Flip-it! 400 - Demb Flash Diffusers - Demb Flash Bracket

[Sketch]

40" x 48" foamcore.

[Bilsen]

Continuing thanks to all. I have A TON of research to do now.

[jerryph]

Want suggestions?

Anything from here except the 22" beauty dish will work fine on your speedlights:



1 - 43" Apollo Orb (I call it the poor man's octabank... lol)
2 - 28" Apollo softbox
3 - 50" Apollo softbox
4 - 43" umbrella
5 - the 22" beauty dish... not really for speedligths
6 - 24"X24" Lastolite shoot through softbox
7 - 17"X27" softbox
8 - 60" shoot-through umbrella

And one of my favorites, DIY bounce cards:



Other additional options are convertible bounce umbrellas, 4X6 flash diffusers (you can get those from China for under $8.00), different sized DIY snoots, grids and different sized bounce cards that one can make as well.

Does that give you any ideas?

[Bilsen]

Surely does. Thanks.

[korman]

Originally Posted by jerryph

Anything from here except the 22" beauty dish will work fine on your speedlights:

From your collection, have you ever checked which of your collection of light-modifiers can not only be mounted on a hot-shoe flash but actually illuminated it evenly? What would you say is the maximum size of softbox/umbrella such a flash can reasonable use?

Korman