Fotodiox EZ-Pro Octagon Softbox 60" with Speedring for Bowens Gemini Standard, Classica Powerpack, R, RX & Pro Series Strobe

I wanted one of these to use on location for a pure white back drop. I read reviews on similar (not EZ) octoboxes and many complained about how long those other boxes took to assemble. For on-location use, that wasn't really an option, so I'm thrilled to have found this one. It takes literally less than 5 minutes to set up. You will want a high ceiling room to work in if you want it to get above your subject. The light is gorgeous (again, using either as a backdrop for pure white background or as a main light - which I love!) I'm in a small studio and use with a speedlight like this ( Godox Ving V860II-S 2.4G TTL Li-on Battery Camera Flash Speedlite for Sony HVL-F60M, HVL-F43M, HVL-F32M and the corresponding radio controller ( Godox X1T-S 2.4G TTL Wireless Flash Trigger Transmitter for Sony DSLR Cameras with MI Shoe e.g. A77II A7RII A7R A58 A99 ILCE6000L - With Pergear Cleaning Kit . I also have a bowen's mount S-type bracket to hold it and it is very easy to use and holds securely ( Godox S-type Bracket Bowens Mount Holder for Speedlite Flash Snoot Softbox Honeycomb . Be sure to use on a sturdy light stand. I thought my cheapy light stands were sturdy, but they would begin to bend under the weight of this, so I got some that were a bit stronger. Also be sure to put one of the three legs in front (same direction as the octobox) so it doesn't tip over. It comes with both the inner and outer diffuser, and small metallic thing to spread the light and minimize hot spots, and a nice case that's really easy to get everything back in. Note that this one doesn't come with the grid, and that would need to be purchased separately. It's huge (ok, I measured and it's not quite 60" across, but still huge), lovely light (even from just a speedlight), and so easy to set up/take down. Definitely recommend this one!

I already own the Fotodiox Pro Octagon 48" Softbox, but required something more convenient to mobilize for outdoor/on location shoots, away from the studio. This is where the "EZ" in the EZ-Pro Octobox comes in. Unlike the former; which requires the standard setup of forcing fiberglass rods into the octobox and into the ring adapter, the EZ-Pro sets up just like an umbrella (albeit pretty stiff when opening), then pop on the small, included beauty dish, velcro on the inner and outer diffuser panels and voila-giant light source in a couple minutes. The rods are made from thin metal and not fiberglass. Fiberglass umbrella rods tend to snap easier while these should last much longer. The shell's material is not as heavy duty as their non-"EZ" Pro softboxes. It is more of a tough, nylon type material versus more of an imitation leather/vinyl ("Pleather") material that is thicker and weighs more. But since the "EZ" Pro line is designed and constructed with mobility and field use in mind, it is perfect for the intended use. One could use either/or both in studio, but with the low per unit cost compared to the more well known brands, I have a few of the Fotodiox standard Pro line softboxes that stay in the studio and a couple of the EZ-Pro line softboxes for outdoor/location shoots in the 48" and 36" sizes. (The 36" EZ-Pro Octagon Softbox cost about $30 less and is a screaming bargain. I actually use the 36" more outdoors, but on calmer days, bring out the "48). The first sample image had slight editing while the 2nd image is a jpg right off of the camera's raw file which may or may not show the slightly cool color of the light source with the Fotodiox EZ-Pro Octagon Softbox with the two diffuser panels. WB set to Bright Daylight and easy to work with in post if needed.

This is my second one of these. The first lasted a solid 5-6 years and only brought because of a car accident. Overall this is a very good softbox. It's soft with a nice specular quality, especially nice for skin tones. It can be a bit challenging to setup when it is new as it's hard to pull and snap into position. That eventually loosens up a bit with use. It doesn't fold down flat like a traditional softbox, but the beauty of it is that it assembles much faster. You don't have to bother inserting rods into a speedring, then attach everthing to your light. My only complaint is the design of the reflector disc that you slide on that reflects light back into the silver backing. The piece is plastic and it doesn't take long for the little tabs to get stretched out and the hole to get too enlarged for the piece to stay in place. On my old one, I had to keep a small piece of gaff tape handy to keep it from sliding off. I can tell after only a few uses I will have the same issue with the new one. This seems like it would be easy to redesign and I hope it gets done. That wouldn't stop me from buying another one in the future though.

I really wanted to be able to give this a 5 star review but with having to tweak this unit just to get it to work right lost it a star. When I received mine and set it up for the first time I noticed that it wasn't quite straight. I had to spend some time tweaking the rods a little to get it to be a little more uniform. The features: Beauty Dish: great idea, poor execution. They didn't bother to include a way to secure it into position. I had to use a couple of clothes pins to hold in place, my other clamps were too cumbersome, clothes pins fit the bill well. Umbrella style: opens like an umbrella and works great as far as that goes. Mine came with the speedring for the bowens and also had an Einstein/AlienBee speedring attached to the setup, so I got both. It was a nice surprise as I needed both anyway. It's pretty easy to swap out the rings also. This is a nice and easy/quick setup option for those that don't want to have to spend 10 minutes setting up just one box. Then you can go with the cheaper units but this is about as good as you are going to get for this price range and the purpose these are intended for. I wish they would release a properly fitting grid for it though. If it wasn't for all the little things that I had to fix I would have given it a higher rating but I didn't have any other option. Still a good buy though.

