Photek SoftLighter II 46" White Umbrella

2021-02-23T13:07:13

This is one of the simplest, most affordable, and transportable ways to achieve beautiful, soft light. Every studio photographer needs at least one of these.

Sam I.

2020-11-22T07:02:33

Awesome, super useful size for shoots

Desmond C.

2019-12-11T13:24:16

Good quality and versatility

SCOTT T.

2019-06-14T09:46:32

I love this modifier! It is extremely portable, easy to set up and creates beautiful light. I also appreciate the ability to remove the shaft.

Erin P.

2018-08-09T14:55:23

Love using this modifier for corporate headshots. Nice build quality at a reasonable cost.

Tony L.

2017-06-06T16:20:04

I've been using the 46" version for about 7 years and finally decided to give the 60" one a shot. As a few other people have said, the diffusion fabric isn't sized properly for the umbrella and the opening is too small. It fits snug on my 46" one, and every strobe I have put in it fit well. With this one, the fabric hangs loosely and I had to fight to get my Einstein into the sock. I still love the quality of light this thing produces, and you can't go wrong with the price. I just wish it were designed better.

BRIAN S.

2017-04-13T12:08:04

If you're looking for an affordable light modifier that provides great coverage and softest light with minimal set-up effort, this 46" softlighter II is the tool you want to pick up.

Raymond S.

2017-04-04T10:11:43

Love this soft light but do not feather it away from your subject in a portrait as the edge of it will enter your lens causing weird ghost like apparitions.

KEVIN C.

2017-02-24T02:51:31

Just a wonderful source of light that's easy to set up and break down, with quality construction. Wind can be a problem, as with any umbrella outdoors, but it can take a decent beating.

RICHARD G.

2016-12-16T12:58:36

I own the 36" and the 46". The white diffusion fabric fits perfect and the front is nice and smooth when connected to the umbrellas. The 60" is a different story. When attached to the umbrella, it doesn't have a clean smooth look like the smaller versions. It looks too large and is quite baggy/saggy. It's not enough to fall off the umbrella (indoors) but it looks like it was not made for this specific sized umbrella. The over all quality of the umbrella and diffusion materials are nice. They are light weight, yet seem sturdy. Set up is quick compared to a softbox. I decided to trim the sock part that fits over the reflector. It was just too difficult to keep it from sliding in between the flash bulb and the reflector when attaching it to my DigiBees. It also bunched up and blocked the air vents for the cooling fan.

RICHARD D.

2016-10-18T12:04:14

This is a great light modifier. It produces big soft light and the price can't be beat! My go to light for portraits.

JONATHAN R.

2016-10-05T08:26:33

This is an excellent product which is very versatile and provides soft lighting for any portrait session.

STEVEN S.

2016-10-03T09:48:47

This light modifier really makes a difference and is easy to use. Works quite well even with a speedlight if the softlighter is set up near the person.

Kim S.

2016-09-26T20:55:37

You should have all three sizes in your light shaping bag!

JON D.

2016-04-15T17:01:15

Good: easy to use, light is nice, fits my profoto b1 head nicely. Big names swear by it. Bad: the fabric used on the outside of the photek is so cheap, the light just goes right through it. You would think a solid black material would not be porous like a lampshade but this one is. Paul buff umbrellas dont leak, they have no excuses. Bottom line: it work as ok, cheap but Photeks design and QA teams are slackers.

James H.

2015-12-28T19:37:45

This is a great product that produces a wonderful soft diffused light. Product is built well.

STEPHEN K.

2015-10-01T03:29:55

I've owned Paul buff products, P-buff wins in terms of material quality. Their umbrellas are constructed of considerably better material. That being said the ease of construction and experience using the Photek is much more positive for me. I assembled it for the first time with no instructions in less than 5 minutes. It packs down to a size that would easily be transported in all manners of conveyance, motorcycle/car/plane. The negatives as I see it, is that the backing material bleeds light. I assembled it for the first time and put it on my Profoto B1 head, the light shown clearly through the apparently very porous black backing of the light shaper. Aside from the materials issues, it does give very nice light at a good price point and I hope to get lots of use out of it before it needs replacing.

