What is a good softbox for small hotshoe flash?

Question

What are the good softboxes for a small flash like a Canon Speedlite 430EX, for example?

Answer 1

Lastolite make an ezybox which is pretty "good" but it really depends on how you term "good". Do you want:

• Small when collapsed
• Durable and long-lasting
• Big (bigger the light source, the softer the light)
• Affordable?

Have you also considered just using a shoot-through unbrella?

Answer 2

At Strobist there is a review of LumiQuest Softbox III. You can also use a hotshoe adapter for regular softboxes (such as the one sold by Lastolite).

_{(Dislaimer: Haven't personally tried any of those, was always afraid softboxes are too complicated to set up.)}

Answer 3

I love my EzyBox 60x60cm for use with speedlights.
The packed size is smaller(!) than the 43x43cm Ezybox, and it is way more versatile than my Lumiquest III thingies.

Answer 4

LumiQuest Softbox makes the best on flash softbox. I use this for all indoor/outdoor (dawn/dusk )shots and on the go shots. (Wedding, Baby, and Engagment) It attaches with Velcro on the end of the flash. Full tilt and rotate are not impacted.

Answer 5

I've experimented with a lot of these devices and agree that the EzyBox is probably the best, but honestly I find that a flash bounced off the ceiling or wall with the little white card thing pulled up (or a business card taped on) is really the best bet for most scenarios. Check out my blog for a book review of On-Camera Flash to see some amazing stuff, and I've done many of those types of shots with less sophisticated flash attachments than Neil uses.

I also have interviewed some of the top photographers in the world on my blog and I find that many don't even bother with mods beyond the card trick I mention above. It's only the prosumers that obsess over flash modifiers