Name: Westcott Rapid Box 20" Octa Mini Softbox
Brand: Westcott
SKU: WERB20OM
Price: 149.90 USD
Availability: Discontinued
Rating: 4.63 (8 reviews)

Westcott Rapid Box 20" Octa Mini Softbox

Westcott

Adorama

Photography

Lighting & Studio

Flashes & On-Camera Lighting

Flash Accessories

Flash Bounce & Diffusers

Westcott Flash Bounce & Diffusers

Top Rated Gear: Westcott Rapid Box 20" Octa Mini Softbox Buy now & save $20. Compatibility: Universal

Awesome product, love the results, easy set up and sturdy construction

Rapid Box

One of my best purchases yet!  I absolutely love this!

One of my best purchases yet! 

This is another fine example of a (potentially) great product and value being subdivided into the beauty dish deflector and a soft-box which desperately needs the plate, so that ....you the customer....have to buy the inflated separate parts and put them together to have a functional product.  But wait...the hot shoe mount is a joke.  It has a VERY tiny screw that you BETTER make sure you have twisted in till your fingers bleed to make that flash stay on good (hopefully).  You still might drop your ($) flash, but at least you tried.  If the screw falls out then ...well....YOU'RE "screwed" because they couldn't design a secure quick-release type fixture and that screw is probably gone forever.  Good luck finding it on the wedding day.  Funny, but not funny.  Otherwise the construction of the actual box is nice and firm with a professional looking exterior design.  It produces a very nice even light (IF you have the grossly overpriced dish plate installed) on your subject when you can't wield something larger.  3 stars for Westcott.

Average Product

Opens like an umbrella, quickly set up with speedlight for soft portraits on location. If the reflector is installed, the light quality is softer at the expense of reduced power. It is a bit heavier than I figured due to the metal support structure required for the umbrella but not bad.

20" Rapid Box Octa

When I first opened the box for the 20" rapid box octa, I was not expecting much because I own a couple of Westcott Apollo strip banks which I was not thrilled with. Wow was I surprised to see that this little unit was professional build quality certainly worthy of the Westcott name. All the materials are what I would expect in Westcott studio modifiers. Even the carry bag included with this modifier is excellent and thoughtfully matched in design and roominess!

I tested the 20" rapid box several ways with and without the front diffusion panel by placing my Nikon SB600 flash on it with a Phottix Odin receiver and facing the box straight at a white wall, half of the walls height. This way I could see the light pattern as I made changes.

With diffuser - The box emits the most even light with the maximum output with the wide angle flip panel down on the speed light. The pattern is very even and graduated from the center but very wide, I would say about 16mm to 20mm in width at the faint outer edges. Not using the flip diffuser on the speedlight but set at 24mm, slightly less light and not much reduction on the width but some, not a meaningfull difference compared to just turning down the power level with the flip diffuser in use. When you zoom the speed light to 35mm, the faint outer edges of the fall off start to get pulled in but I am not sure how much of that is an angle tightening and how much is from the slight fall off in overall power output seen on the wall. At a 50mm zoom on the speed light the center pattern is still completely even but with a still feathered quick fall off to a narrower center spot, but with a significant loss in light output. Zooming more than 50mm was just a waste of power output with no useful effect.

Without diffuser - Similar results, use your speed light set as wide as possible on its zoom for the most uniform light pattern/spread.

Summary - Overall this box performs best with either the wide angle diffuser panel out or your zoom set at the widest setting for maximum power output. If you zoom your speed light to tighten the width of the light emitted, 35mm will give a little narrowing with little light loss, but don't go past 50mm as the light loss is significant with no additional light pattern advantage over 50mm. However, because of the heavy duty umbrella wires and significant metal center block you will still see a noticeable shadow pattern with white wall tests. With no diffusion panel, zooming the speed light will just enhance the light interference of the umbrella wires and center block like a strange cucoloris pattern that just gets more pronounced with more speed light zoom. Personally, I am going to always use the diffusion panel for predictable & even light throw.

Improvements - Not much... While I did review the optional deflector dish in another review here, what Westcott needs to add is a grid accessory for this line. Seems weird that they gave a decent quality grid to the (IMO) cheaper made Apollo line but no grid capability to this wonderful modifier. The only reason I am giving it 4 and not 5 stars is because of missing grid capability, other than that this modifier is outstanding!  :)

Outstanding octa

The quality of light that comes from this small package is amazing. I was using shoot-through and reflective umbrellas before, and even though they have thier place, I wanted something more directional. I am simply amazed at how fast you can set this up and start shooting.

Awesome!!

I use the rapid box on custom bracket with a little modified for my SB-910 flash.

One of the best I have so far!

I use this soft box for portraits & macro photography. Quick & easy to set up, comes with a case for travel. Took it on location for portrait shot & works great. I plan on buying addition rapid soft boxes. Love it