So you’ve wrangled yourself a nice camera, purchased a few sweet lenses, maybe even gone out and bought something like a monolight, or an LED lighting panel.
But you’re still not getting the quality of photos you think you should?
Before you go giving up altogether, consider this one question:
Have you been diffusing your light?
If you haven’t, that could be the answer to all your problems.
The best way to do that is with a softbox, which nicely diffuses your bright light source in order to reduce glare and harshness, but also ensure you’re not diminishing the impact and brightness of the light itself.
There are a whole bunch of different softbox options on the market, that’s why we’ve put together this article.
Today you will be able to easily identify the best Softboxes and softbox lighting kits for your unique purpose.
Let’s get into it.
In This Article
- Best softbox lighting kit: GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best bang for the buck: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best budget softbox kit: ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best cheap softbox kit: MOUNTDOG Photography Continuous Softbox
- Best portable softbox lighting kit: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best cheap portable softbox lighting kit: HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit
- Best softbox for portrait photography: Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box
- Best softbox for speedlight: SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox
- Best softbox lighting for video: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
Best Softbox Lighting Options
| Editor’s PickBrand | |
| Best softbox lighting kit | GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Best bang for the buck | Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Best budget softbox kit | ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Best cheap softbox kit | MOUNTDOG Photography Continuous Softbox |
| Best portable softbox lighting kit | Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Best cheap portable softbox lighting kit | HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit |
| Best softbox for portrait photography | Best softbox for portrait photography |
| Best softbox for speedlight | SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox |
| Best softbox lighting for video | Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit |
Best softbox lighting kit: GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit
If you’re going to splash out on a softbox lighting kit, you’ve got to do it right.
The GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit is the best softbox lighting kit because it has an infinitely variable output brightness control. That means you can use the full 80W, dial it down to just 1W, or anywhere in between.
That’s a super helpful function, because you don’t always need the full output of the light. Sometimes you just want a little extra light to help reduce a shadow or to highlight a certain feature.
In addition to the controllable brightness, the GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit comes with a lighting stand to attach the softbox to, the mounting for which allows you to rotate up to 180 degrees.
This means you can not only dial in the perfect level of brightness, but you can adjust for the perfect lighting angle as well.
At just 1kg, the light itself is pretty light (pun intended), making it easy to transport.
The included softbox component does a great job of diffusing the light, and to make things even better you can remove the internal white diffusion sheet. That leaves you with a silver reflective surface on the inside of the softbox, so you have different lighting options available.
It also makes it super easy to clean the white sheet itself, if you ever need to.
Key Features of the GVM 80W Professional Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 5600K Daylight color temperature
- Adjustable brightness
- Comes with lighting stand
- Removable diffusion shield
Best bang for the buck: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
A multipurpose softbox lighting kit for video, the Neewer Softbox Lighting Kit has a lot to say for itself!
You want value? We’ll give you value!
YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE VALUE!!!
The Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit is absolutely epic, and it’s our best bang for your buck kit.
That’s because it comes with so much. You probably already guessed that you get two lights, from the name. No, it’s not a rap reference.
You also get two softboxes, six colored filters (two each of blue, yellow, and red), two lighting stands, a carrying case, and a remote control.
That’s right, a damn remote control.
This allows you to alter the color temperature of the light, giving you a range from 3200K (which is a nice warm yellow tone) to 5600K (which is a white, daylight-esque light). You can also adjust the brightness of the LED softbox lights, right down to 10% of the max output.
These two features alone are enough to give you a tonne of different lighting options. Add to that the fact that you get three different colored light filters, and you realize just how much value this softbox lighting kit offers.
The softboxes that the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit comes with are excellent in themselves, providing a high level of diffusion that makes your light output nice and soft, but doesn’t take away too much from the raw power and capabilities of these LED lights.
Key Features of the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 68 pcs 48W Dimmable LED Bulbs
- Color Temperature: 3200K – 5600K
- Adjustable stands height ranges from 31 inches to 74 inches
- Powered by DC power adapter or NP-F550/970 Li-ion batteries
Best budget softbox kit: ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit
The ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit is the best budget softbox kit because it’s incredibly affordable, and comes with lights that last for 25 years.
That’s right, the two 50W LED light bulbs that come with this lighting kit are rated to last two and a half decades! That’s insane!
