If you're looking for better light using your on-camera flash, Photek's Softlighter Hot Shoe Diffuser Kit (46") fits the bill: you get a 46" umbrella with a white interior and black removable cover, a diffuser panel with an opening for a hot shoe flash (not included) and the umbrella shaft, a set of touch fastener tabs for the flash head, a hot shoe umbrella/light stand adapter with an adjustable hot shoe locking plate for mounting the flash/umbrella to a stand, and a set of silver and gold discs for modifying the color of the light. This setup gives you a broad, soft studio-quality light using only a battery-powered "on-camera" flash.
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) 30.1 x 3.6 x 3.5"
Softlighter Hot Shoe Diffuser Kit (46") is rated 4.4 out of 5 by 14.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dana F. from Versatile producing great light. This is the crown jewel of my streamlined kit. I only have gear that is easy to setup and tear down (No soft boxes allowed!) Although this is my most complex piece of kit, I still can't get over how much one can do with it. From regular bounce umbrella to shoot-thru, to brolly box, to pseudo-octo box and the option of having silver, gold, black (gold reversed) reflector inserts. I will never run out of uses for this thing. It is the best quality umbrella I own (vs. photoflex and impact) - as soon as I took it out of the kit the built quality was apparent. Comes with a great speedlight hotshoe/umbrella adapter as well. I'm buying more!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Kayla from Brilliant product that creates beautiful light In love with the photek softlighter diffuser kit!! Gorgeous light, easy to set up, high quality. This is a great solution for beautiful, portable lighting for anyone using off-camera flash. I thought I would need to purchase a strobe and modifiers etc., but this is working perfectly for me (I don't need a higher sync speed at the moment) and saved me a lot of trouble and money.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Bursoni from Quick setup + lightweight! Love the softlighter for my flash. Works nicely + keeps up well with wear and tear.
Rated 5 out of 5 by David from Great product for better looking photography. The Softlighter diffuser 46kit is a high quality, light weight, quick and easy to setup. Very reasonable price for a product that increases the light quality of a small hotshoe flash or LED light source.
Rated 3 out of 5 by Mara R. from Beautiful light This is a very nice light modifier. So simple to set up and use. The only thing I don't like is the seam down the middle and the way you can see it in the catch lights.
Rated 5 out of 5 by jgframes from Nice diffuser for a good price I use this product for portrait photography. This item is easy to setup and is versatile. Being able to use it as an umbrella reflector and a diffuser is awesome.
Why not use the sock version, will it not work with speed light? Also, hot shoe ? Shouldn't it be cold shoe ?
The standard Photek SoftLighter Umbrella with Removable 8mm Shaft (46 ), B&amp;H # PHSL5000FG (with the sock as you describe it), is designed for use with monolight fixtures, not hot shoe speedlights. The sock as you state is centered around the umbrella shaft, and as most all monolights and/or studio strobes typically have built-in umbrella shafts and are designed to rest close to the center umbrella shaft, the sock is designed to wrap around the monolight or studio strobe and can then be sealed with Velcro to prevent light from escaping.Hot shoe flashes are not designed to fit onto light stands; as their name indicates, they are designed to connect to the hot shoe on the top of your camera. As such, to use a hot shoe flash on a light stand, a stand adapter or an umbrella adapter is required. By design, the umbrella shaft receptacle is below the head of the hot shoe flash, which is much taller and has the head of the hot shoe speedlight anywhere from 6-9 inches above the center umbrella shaft. There is no way the standard Softlighter diffuser cover would work with a hot shoe speedlight flash. The Softlight Hot Shoe Diffuser kit has a long vertical slit with Velcro that allows the taller hot shoe flash and umbrella adapter to all sit inside the umbrella and to then be sealed for usage.The item is called the Photek Softlighter Hot Shoe Diffuser Kit as it is designed for hot shoe flashes. The name of the kit is not in reference to the shoe mount adapter on which the flash connects (which would be a cold shoe); it is in reference to the flash type for which it is designed.
Can this version also be used with monolights?
Another question about the 46 softlighter... what light stand do you recommend using to support the weight of the light?
There are many light stands that are good to use with this set up.I have listed some below. But I do recommend if you use this outside to get a sand bag to help prevent it from blowing over in the wind.
Would this defuser hold more than 1 speelite? I have a wescott triple thread and wonder if it will fit through the slit on the diffuser part. Thank you!
Asked by: Diego Ivan M.
Yea it will, make sure you have a sturdy tripod.
Do you feel that the shoe mount holds your speedlight securely? Also, will this work with studio strobes? Thanks!
Its a perfect fit and you can always upgrade to the sock cover for strobe use.