Westcott 2202 28" Apollo Speedlite Kit for Shoe Mount Strobes - Fiberglass Frame

SKU: WEASS28

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Questions & Answers

Shopper : Is this a recessed strobe?SAL P : Yes it is.STAN S : If you are referring to the front, white diffusion panel being recessed from the front most part of the black softbox material, the answer is yes - by six inches. In the picture shown, the white diffusion panel comes across at the point where you see the material change from black to silver.ROBERTA L : The strobe fits inside the soft box and faces toward the reflective back.
Shopper : Hello does this include the stand? Thank you ~PatriciaKIM K : No, the stand is not included.STEVEN H : No, you will need to buy a lighting stand if you do not already have one.THOMAS M : Hi Patricia, Unfortunately the Westcott 28 Apollo Speedlite kit does not come with a light stand. I already had several light stands, including a Manfrotto Avenger 3 section stand. Which works very well for me. TomROBYN T : Hi Patricia, no it does not include the stand,just the softbox.KEN M : Hi Patricia, I bought this recently and it includes the softbox and mount only. The stand is not included. -KenEUGENE K : No, not this one. The other one (Mfr. Part: 233 SKU: WE28AFK) does!RANDY C : As described in the "includes" section, the soft box and a shoe mount umbrella connector are included but a light stand is not. The umbrella connector mounts to any standard light stand.SHARON R : It does not include the stand.GERALD H : It does not include the stand. :(APRIL S : You will need to supply your own stand. In lieu of a stand, the box can be held and positioned by another person. Actually this works much better in the field than using a hardware stand. Good value with this box, quality light.HEATHER S : It includes the bracket, but not the light stand.ADAM S : No, the stand is not included.ANDREW R : No, it's just the soft box and cold shoe adapter.Mark F : No Paticia. It has the soft box and adapter to mount on a stand, but not the stand.
Shopper : Two questions: 1) The picture does not show a front diffusion fabric. Is it included? 2) Will speedlights inside the unit still work with the Nikon CLS (can it be triggered through the softbox), or will something like pocket wizards be required?EDWARD O : The flash(es) go inside of the Softbox, and are pointed to the back of the box. The light is reflected towards the subject. I have used it with and without the diffusion panel in place. With the panel you get a nice soft light source good for lighting 2 or 3 people if they stand real close. The soft box is very easy to set up and folds down to the size of a medium sized umbrella. It is fragile and will break if you bump it around a lot. Be sure to secure your light stands with weights or have a an assistant hold it steady. Optical triggers, infrared, or Nikon's CLS will not work with this soft box. You need either a long TTL cord, or a Radio Frequency trigger. I shoot canon camera's but use 2 Nikon Sb-28's, triggered with simple RF triggers (Cactus V4).ESTHER L : Yes there is front diffusion fabric. I'm not familiar with the Nikon CLS system. I used a Cowboy Studios flash trigger and it works fine.SAL P : Dear shopper, 1. Yes the front diffusion fabric is included. 2. Yes CLS does still work, but your distance will decrease some....I haven't tested it outdoors, so not sure how it would do in that situation. As a side note, I love this product. You won't regret this purchase. In fact.........start saving your money for the larger one, you'll want to eventually have both!APRIL S : Yes the front diffusion fabric is included. As far as Nikon CLS, cant answer that one because I always use radio triggers. Nikon CLS is line of sight infrared triggering, and as the unit is tucked into the box, i think the infrared trigger will be basically useless. Still, the gives nice light and is one of the best out there for build and portability.NELSON H : There is a single layer of diffusion fabric (it's shown folded up in the photo). I've had good luck firing the flash inside the softbox via SU-800 at typical indoor distances, it kinda surprises me most of the time that it works at all. I don't usually trigger my CLS lights with a hotshoed flash, so can't comment on how/if that works.DARRELL M : 1) The front diffusion fabric is included. It Velcros around all four sides, approx. 1-inch back from the front edges. 2) Sorry, I don't know if CLS will work through the fabric. I use pocket wizards, and they work perfectly.JIM B : Hello... 1) The front diffusion fabric is included. 2) You cannot use CLS because the flash is inside the softbox. You will need some kind of trigger unit. I use CowboyStudio radio triggers which are cheap knockoffs and I've been very happy with mine. I've enjoyed this softbox and I recommend it. Regards, AshJEFFREY P : Front diffusion fabric is included and sewn on the top edge. My Nikon SB800 flash works intermittently inside the box. Remember, it is line of sight triggered. A radio is far more reliable. The bigger issue I have with it, is that it does not easily open and close like an umbrella because the central shaft is too short and you have to manually line it up with the umbrella arms shaft that fits over the central shaft. Additionally, the included flash bracket puts the flash too far forward. There are a few homebuilt solutions...check Youtube, and even a $30 bracket you can buy to fix it. Lastly, and this was the killer for me, the zippers on the bottom do not go far enough forward and you cannot really tilt the softbox downward...you know, how people usually use them. I called Westcott and got a call back, but no solution. Unfortunately, I was outside of Adorama's excellent return policy, so it was too late. I would not buy this again and recommend others look for different products.ANDREW R : Yes, there is a front diffuser included. It has velcro on all four sides, and attaches that way to the box. I don't know if CLS will trigger through the diffuser. It's a great piece of equipment, I use it a lot for studio portraits, and am always happy with it.SCOTT E : 1. The diffusion fabric for the front is included. 2. I have never tried the CLS, only used pocket wizards. I will assume it will not work as they sensor is not visible to receive the signal. Hope this helps.ASEM S : 1) Yes the diffusion fabric is included and one side is sewn in. 2) I triggered it with the nikon CLS system all the time.JOSEPH P : Hello, Yes, the front diffusion fabric is included. It Velcro's on the front of the softbox. I do not have Nikon equipment. But I have used the softbox with pocket wizards. ThanksSTEVEN H : 1) Yes, it is included 2) If CLS is infrared or need line of sight, I doubt it will work. I use PocketWizard triggers and I highly recommend buying a pair if you are going to use this (or any) softbox.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2011-12-25T19:00:00