Those bulbs have the same output as 450W incandescent bulbs, whilst using only 80% of the power. So, if you’re shooting at home, you’ll be saving on the power bill as well.
Aside from the lightbulbs themselves, the ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit comes with two epic softboxes and professional lighting stands. The softboxes are fairly large at 50 x 50cm, and you can even remove the inner white cloth, which turns the diffusion into reflection.
That makes this a serious lighting kit, especially when you consider that the softboxes mount to the stands in a way that allows them to be angled up to 210 degrees.
And since the stands that come in this lighting kit can extend up to 192cm tall, that means you can easily get the lights over and above your subject, which is the ideal lighting angle for many modeling photo shoots.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, the ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit even comes with a lifetime warranty, so with just one purchase, you’ll have sorted yourself a professional lighting setup for life!
Key Features of the ESDDI Softbox Lighting Kit:
- Color temperature: 5400K
- 2020 lumens
- 210° Rotatable Head & Adjustable Stand
- Color rendering index (CRI): 85
Best cheap softbox kit: MOUNTDOG Photography Continuous Softbox
The good news is, that doesn’t mean you have to compromise and buy a crappy lighting kit, or worse, have no lighting kit at all, thanks to MOUNTDOG.
The MOUNTDOG Photography Continuous Softbox is the best cheap softbox kit because it even comes with a spare bulb!
That’s important when you’re using standard light bulbs like these, as they tend not to last as long as LED bulbs.
You’ll also get a professional quality softbox for epic light diffusion, a lighting stand, and a bag to carry it all in. This makes it the perfect softbox lighting solution for photographers on the go.
The whole kit is fairly lightweight as well, making portability even easier!
Setting up the kit is a breeze, just screw the bulb into the center of the softbox, zip up the diffusion sheet, and mount it on top of the included lighting stand. From there, it’s all about angles.
The MOUNTDOG Photography Continous Softbox allows you to adjust the lamp holder and softbox up to 210 degrees, which means you can light your subject directly, or from above, or even from below, if you’re going for a creepy campfire story kind of effect.
Key Features of the MOUNTDOG Photography Continous Softbox:
- Color Temperature: 5500K
- E26/E27 standard size 110-130V bulb socket.
- 210 Degree Adjustable Softbox Head
- 20 x 28inch Softbox
Best portable softbox lighting kit: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
A multipurpose softbox lighting kit for video, the Neewer Softbox Lighting Kit has a lot to say for itself!
The Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit is the best portable softbox lighting kit because it’s an incredibly lightweight kit, and even comes with its own carrying case.
Being LED lights, they don’t weigh a hell of a lot.
Of course, if you were to chuck a couple of rechargeable battery packs on the back of each light (which you can do), then you’d up the weight quite a bit.
But if you’re trying hard to keep things lightweight and portable, then you can just use the included AC power adapters to power these bad boys.
The second reason that the Neewer 2-Pace 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit is the best portable softbox lighting kit is the bag it all comes in. It’s sturdy and well built, and has large carrying straps that makes weight distribution super comfortable.
The lights themselves are pretty epic as well. You can adjust the color temperature from a warm yellow hue (3200K) all the way to a daylight white (5600K), and you can even adjust the brightness to your desired output.
All of this can be done via a wireless remote control as well, so you don’t even have to get up from the director’s chair!
Key Features of the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 68 pcs 48W Dimmable LED Bulbs
- Color Temperature: 3200K – 5600K
- Adjustable stands height ranges from 31 inches to 74 inches
- Powered by DC power adapter or NP-F550/970 Li-ion batteries
Best cheap portable softbox lighting kit: HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit
description=”Coming in nicely under $70, and offering a wide array of flexibility, the HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit is a versatile, yet affordable lighting kit.”]
The HPUSN Softbox Lighting is the best cheap portable softbox lighting kit because it’s only $70 and it all packs up nicely into a portable carrying bag.
We can all agree that $70 is a pretty small investment in a quality lighting kit, especially when you get two softboxes and stands!
Well, that’s exactly what you get with the HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit: two softboxes, two stands, and two 85W CFL bulbs.
The stands are of a pretty decent construction, so you can rest assured they’ll go the distance, and they can extend up to 79 inches. That’s a decent height, and given the softbox mounts to the top of the stand in a fashion that allows it to rotate up to 210 degrees, you can get pretty much any lighting angle you want!
