AlienBees Strobes + Third Party Softboxes??

06/24/2010 09:31:15 AM · #1

I'll be buying AB800 lights, and possibly this softbox from eBay. Could anyone help me figure out if the speedring pictured on the ebay item will fit the AB800's? I haven't had much experience with AlienBees, so if someone could confirm that for me it'd be much appreciated. And also, are those softboxes any good?

Message edited by author 2010-06-24 13:32:52.

chromeydome

06/24/2010 10:59:26 AM · #2

I would contact Paul Buff Customer Service (the best around!) and ask them. At a minimum, you will likely need to buy an AB speedring, and when you add that cost to the ebay softbox, you could probably buy the equivalent brand new softbox from AB for nearly the same price (speedring included with AB softboxes)

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

06/24/2010 03:27:19 PM · #3

Originally posted by chromeydome:

Thanks for the reply. Who's Paul Buff??? And how exactly could you tell that the rings wont be compatible? Thanks.

spiritualspatula

06/24/2010 04:58:03 PM · #4

Originally posted by peterish:

Originally posted by chromeydome:
I would contact Paul Buff Customer Service (the best around!) and ask them. At a minimum, you will likely need to buy an AB speedring, and when you add that cost to the ebay softbox, you could probably buy the equivalent brand new softbox from AB for nearly the same price (speedring included with AB softboxes)

Thanks for the reply. Who's Paul Buff??? And how exactly could you tell that the rings wont be compatible? Thanks.

lol
Paul Buff is the owner of all the Alien Bees/White Lightning... blah blah blah stuff. ETA: This is who Paul C Buff is.
As far as determining compatibility... I think you'd have a hard time determining by looking at pictures and what not, and the only way you could really know is by asking the seller.

Message edited by author 2010-06-24 21:01:03.

chromeydome

06/24/2010 06:13:06 PM · #5

check here: //www.alienbees.com/softboxes.html The ebay softbox plus an AB speedring will cost you 105 bucks, and it might not even work well with your AB800. For 120 or 130 bucks, you have an all AB system, softbox/speedring that you KNOW will play together. No risk of losing $75 on a softbox that won't work for you after all....

06/24/2010 06:22:57 PM · #6

Originally posted by chromeydome:

The thing is, I would need the GIANT softbox which is $170+ship. If I go the eBay route it would be $105 or so, I would save about $60 per setup (I need 2 setups). From the looks of it, the ebay softbox + the AB rings will work, I'm 90% sure of it.

chromeydome

06/24/2010 06:31:07 PM · #7

Originally posted by peterish:

Originally posted by chromeydome:
check here: //www.alienbees.com/softboxes.html The ebay softbox plus an AB speedring will cost you 105 bucks, and it might not even work well with your AB800. For 120 or 130 bucks, you have an all AB system, softbox/speedring that you KNOW will play together. No risk of losing $75 on a softbox that won't work for you after all....

The thing is, I would need the GIANT softbox which is $170+ship. If I go the eBay route it would be $105 or so, I would save about $60 per setup (I need 2 setups). From the looks of it, the ebay softbox + the AB rings will work, I'm 90% sure of it.

To quote one of my favorite old Sean Connery/Michael Caine films, The Man Who Would Be King: [salutes] "I wish you many good lucks!" :-)

Let us know how it works out--hope you don't end up "taking one for the team"

cdrice

06/24/2010 06:50:27 PM · #8

There are plenty of aftermarket softboxes on ebay which come "out of the box" (har har har) compatible with PCB mounts. Search for "alien softbox" for starters...

There's always the usual "you get what you pay for" caveat -- but at the same time, I completely appreciate the need to save money. The foldable softboxes from PCB really are the bomb-diggity (I have 1 or 2 in each size, with grids for each) -- it's really easy to set up and break down, and the hardware that makes up the "foldable" feature doubles as a great gel-holder.

The one you're looking at doesn't appear to support a grid (from what little detail I can make out from the photo), so that would be my primary concern. For a little more, you can get an aftermarket box of the same size with a grid included. Again, the quality of those "cheapy" aftermarket boxes isn't the best, but it's something. There's a fine line between "something being better than nothing" and "cheap crap being worse than nothing" -- just watch out that you don't cross that line. ;) Just sayin...

I'm still watching ebay for a good deal on somebody dumping a 7' octobank. (HAHAHAHAHAHA... oh, I hurt myself... But, really I have a saved search for that...) :P

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

06/24/2010 07:01:53 PM · #9

Originally posted by cdrice:

When you say the quality isn't the best, do you mean the quality of the light or just the physical build of the product? I can live with it as long as the light that comes out of it isn't inferior to a brand-name softbox.

MattO

Nikon D4

06/24/2010 07:28:56 PM · #10

Originally posted by peterish:

The biggest issue I've seen with cheaper softboxes as well as Umbrellas and Octoboxes is the fact that the white doesn't stay white very long and begins to yellow which changes your WB and doesn't give consistent color output.

cdrice