I get regular requests for advice that go along the lines of this.

“Hi. I have a speedlight that I can use off camera, with triggers and receivers. I want to get a softbox but there are so many choices. I only have money and space for one. What should I buy?”

The answer is of course it depends on the subject but often the answer is “anything”. This is as honest as it gets as we have ideas perhaps of how we will use a softbox but not specifics.

Softboxes are more directional and manageable than umbrellas so a bit more commitment to managing light is required but it does not have to be hard to pick, so let’s break it down into the three components that you are going to want to have.

Light Stand with Boom Arm

While I am known for saying buy your last tripod first, I have been less clear that I should be saying the same thing when it comes to light stands. Straight light stands are great, if you buy a good one, but if you can only have one, you want a stand with a boom arm. As I do much of my work in studio, I use C Stand Complete kits but I will say that for the casual photographer, the weight and bulk is a bad choice. I would instead recommend a boom stand that is lighter and more easily transportable, but still having enough strength to old a speed light and a softbox. I know that there are a zillion out there, but I am going to recommend what I use myself and you can make your own decisions. I am going to go with the Manfrotto 420B Combi-Boom Stand with Sandbag.

This stand folds relatively small with a good boom length and a sandbag that you must fill to attach to the end of the boom opposite the flash. I have found the clamps to be reliable and not slippy and the boom control to be very positive. It can also be a straight stand if necessary as the boom stores in the main shaft. It can be set up by one person. About $270 USD from B&H. I have tried clones of this. They did not work out, mostly having slipping mounts and thin walled aluminum tubing that would bend if you looked at it funny. The Manfrotto stuff is excellent

Parabolic Soft Box

As a sweeping generalization, a parabolic soft box is a superb all around softbox. The parabolic nature gives a nice focused light and the ability to put a diffuser or grid on the front of one makes this even more flexible. It creates round catchlights, which are perfect for people and animals. I recommend a three foot diameter unit so you can use it in most homes without it getting in the way and still get super soft light. While there are many, I have used the Godox ($89 USD) P90L in a paid test and it stood up to lots of hard use. It uses the very common Bowens S mount to fit Godox strobes, but you can add the Godox S2 Bowens Speedlight adapter ($25 USD) to use with pretty much any speedlight.

The P90L uses 16 fibreglass rods to assemble and while this does take a bit of time to learn to do efficiently, my experience is that it goes up and down easily and without a hassle, unlike a lot of other softboxes that require the presence of a certain Bruce Banner to flex the rods. It includes an inner and an outer diffuser in the package. For even more directional control, add the Godox Grid for P90L softbox for $29USD

You will love the light from this unit and because it is so controllable, you aren’t going to be running your speedlights at full power for every shot. The boom lets you get the light where you want it to control the direction, the parabolic, diffusers and grid give you control over the quality of the light, and your flash is already balanced. You can of course add gels to your flash to alter the colour, so there you have the three key elements of photographic lighting, direction, quality and colour in a simple package.

When you collapse the softbox it stores in a bag holding all the components, so transport is easy. It’s big enough for nice light and small enough that you can use it in a typical home or apartment. All the gear is light enough that a single person can transport everything, so it makes a good go anywhere light.

The weight exception is the sandbag for the boom, and if I’m honest, I would say get another one to drape over the stand legs so it will not tip over. Place your stand sandbag to drape over the leg stanchions but don’t let the sandbag touch the floor or the ground.

Good To Go

So for anyone who wants a great softbox for all kinds of use cases to work with their off camera speedlight setup that’s my prescription. Again, I do not recommend anything that I do not own or have not used professionally.

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I'm Ross Chevalier, thanks for reading, watching and listening and until next time, peace.