Of equally high quality are the included softboxes, which are 50cm by 70cm in measurement. This ensures a nice wide spread of light being emitted, but not so wide that your light is no longer focused. Essentially, the HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit is the perfect blend of direct light and soft diffusion.
And, in keeping with the portability motto, the kit is not only incredibly lightweight, but it also comes with a sturdy carrying bag which fits all of the components and will slot nicely in the trunk of your car!
Key Features of the HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 2 x 85W CFL bulbs
- Color Temperature: 5500K
- 210° Rotatable Head
- Aluminum Stand 3-section column design, collapsing down to 66cm and extending up to 200cm.
Best softbox for portrait photography: Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box
description=”There aren’t many softboxes out that allow for a BYO-light approach, so you’ll want to snap up one of these bad boys quickly.”]
The Westcott 26 Inch Octagonal Rapid Box is the best softbox for portrait photography because you can use it with whatever light you want!
That’s right, rather than being restricted to the light and fitting that comes with the softbox, like many softboxes are, this Rapid Box allows you to mount your own DSLR flash or speedlight inside.
That not only makes it super versatile, it also means it’s quite portable.
The Westcott 26 Inch Octagonal Rapid Box is strong, it’s durable, and it’s even available in a 2-pack. We’d have no problems taking this portable softbox out on the road, as both the frame and material that it’s made of are of a robust build.
The lighting performance of this softbox is pretty admirable; it creates a nice, smooth, diffused light for whatever kind of light you put inside. Also, thanks to its octagonal shape, the light output has a nice wide focus that isn’t too dispersed, and isn’t too narrow.
It’s basically the goldilocks softbox for portrait photography!
Key Features of the Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box:
- Octagon shape
- Silver Interior
- Requires Speed Ring
- Accepts Grids
Best softbox for speedlight: SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox
description=”Built specifically for Canon flashes, the SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox is the perfect unit for speedlight photography.”]
Specs: Built specifically for Canon flashes, the SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox is the perfect unit for speedlight photography.
If you’re using a Canon flash, then you’re going to want this softbox.
The SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox is the best softbox for speedlight because it’s the perfect size, and fits your speedlight with ease.
The softbox itself measures 20” by 20”, though it’s hexagonal in shape meaning it delivers the best possible light coverage.
One of the greatest things about the SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox is the fact that it folds down into a really compact form factor. The softbox itself folds down into a thin 13 inch rod, which attaches to your speedring via six snapping rods.
This makes the softbox super portable, and extremely convenient. It’s also crazily light in weight, and folds up into a compact carrying case, which is also included.
Plus, it can also mount easily onto a Bowens mount, or to a Godox/Quantum bare bulb flash unit!
So yeah, it’s pretty damn versatile.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, the SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox comes with a 24-month manufacturers warranty, so you know it’s going to go the distance!
Key Features of the SMDV Diffuser-50 — Professional 20×20″ Rigid Softbox:
- Doesn’t Require Speed Ring
- Accepts Grids
- Removable Front Face
- Removable Interior Baffle
Best softbox lighting for video: Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit
A multipurpose softbox lighting kit for video, the Neewer Softbox Lighting Kit has a lot to say for itself!
The Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit is the best softbox lighting for video because the two lights are adjustable both in terms of color temperature, and in brightness.
When you’re shooting video, it’s important to be able to manipulate both of these elements, depending on the shot you’re trying to achieve.
For example, in some cases you’ll need a very bright light to make sure everything is clearly lit. In others, you’ll want a more subtle lighting palette to achieve a dark and mysterious feel in your film or video, so you’re going to need to dial down the brightness.
Same goes for color temperature. In some shots you’ll want to use the 3200K warm yellow mode, in others, you’ll want a white 5600K.
The great thing about the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit is that these aren’t only adjustable, they are able to be adjusted via wireless remote control!
What’s more, in the pack you’ll get three different colored light lenses (two of each), which gives you the ability to achieve a yellow, red, or blue tone of light which gives you further artistic license and a whole lot of lighting variety.
All of this, including the two professional lighting stands and softboxes, comes in a handy and sturdy carrying bag, making the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit super portable!
