# Larson 52" Starfish.....



## Wizard1500 (Aug 1, 2014)

When I was doing portraits, back in the '80's, my primary umbrella was a Larson 52" Starfish....I loved it because it threw really soft light up, down, everyplace....the Sarfish, a 42" umbrella, a reflector and I was gtg.....

My question is, now that I want to shoot tabletop still life, primarily, will I be disappointed using the Starfish?.....I realize that a couple of softboxes would be better, but, this is a hobby for me....anyway, I would appreciate your opinions....thanks.....

Carl.....


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## Derrel (Aug 1, 2014)

Every modifier has its characteristics. The Starfish might be good for some kind of shots, since not every shot is the same, or has the same requirements. If you need a big, broad source, it might be a great modifier. If you're shooting in a small,low-ceiling area, it might throw enough light around to create its own fill.

There are plenty of very decent low-cost made in China softboxes, including some decent recessed-front boxes, with fabric grids that can be removed if desired, for very little money; one of those might be useful for some stuff. Light modifiers depend on the shot; you might want a harder light some times, a broad, soft light sometimes, and so on. If you want softboxes, you can buy them pretty affordably these days, MUCH cheaper than they used to be in the 1980's. I payed $149 for a 36x48 Photoflex softbox in the mid-1980's, back when that was half a month;s rent!!! Today, I can buy a box of that size for significantly less money in both absolute and relative terms. So..if you want softboxes for a hobby, you can buy them now for $39 from eBay vendors.


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## Wizard1500 (Aug 1, 2014)

Thanks, Derrel.....


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## studio460 (Aug 3, 2014)

Derrel said:


> There are plenty of very decent low-cost made in China softboxes, including some decent recessed-front boxes, with fabric grids that can be removed if desired, for very little money; one of those might be useful for some stuff.



Yes, that's true. I just bought a couple of cheap no-name softboxes from Calumet's liquidation sale, and they're great! I got two 24" x 32" double-baffled, recessed-front softboxes, specifically for table-top stuff, where I wanted both smaller sources (since the set is so small), and more precise penumbra control. Square or rectangular softboxes tend to be more useful for tabletop when you sometimes want a straight-edged transition (rather than the round transition you'd get from an octa).

It's too bad Calumet is out of business, since their Nova-branded, house-brand softboxes are perfectly good. They're nylon-constructed, and very lightweight. Their internal baffles clip-on just like the big boys' brands, and their wide Velcro fronts make attaching fabric grids easy. I bought a 54" x 72" Nova softbox, plus a fabric eggcrate (before the liquidation) for for less than I would've paid for just the softbox alone from a "name-brand" manufacturer. Now, I'm on the hunt for another brand for the rest of my softbox needs. Adorama's "Glow" house-brand is a leading candidate.


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## Derrel (Aug 3, 2014)

studio460 said:
			
		

> Now, I'm on the hunt for another brand for the rest of my softbox needs. *Adorama's "Glow" house-brand is a leading candidate.*



I've been seeing a text file I created on my desktop for a week or more now, entitled Cheap Softbox from Adorama...about one of their Glow boxes...I have noticed, when I browse the big sites, the cookie trail will lead them to offer me stuff at ridiculously low prices...they offered me a small Glow box for $39 with mounting hardware in a Facebook ad a couple days after I browsed their web site's SB product pages...

Something you mentioned earlier I wanted to comment on. A few days ago, you mentioned steel rods for softboxes...steel rods suck...solid fiberglass rods work a lot better, and are easier to bend, and their larger diameter leads to fewer punch-throughs on the rod receptacles on cheap boxes, and they fit tighter in the speedring holes. These steel rods are B.S..


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