For simple product photography, should I choose a basic continuous softbox kit with backdrops or a smaller branded kit?
Asked 6/27/2018
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I need to shoot about 10 product photos per week, sometimes with simple styled scenes. My camera is a Canon 600D connected to a computer, and I’ll be working in a room with OSB/particle-board style walls, so I need a clean background and soft, even light. Since the products are static, high power isn’t essential and I’m considering inexpensive continuous-light softbox kits.
I’m comparing two options:
- A kit with two 50x50 cm softboxes and 65 W daylight bulbs
- A kit with two 50x70 cm softboxes, 135 W daylight bulbs, and included backdrop cloths/stand
What practical differences matter most for product photography here?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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They're the same basic concept: Two continuous CFL bulbs inside similarly sized and (apparently)¹ similarly constructed soft boxes.
- The most obvious difference is that one comes with three backdrop cloths and a stand to support them. The other does not.
- One uses 50x70 cm softboxes, the other uses 50x50 cm softboxes.
- One uses a single 135W Continuous Fluorescent Light bulb inside each 50x70 cm softbox, the other uses one 65W (CFL?) bulb inside each 50x50 cm softbox.
- The smaller 50x50 cm softboxes have no internal baffling. The listing for the larger 50x70 cm softboxes do not reveal the internal design of the softboxes, but I would be quite surprised if, for that price, they had any internal baffling.
- The smaller 50x50 cm softboxes are lined with a reflective silver finish. The listing for the larger 50x70 cm softboxes do not include photos of the internal lining but states that the box is 'black' in color and made of 'aluminum'. This may be an indication of the type of reflective lining.
- The lower priced set tells us the maximum/minimum height of the light stands. The other set does not. Neither listing gives the maximum load capacity of the light stands.
In general larger softboxes produce softer light when placed the same distance from the subject, or can produce equally soft light when placed proportionally further from the subject, than a smaller softbox. But in this case the size difference isn't very significant and the way each one is made might actually allow the smaller one to produce more even light than the slightly larger one. Or maybe not.
Wattage is not the only thing to be concerned about with continuous lighting, particularly when CFL bulbs are used. One must also consider the range of the visible light spectrum that each can output. It does not appear (I don't read French very well) that we are told the CRI (color rendering index) of the bulbs in either set.
A light source, such as the sun or an incandescent light bulb, that produces the full range of light in the visible spectrum has a CRI of '100' because it produces some light across 100% of the visible spectrum. Other light sources that create light by passing electrical current through a tube filled with gas, such as a fluorescent bulb, can have CRIs ranging from 25 for high pressure sodium, to 95 for a tungsten halogen, to some very specialized (and expensive) gas filled bulbs that can produce as much as 98% of the visible spectrum.
Most CFLs have a CRI of around 75-90. 90 is marginally acceptable for showing the accurate color of many objects. 75 is dismally inadequate. Anything with colors in the missing portions of the light's output spectrum will not be accurately reproduced. Based on price alone, I'd guess that the cheaper set that includes the backdrop and larger softboxes has bargain basement bulbs with a relatively low CRI. The other set might or might not have bulbs with a higher CRI.
One set has bulbs that are roughly twice as bright as the other. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, especially when creating images with a non-controlled background. The lights could be too bright in relation to the ambient light illuminating the background when the softbox is close enough to give the light from them the angular size one desires. Or the lights in the softboxes may be too dim in relation to the ambient light illuminating the background, even when the soft box is as close as it can be placed without appearing in the frame.
Not knowing the internal design and color of the reflective surfaces of the 50x70 cm softboxes make it difficult to compare them to the 50x70 cm softboxes. Either one could produce a more concentrated 'hot spot' in the center of the pattern of light they produce, while the other could be more evenly dispersed. Without knowing what the inside of one looks like, we can't even begin to predict which is which, or determine if they are both very similar.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Both kits are the same basic type of setup: two continuous CFL lights in softboxes. For static product photography, either can work.
The practical differences are:
- larger softboxes (50x70 cm vs 50x50 cm) can give softer, more even light
- higher-wattage bulbs will be brighter, though you may not need much power for non-moving subjects
- one kit includes backdrop cloths and a support stand, which is useful if your room walls are visually distracting
From the answers provided, the bigger advantage is not brand but what’s included and the modifier size. If you need a clean shooting area, the kit with backdrops and stands is more complete. If you already have a background solution, the simpler kit may still be enough.
One limitation mentioned is that cheap softboxes often lack internal baffling, so light quality may be fairly basic. For product shots, that usually matters less than having a controllable background and consistent positioning.
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