DIY Softbox

balint · Nov 28, 2002

Hey mates,

I am looking for an affordable softbox solution. Are there any kits one could buy and assemble himself. If nothing like that is around, I am planning to do some experiments and build something myself out of plastic tubes or aluminium profiles. Any suggestions?

I have a 35mm Nikon system, and for the beginning I am planning to use two flashes as light source.

Jorge · Nov 28, 2002

The best solution I ever saw for this was this one friend of mine who built his softboxes out of 1 inch PVC tubing. With about $50 you can buy the tubing and the joints and make a box in 1/2 day. For the diffusion he went to a fabrics shop and got himself some of that material they use for parachutes, I dont know the name of it, he bought the lenght necessary for the frame he made and then put velcro to wrap around the tubing. If you cut a little 1 and 1/2 inch square out of each corner you can place the velcro and wrap it around the tubing. Once he was finished his stuff looked almost factory made.

bmac · Nov 28, 2002

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Jorge @ Nov 28 2002, 07:05 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>With about $50 you can buy the tubing and the joints and make a box in 1/2 day. b</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Ir for about $80 you can log on to B&H and buy a small photoflex lightdome. I used to fire Vivitar 283's into umbrellas off of a small lightstand. I bought adaptes for about $15 at a local shop that had umbrella mounts and attached my flashes via cheap slaves.

BobF · Nov 28, 2002

Jorge

I've seen diffusion panels made this way but it seems like it would be rather heavy to hang on a strobe like a factory softbox. Also how do you attach it to the strobe without purchase of the expensive adapters.

Are there web sites with drawings etc.?

bmac...

$15.00 adaptors? Who makes them? New/used?

Jorge · Nov 28, 2002

Bob, you know it did not dawn on me until now that he wants this for a 35mm camera, I was thinking more of a studio set up. What my friend did was to use clamps to hold the set up on a light stand. I think balint plans to use slaves and the flashes off camera so I would think this still applies.
The boxes were actually lighter than any soft box I ever saw or held.
Sorry but no plans, at least that I know of, but maybe a google search would find you some.

BobF · Nov 28, 2002

Jorge - that was my impression also, a studio like set up.

If we are talking about light modifiers that need their own support, I use a simple piece of translucent fabric 48" x 72" that I just hang from a pole with the strobe controlled with barn doors. Effective for times when you need full length soft light. Most of the time I just use translucent shoot-thru $18.00 umbrellas. I do as much as I can on the cheap and a living room for a studio.

Bob

bmac · Nov 28, 2002

The adapters are just a generic brand from my local camera store. I'll try to post of photo of one of them if I can find them. I switched over to monolights, I couldn't handle the recycle time while doing portraits.

bmac · Nov 28, 2002

Here is the setup minus flash and slave. That is a cheap smith victor stand, and an umprella I bought used for about $10. or so. The top of the adapter has a 1/4 - 20 screw.

Brian

Jorge · Nov 28, 2002

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (BobF @ Nov 28 2002, 10:06 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Jorge - that was my impression also, a studio like set up.

If we are talking about light modifiers that need their own support, I use a simple piece of translucent fabric 48" x 72" that I just hang from a pole with the strobe controlled with barn doors.  Effective for times when you need full length soft light.  Most of the time I just use translucent shoot-thru $18.00 umbrellas.  I do as much as I can on the cheap and a living room for a studio.

Bob</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Bob, I agree, that was my first thought. All I have ever done is hang a piece of translucent material and flash through it, but maybe balint wants something more elaborate.

glbeas · Nov 28, 2002

Actually for the low cost alternative foamcore can be made into a lightweight and fairly durable softbox. Cut this into the proper trapezoidal shape for the back and sides and tape together with duct tape then tape a piece of cloth over the front and you're in business. This can be modified with a foil reflector on the inside, or for more spread also put a circle of foil on the back of the cloth facing the flash to bounce the light back to the softbox sides.
I also made a large diffuser with a bedsheet and steel conduit parts from Home Depot that stands on its own for about $30. It's about 6x7 feet.

balint · Nov 29, 2002

Many thanks for the suggestions. I will go for the plastic tubes and joints, but I will not abandon my alu-profile ideas. I will try to build elements out of tubing which can be combined (just like lego) and build softboxes of different size and shape. I think that alu-profiles and tubing might be better for such a softbox system.

As expected, I am not the first person building it's own softboxes. I was hoping that someone could point me to some descriptions, drawings and diagrams on the web, so that I don't have to spend too much time with the design work.

You might ask - what design work? Well I hope to show you soon.

DIY Softbox

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