Performance
This set worked quite well for video work and even film work. The pictures included with this review were shot with a DVX100 that was using the Redrock Micro 35mm adapter, which cuts nearly two f-stops of light sensitivity from the DVX100.
The spring steel staves that give the softbox its shape stayed flexible and didn’t warp with use, even when, under one of our tests, we had it hold its shape for a month. The stands are well constructed, although they did bow a bit when fully extended. I would like to see a little thicker construction of the stands in future versions to eliminate this problem. Still, this is a fairly small issues and did not get in the way of the overall performance of the softbox.
Value
Ranging from $219 for the single light KSB-500 to $559 for the triple light KSB-1250, these lights are very economical and throw out a decent amount of light onto your subjects.
Perhaps even more important than the initial cost of the lights is the cost of bulbs that the lights use. Many professional light rigs can have bulbs in the hundreds of dollars range. While the 500W 3200K bulbs used by the KSB-1000 will burn out before those more expensive bulbs, the are only $6 a piece to replace, so the cost of operation is amazingly cheap! If you want to use this setup to provide daylight to a scene, the daylight bulbs are a bit pricier at $50 a pop. However, the good thing is that because these daylight bulbs are specially designed and balanced fluorescents, they burn much cooler and last 8000 hours. (This means that you could actually leave these lights on 24 hours a day for nearly a year!) Just make sure you don’t touch the bulbs with your bare hands when you’re swapping between the two options, as the oils from your hands are not good for bulbs.
Final Comments
If you need a solid lighting solution that is readily affordable, even with micro-budgets, then the Economy SoftBox series of lights from Smith-Victor might just be the perfect solution. Plus, with inexpensive incandescent bulbs and long-lasting fluorescent bulbs, the cost to use these lights for the long haul won’t break the bank either!