Rated 3 out of 5

fast and easy setup, but low output

This is a nice softbox with easy setup, but the output (with 2 SB900's) is low in my opinion.

jimbo

2011-08-24T21:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Ok, but has some issues

"Front diffusion fabric is included and sewn on the top edge. My Nikon SB800 flash works intermittently inside the box. Remember, it is line of sight triggered. A radio is far more reliable. The bigger issue I have with it, is that it does not easily open and close like an umbrella because the central shaft is too short and you have to manually line it up with the umbrella arms shaft that fits over the central shaft. Additionally, the included flash bracket puts the flash too far forward. There are a few homebuilt solutions...check Youtube, and even a $30 bracket you can buy to fix it. Lastly, and this was the killer for me, the zippers on the bottom do not go far enough forward and you cannot really tilt the softbox downward...you know, how people usually use them. I called Westcott and got a call back, but no solution. [...] I would not buy this again and recommend others look for different products."

JEFFREY P.

2011-03-07T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Apollo Awesomeness

This is the first modifier I've ever purchased and used and would highly recommend it!

Mel

2010-11-20T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Awesome!

This baby is a breeze to set up and use. I absolutely love the light. My only beef with it is that there is no storage bag. Other then that it is perfect.

Marko

2010-11-20T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Excellent Softbox for Speedlite Users

I got this softbox based on [...] recommendation, and the man knows what he's talking about. If you want to turn your shoe mount strobe into a big, beautiful source, this is the way to go. My only minor gripe is that it seems a little unstable, but I haven't had it fall over on me yet, so it's probably not a big deal. Highly recommend.

Flysi

2010-07-23T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Limited tilting angle

The cross zippers where the unit is attached to the light stand do not give you enough rotating options when aiming it towards an object more lower than the unit itself.

Numan A.

2010-07-21T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great product!

I haven't owned this long enough to comment on longevity, but according to other reviewers it holds up well. Wonderful for portraits/headshots, for products when used w/ other modifiers, depending on desired look. It's inexpensive and does a great job. Thanks, Westcott!

Fiat L.

2010-05-23T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

I simply love this product. Great Light

Great modifier! Cuts the wind much better than an umbrella.

RALEIGH B.

2010-05-03T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

sb900

its not wescotts fault nikon designed the sb900 mount differently then previous models.

Truth

2010-02-16T19:00:00

Rated 2 out of 5

Not Quite RIght

First the good part. Easy to set up (mostly) folds semi-compact and the light wraps faces nicely. This is slightly larger than my 24" Ezybox from Lastolite and I bought it because it folds up like an umbrella and I needed a 2nd compact softbox. The not so good. 1. It is 18 months now since Nikon released the SB900 Speedlight but is seems Westcott hasn't heard of it. The SB 900 will NOT fit with the supplied shoe mount umbrella bracket. 2. Either the umbrella shaft is too short, or the collector where the umbrella rods fasten is installed the wrong way, because when you close the umbrella the shaft disengages from the collector hole and becomes loose. Each time you open the softbox you have to reach way inside and manually put the shaft into the rod collector. PITA! 3. Finally, Westcott does not provide a case for the umbrella nor a strap that wraps around itself and locks it closed (unlike other umbrellas from Westcott). So the umbrella is partially open and takes up extra space in whatever case you decide to put it into. I can see other items possibly snagging and maybe tearing it if you are not careful. Overall some glaring omissions on Westcott's part that really diminish the usefulness of this unique type of softbox.

James W.

About Westcott 2202 28" Apollo Speedlite Kit for Shoe Mount Strobes - Fiberglass Frame

FEATURED REVIEWS

Great product!

By Fiat L.

I haven't owned this long enough to comment on longevity, but according to other reviewers it holds up well. Wonderful for portraits/headshots, for products when used w/ other modifiers, depending on desired look. It's inexpensive and does a great job. Thanks, Westcott!

Apollo Awesomeness

By Mel

This is the first modifier I've ever purchased and used and would highly recommend it!

Westcott has enhanced the already popular Apollo product line by building the frame with fiberglass ribs. The fiberglass ribs provides added durability for those on-location situations and windy days!

The Westcott 28" Apollo light modifier allows you to scrim or control the light more readily and allows for 104 degrees of light spread. Built on an umbrella frame, this unit requires no adapter ring and opens and closes just like a standard umbrella, allowing for quick set up and tear down. Pairing this unit with Westcott's 5015 Shoe Mount Umbrella Bracket offers an ideal set up for speedlites. Insert the speedlite directly inside the Apollo rotating the head of the speedlite towards the back of the Apollo and achieve an indirect (evenly distributed) beautiful light source

Key Features

  • No adapter ring required

What's in the box:

  • Westcott 28" Recessed Apollo
  • Shoe Mount Umbrella Bracket
  • Westcott Warranty