When I leave my house. The options I have are a Rotalux 39" Deep Octabox from Elinchrom or this $60-70 thing...I always choose this. It's just so super easy to set up and the Rotalux is a few steps behind with its individual locking system. On a serious assignment where I know the catch light might be visible or reflections on products I must choose the Rotalux. The one fault of this light is poor uniformity across the face of the scrim because the massive metal webbed cage that makes this thing so damn sturdy. But those chances are few and far between...and then, of course, there are the assignments where you need to present yourself with a particular "image" and having an Elincrhom modifier is much nicer than an Amazon special. haha The truth is: VERY well built, beautiful light comes off this thing, and it's very cheap. I need to point out that I bought this and got a very high quality Bowens Mount with it. When I ordered the 12x56 softbox, it came with a total piece of junk Bownes Mount that I asked for a return. The second one had an even WORSE mount!!!! So Amazon ultimately refunded me the money I needed to buy a quality mount from Impact - which matched the one sent with my original 36" Octabox. So keep this in mind. They could be sending cheap pieces with some kits.

This is a well made, easy to setup and knock down octabox. It has double diffusion and a plastic ring insert to prevent hotspots. The fabric is heavy duty and not likely to rip or tear. It sounds from the only other review (so far)that the purchaser is complaining about having a plastic mount. Mine came with one that is sturdy aluminum and couples to the Bowens mount on my monolight perfectly. So, it's well made...what about the light quality. Well, anytime you have a 48" light-source that is doubly diffused you're going to get big, soft, wrapping light...especially when used near your subject. And that's exactly what this modifier provides. Some things you should know... The modifier is a bit heavy and protrudes to the front substantially. You'll need a heavy duty lightstand for this. If you don't have sandbags for your stands, I suggest that you make them part of your order. I use this with 2 20lb bags on my stands...even in the studio. Like every other Fotodiox item that I've purchased, I'm really happy with this softbox.

I found this while looking for something else but it seems to be great for taking a large softbox on location. It was delivered on time and nicely packaged by both Fotodiox and AMAZON. Fedex delivered with hardly a scratch on the outer packaging. No instructions provided, but everything was straightforward. The metal Bowens style speed ring needed to be attached but a screwdriver took care of that. Next, I opened it up and snapped it open, very much like an umbrella. The Bowens fit right on. I was very happy with the overall kit which includes inner and out diffusers as well as a nice deflector dish to bounce the center of the flash back into the umbrella and block the hot spot. I note that the on-line photo above depicts the deflector installed backwards! Be sure to mount it with the side (with the ridges) you see in the photo facing back towards the flash tube and smooth side facing out of the umbrella. Any number of beauty dishes and some umbrellas use a curved deflector like this to achieve the same effect. None are bowed out like in the photo above. On a heavier duty light stand (westcott), this modifier and a Bowens Gemini 400 work quite well. It is well balanced, not too heavy. My initial results were a wonderful fill against a daytime outside window with just 1/3 power, 125th sec at F11 and about 800 ISO. I was expecting wonderful soft light and easily got it. The finish of this modifier is very good. The umbrella style works well; easy to set up and disassemble. The fabric is on the lighter side as may be expected for this application. Overall, I think it is a good fit for the photographer who cares for their equipment and does not intend it for everyday, heavy use. For a lot less than the price of a great modifier, I have two Fotodiox modifiers for the Bowens Gemini: this 48-in portable, easy to set up, deep octabox, AND a very nice 60-in octabox which, once set up, is quit solid, but much less portable. Note: results after using the deflector dish and the two diffuser panels were excellent. This set up lit up a whole portion of the room like it was a television set, yet the light on subject had a naturally soft, window light like cast. This ones's a keeper just like the last Fotodiox box I purchased.

The product was supposed to be like new. Arrived with a bent Bowens mount. The Umbrella style collapsable button is impossible to press in without gloves or rag ( hurt/Cut through your finger ). Invest the extra money in a more reliable brand/seller.

A beautiful quality of light

The only reason I didn't give this softbox a solid 4 or even 5 star review is because the reflector disc that it came with is made of the cheapest, most garbage plastic known to man. The FIRST time I opened up the softbox and slid the disc onto the rod, it bent and nearly cracked all the way through. Luckily, it's still working for now but after a few more shoots, I anticipate it's going to end up in the recycling bin and I'll be searching only for a metal reflector disc to replace it with (hopefully this stuff is standard size and easy to replace). Fotodiox, if you read this review please let me know if you have a metal disc version, I'll be emailing your customer service directly in the coming days too.

I question the longevity of this one only because some of the stiching seems weak but not a bad product for the price

It was easy to assemble but impossible to disassemble with hands. I used a plier to press the knob that closes the umbrella and it popped close with a loud bang that's awful. The reason to get an umbrella type softbox is to assemble/disassemble easily and this doesn't fit that purpose.

It works but it's not going to last if you're constantly having to set it up. If you can leave it set up in the studio it will last longer.