Key Features of the Neewer 2-Pack 2.4G LED Softbox Lighting Kit:
- 68 pcs 48W Dimmable LED Bulbs
- Color Temperature: 3200K – 5600K
- Adjustable stands height ranges from 31 inches to 74 inches
- Powered by DC power adapter or NP-F550/970 Li-ion batteries
3 Best Softboxes For Photographers
| Editor’s PickBrand | |
| Best softbox | Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box |
| Best budget softbox | Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox |
| Best cheap softbox | Neewer 20×28″ Rectangular Softbox |
Best softbox: Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box
description=”There aren’t many softboxes out that allow for a BYO-light approach, so you’ll want to snap up one of these bad boys quickly.”]The Westcott 26 Inch Octagonal Rapid Box is the best softbox because you can use it with whichever light you like!
That’s right, if you already have a speedlight or flash then this softbox is perfect. If you don’t, it’s still perfect! You just have to get one!
Rather than being restricted to just one kind of light, you can use the Westcott 26 Inch Octagonal Rapid Box with several different lights, if you’re inclined that way.
It even has its own built-in speedring and tilter bracket, making setup ridiculously easy. It also means you can angle your lighting however you want or need to!
Many softboxes are square or rectangular in shape, which can mean somewhat unnaturally shaped light outputs if the edges of the softbox are too strong. Instead, the Westcott 26 Inch Octagonal Rapid Box uses an octagonal design, thereby softening up the edges of your light and giving a nice even spread.
It’s sleek, it’s compact, and it folds up nicely for taking it out on the go, making it the perfect softbox for travelling photographers.
Oh, and it does an amazing job of diffusing the light from your flash!
Key Features of the Westcott 26 inch Octagonal Rapid Box:
- Octagon shape
- Silver Interior
- Requires Speed Ring
- Accepts Grids
Best budget softbox: Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox
description=”$50 doesn’t get you a lot these days, unless you’re shopping with Neewer!”]
The Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox is the best budget softbox because it’s not only great at what it does, it slides nicely under the $50 mark!
I was as surprised as you are to find a softbox for under $50, especially one that comes from Neewer, who are one of the main manufacturers of lighting softboxes.
This one is particularly cool, in that it doesn’t mount like your typical softbox. Most softboxes have a hole in the center for your light to poke through, in fact many of them come with their own light!
The Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox takes a different approach, instead using the umbrella mount on your photography lighting stand to situate your light in the center of the softbox. The benefit of this is twofold.
The first is that with no hole in the back of the softbox, there’s no space for any reflected light to leave! That means all of your light aims forward at your subject, which is exactly where you want it heading.
The second awesome thing about the design of the Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox is that with a speedring or big bracket in the back, it can fold down into a super compact, and easy to carry unit, making it perfect for photographers on the go!
Key Features of the Neewer 32 inches Octagon Softbox:
- Material: nylon material, Aluminum shaft
- Spread Surface: 32″/80cm
- Color: Black / Silver (out/in)
- Shape: Octagon
Best cheap softbox: Neewer 20×28″ Rectangular Softbox
description=”An excellent softbox for an incredibly low price.”]
The Neewer 20×28″ Rectangular Softbox is the best cheap softbox because it doesn’t hardly even break the $20 barrier.
I mean, come on, around $20 for a fully professional softbox that you can take with you on the road? I’ll take five!
In all seriousness though, this is a fantastic softbox.
It ships in fully dismantled form, so you’ll need to put it together, but at least you’ll be an expert in constructing and deconstructing it when you want to go mobile for on-location photo shoots.
The mounting ring is made of a sturdy plastic which feels like it will go the distance, and is large enough to fit most photography lights inside.
The Neewer 20×28″ Rectangular Softbox even has a removable front cover, so you can access the camera lens if you plan on mounting this directly in front of your camera.
That’s right, it’s large enough to have both your camera and your light inside!
Plus, because it’s so cheap, you could easily get another down the track, if you plan on using multi-light setups!
Key Features of the Neewer 20×28″ Rectangular Softbox:
- Compatible with studio flash monolights
- Can be lit by flash, fluorescent, quartz, tungsten and flood lights
- Perfect for photographers who are on the go
Conclusion
Whatever you’re up to, whether shooting a couple of casual photos at home (maybe you’re trying to really level up your selfies), or venturing into professional photography, you’re going to need a decent softbox.
You’ve just learned about the 12 best softboxes available today, and you’re no doubt well on the way to making one yours and improving the quality of your lighting, and your photos!
So, what are you waiting for? Get shooting!