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Turkey, Ankara
1 Level
723 Review
29 Karma

Review on πŸ“Έ CowboyStudio 20 Inch Portable Foldable Off-Camera Flash Speedlite Softbox with Grid: Enhance Your Speedlite Photography Experience! by Jeff Swan

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Mandatory modifier for strobes

So in the early days of strobe I worked almost exclusively with flash. Since then, my set has expanded, but lately I've been really enjoying the portability, weight, and ease of use/setup of flashes, so I decided to stock up on some flash modifiers. It was one of them. The price and reticle inclusion initially drew me to this product, as did CowboyStudio's reputation for inexpensive yet highly functional solutions for budget photography. This product does not disappoint. I also have a 28" Westcott Apollo flash that a lot of people use because it's easy to set up (it mounts really quickly, like an umbrella). Open the front diffuser panel to access the flash controls. I have a Pocketwizard TT1/TT5 setup along with an AC3 zone controller so it's not that big of a problem for me, but for my flashes that aren't compatible it's not a problem with Cowboy Studios softboxes (and all those the same design as the Lastolite softboxes for example) as the flash is rear mounted which makes the controls easy and quick to access without having to remove panels or fiddle with them spills very well and creates a nice directional light on Your subject. It is attached with velcro around the perimeter so once attached it stays on. no worries. The softbox comes with an internal and external diffuser, a mesh/egg case, a flash ring/mount, and a pouch to carry everything. It is really portable and well protected during transportation. The only downside I have, and as mentioned, is that the speedring/attachment is pretty flimsy. This does not affect the build quality, rather the ball and screw need to be a bit stronger, because when the softbox is loaded with mesh, inner/outer cone, 580EXII and TT5 mounted on the bracket, after a while, too tend to sag unless the set screw is very tightly wound. Luckily I had an extra flash mount lying around from a homemade flash cosmetic shell with a stronger ball joint and I replaced it.

Pros
  • One (1) foldable softbox (20" x 20")
Cons
  • Not as thick as other picks

Comments (4)

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April 08, 2023
So far, I like it!
February 22, 2023
Don't be fooled, it's cheap for a reason!
February 18, 2023
Works well, but don't expect too much for this price
December 06, 2022
CowboyStudio 24speedlite-grill-softbox 24-Inch