When working on location, softboxes are not always the best choice as they can be quite cumbersome to assemble. Umbrellas tend to be a lot faster to set up. Thanks to Elinchrom and its Snaplux range, you won't have to choose between the light quality of a softbox and the ease of use an umbrella.
Elinchrom is well known for its high-quality light shapers. Their Rotalux and Litemotiv ranges are top notch and used by some of the best photographers in the world. Both lines of softboxes already offer very intuitive and easy to use folding and opening systems. However, nothing can beat an umbrella when it comes to speed.
This is where the new Snaplux line truly shines. It takes all the experience of Elinchrom creating high-end softboxes and combines it with the ease and speed of use of an umbrella.
The new Snaplux line is great because of its folding and opening system, but not only. It comes in three shapes: strip (22x30"), recta (14x30"), and octa (24"). All of them are delivered with their diffusers, but also with a 30° grid. The latter is so useful when working on location or in small home studios, and the Snaplux softboxes are aimed exactly at those photographers who shoot outdoors or in small locations.
Moreover, even if you are not an Elinchrom user, you can use these beautiful light shapers. They have an interchangeable mount that's easy to swap out. The Swiss flash manufacturer offers six different mounts, essentially giving the option to any flash photographer to use the Snaplux softboxes. The Snaplux speed rings currently available are:
- Elinchrom standard
- Elinchrom Q mount (ELB 400 and ELB 500)
- Profoto
- Bowens
- AlienBees
- Broncolor
Pricing wise, they are quite affordable. The strip is available for $149.99, the recta for $169.99, and the octa for $189.99. They are also available in kits, which make them even more attractive. The mounts are priced between $34.99 and $79.99, depending on the mounting system you need.
For more information, you can visit Elinchrom's official website.
Lead images by Yuliya Panchenko used with permission of Elinchrom.
Maybe my coffee did not hit right today, but that's not an Octabox.
No internal diffusion, so it is an umbrella with an external diffuser and grid not a softbox? Also, the dimensions for the strip and rect are switched in the article.
Actually, those little white tabs just below the struts in the image are the velcro tabs for an internal diffuser but it looks like Elinchrom stupidly decided that it wasn't needed. I have a Fotodiox 28" deep parabolic that not only uses the same exact internal support system, came with the proper mount AND the internal diffuser. The only other major difference is that the Fotodiox grid is optional, and the price.
The Fotodiox also costs about $135 US including the mounting ring.
It comes with the front diffuser fabric for the Octa, and the rest of the range have internal baffles and you can always mount the deflector in front of Elinchrom heads (one of Elnchroms USPs).
Might get some strip boxes to go with the Quadra, as they come with grids. Not many options out there for quick assemble boxes. The set I have takes about 10min to set up.
Absolutely no one: we need a new name for a rectangular softbox
Elinchrom: how about rectabox
Also, welcome to 2017 Elinchrom.
This design has been available by tons of brands (likely all manufactured at the same place) for years ever since Westcott's exclusivity to the patent was released. This looks near identical to the glow beauty dish softbox in white that is 1/3rd the price.
Lastly, are those white Velcro tabs for inner diffusion behind the umbrella mechanism?
Been buying off brand Chinese softboxes with this design for years. I guess this is good because Elinchrom is expensive?
I am looking for a company to our Profoto B10 for a quick wedding purposes. In studio, we are still on Elinchroms, hence I was deciding this Snaplux. It looks like Phottix Raja, without the inner difuser or deflector. Will not it create a hot spot? Also, it weights 1.3 kg. For the simplicity I would use umbrella 85cm with our B10, but umbrellas are pigs in windy condition, or if you need to hold them as an assistant at weird angles. Profoto OCF Beauty dish, while lighter, is even a bit smaller and the needs to be constructed, or you have to travel with the one prebuilt.