Reviews
Elevated Build Quality | Room for Improvement
Convenient and well built, this quick open parabolic softbox (aka a softbox), is a pretty darn good value for what it offers.
CONTEXT - I have worked as a professional photographer for over a decade. This means I've spent an absurd amount of money on equipment and am poor. But I have a lot of equipment.
PROS
- K&F like many other 3rd party brands out of China can be a bit hit or miss. But in this instance, I think they've hit a perfect balance between performance and affordability.
- Build quality feels good. Definitely a step above Neewer, that's for sure. The fabric while thin feels fairly robust and the metal rods have a nice rubber coating on the areas where you're likely to grab them.
- The metal bowens mount bracket is pretty par for the course.
- The quick release latches though are definitely an improvement over previous offerings and are far more ergonomic in design. No fears of pinched fingers here.
- Overall, there is an attention to detail that I've come to expect from K&F, but that said, there are some misses as well.
CONS
- The biggest frustration I have with this softbox is that it is very difficult out the box to rotate the bowens mount ring. There is a plastic knob that can be turned to loosen the ring; however, there are two other metal screws that hold the ring in place via tension. These will need to be loosened to fully free the ring. From there the grey knob can be used to tighten up the ring. No hex key is provided.
- The second grievance isn't so much a complaint about K&F or the product, but more to do with the proliferation of parabolic softboxes in general. The parabolic part does absolutely nothing and is more of a marketing gimmick. An octobox will give essentially the same quality of light, but generally at a lower price point.
CONTEXT - I have worked as a professional photographer for over a decade. This means I've spent an absurd amount of money on equipment and am poor. But I have a lot of equipment.
PROS
- K&F like many other 3rd party brands out of China can be a bit hit or miss. But in this instance, I think they've hit a perfect balance between performance and affordability.
- Build quality feels good. Definitely a step above Neewer, that's for sure. The fabric while thin feels fairly robust and the metal rods have a nice rubber coating on the areas where you're likely to grab them.
- The metal bowens mount bracket is pretty par for the course.
- The quick release latches though are definitely an improvement over previous offerings and are far more ergonomic in design. No fears of pinched fingers here.
- Overall, there is an attention to detail that I've come to expect from K&F, but that said, there are some misses as well.
CONS
- The biggest frustration I have with this softbox is that it is very difficult out the box to rotate the bowens mount ring. There is a plastic knob that can be turned to loosen the ring; however, there are two other metal screws that hold the ring in place via tension. These will need to be loosened to fully free the ring. From there the grey knob can be used to tighten up the ring. No hex key is provided.
- The second grievance isn't so much a complaint about K&F or the product, but more to do with the proliferation of parabolic softboxes in general. The parabolic part does absolutely nothing and is more of a marketing gimmick. An octobox will give essentially the same quality of light, but generally at a lower price point.
16/11/2024