Photocite

I've mentioned the Photomart softbox that I used with my off camera flash setup on the blog before. I've also mentioned that it's identical to one for a similar price in the US from Alzo. Alzo claim that this softbox is 'Better and lower cost that the Lastolite Ezybox'. That's actually only half true, because bar the branding, this particular box is identical to the Lastolite, at a significantly lower price.
It's all well and good touting this, but it's pretty useless without a few other items to make it properly usable (assuming you already have a flash!).

Handholding
Lastolite make a cool handle for the ezybox. You too can have a pro looking handle much cheaper: Simply find a broken golf umbrella and with a hacksaw, cut the stem about 3-4 inches above the handle. Put some wood into the stem to reinforce it. Viola, a nice looking handle that fits in the softbox bracket allowing you to hold it comfortably. I don't recommend making a longer stem. Why? Because I did and while it does give higher reach, it also gives greater cramp from holding! The shorter handle lets you (or your assistant) hand hold it much longer.

Stands

Handheld use can get become tedious after a while, so a lightstand is always a better bet. For sheer portability, it's really hard to beat the Manfrotto Nano001b. It folds really small and goes reasonably tall. I've spent ages sniffing around for similars, but unless you go to the US, it's hard to get anything like it. I eventually got them from Teamwork Photo.

Tilt

The only issue with this combination is that once on the stand, you can't tilt the softbox. So you need a tilt bracket. You can do this by using something like a Portaflash standard umbrella bracket and a 1/4 to 3/8 spigot or a dedicated bracket.

Triggers
If you've a PC sync socket on the camera (midrange Canon & Nikon crop cameras and up do), and a flash that also has a socket (you can add your own if you're handy), a PC sync cable is a cheap way to get started. Other cameras can get Hotshoe to PC Sync adaptors if they don't have a socket of their own. You can also split the signal to more than one flash.
Another option is to use the camera manufacturers Off Camera Shoe Cord. These tend to be short though. An alternative with Nikon and Canon is to use their Infrared Transmitters, the SU800 for Nikon, or the STE-2 for Canon. These allow a longer range and are quite effective indoors, but of limited use outside. A new device under the brand 'Radiopoppers' can help overcome this, but is very new on the market.
Going wireless is the last option. Gadget infinity do a range of cheap transmitter/receiver sets in the 'Cactus' range. Hard to get here, but more available Stateside is the CyberSync from Alienbees. My own preference, for price and reliability reasons, is the Elinchrom Skyports system. Finally you can also get the ulimate in wireless triggers: The Pocket Wizard. It has a price to match being ultimate, but also can have it's own custom channel and will trigger cameras, as well as flashes.

Note I'm not getting a kickback on links, I've just used the stores linked and found them good.

Labels: strobist

I got a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet and pen for Christmas. The first thing that struck me about the packaging was the black cardboard. Perfect for a pro looking snoot, I figured!

First off I made the decision to hide logos by putting the outside on the inside. Next I placed the flash on the card to create the folds at the right places.

Using a fold that was already in the cardboard, I added small flap that would be perfect for velcro. This meantt I can store it flat and put it together quickly.

Each fold is along the line of a corregated section. Once I've got the correct dimension from the flash I use a battery to get the fold right along the line. This battery just happened to by lying around where I was working, but any straight object will do, eg a ruler.