Homer

2015-04-06T21:00:00

I use this for location lighting for a single or two-person portrait outside. This is the perfect size for an assistant to hold or to hang over a boom. It doesn't get caught in the wind as easily as the bigger sized modifiers. It's easy to transport and the light from this is really nice.

WERN Y.

2014-05-05T21:00:00

The removable shaft is terrific. The 60 inch Softlighter fits into my small studio well. I get great light even with one speedlight at medium power.

WILLIAM B.

2014-04-15T21:00:00

Well made product that sets up fairly quickly and produces a soft light like no other. It's like having a giant movable source of window light at your disposal.

JESSE R.

2014-04-07T21:00:00

I read about this lighting modifier at Strobist and was skeptical about it performing anywhere near as good as an octa-box. But now I know better. with an appropriately powerful strobe attached it throws a huge amount of smooth, soft light. I use it with an old Vivitar 285 for outdoor and indoor shooting and it works great! Just be sure you have strong enough stands/booms with counterweight and sandbags if there's any chance of a breeze because it makes a pretty effective kite as well.

JR33D

2014-01-12T19:00:00

Purchased in 2008 Hardly USED IT BROKEN, one of the spin tip broke off, still usable, I wouldn't have written this bad review if I got some use out of it, used maybe 5 to 10 times. You get what ya pay for sometime.

RUSSELL K.

2013-10-27T21:00:00

I have used this for both studio and outdoor shoots with my Alien Bee strobes and am super happy with the results. Its quick to setup, durable and simply gets the job done.

MIGUEL Q.

2013-04-22T21:00:00

I have used this for a couple of portrait sessions since I purchase this last month and it is amazing. The efficiency and quality of light is great. It gives you the control of lighting equipment along with the large soft quality of natural light. It is HUGE and probably not the best for travel use if you are using it in studio or at home it is great...If you do take it out and damage it, it is far less then some of the competitors options so you can afford to replace it. I really like the breakdown shaft that allows you to shorten the umbrella shaft which allows you to get much closer to your subject.

JOSH M.

2013-04-01T21:00:00

First things first, this thing is huge! I use it in an empty spare bedroom/studio with regular 8-foot ceilings. Obviously you have very little maneuverability with the Softliter. It's worth the trouble though. It really does throw a wonderfully soft light. Used with an AB800 with the shaft removed, you can cozy it right up to the subject for marvelously soft, surrounding light. There is one issue for some people in that the catch lights have a dark center caused by the AB800 as well as a "tail" caused by the power cord descending from the AB800 to the floor. You can either ignore these, or if a perfectionist, go in and clone them out. I have only used this a couple of times, and both indoors. I think almost any breeze would present real problems trying to stabilize this giant sail. Also, it helps even indoors to have a fairly sturdy light stand. You don't necessarily need cinematic C-stands, but $10 stands from some outlet store are probably not going hold up well with the size of this thing. There is also some info out there that the umbrella is difficult to install. I've had no problems in that regard. I use it with the AB800's. I attach the AB umbrella reflector to the AB800, then slide the Softliter II "sock" over the reflector, being careful not to cover the ventilation slots on the AB800. Drape the diffusion screen over the AB800 and insert the shaft of the Softliter into the shaft holder. I then slip the grommets of the diffusion material over the tips of the umbrella ribs and it's done. Ending as I started, to sum up the Softliter II 60 incher, it's big and beautiful.

RANDY B.

2013-03-25T21:00:00

Excellent product thats very good as a large light source for portraits or studio work.

RICK S.

2013-02-05T19:00:00

Great for large source portrait light

FREDDIE B.

2013-02-04T19:00:00

I use this for portraits, and liked it so much, bought a second one. Much easier to set up on a location than a 5 foot octagon soft box. I use Nikon SB 900 speed lights with Pocketwizards.

BOB S.

2013-01-06T19:00:00

Wow big size..easy to set up.. Lots of uses as a softbox, shoot through and bonce back. Great for on location. Make sure you secure your stand. This is a big wind catcher.

Wally

2012-09-16T21:00:00

I love the light I get out of this. It's size makes it great for outdoor shots. I'm a bit concerned about how strong the ribs are. The umbrella comes with a warning paper telling you to make sure it's unfurled before you open it. In an outdoor shoot with some wind, this could be a problem, but time will tell.

ALAN M.