Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hey guys... first time caller here!

I have a pair of 30x60 softboxes that I'm noticing are having a little bit of a problem... there is a gap between the top of the speed ring (when mounted on either my B800 or B1600) and the body of the flash unit. My first thought is that it's almost as if the spring-mounted clips (the ones that you pull together while mounting the softbox) don't have enough "oomph" in the springs to hold the tension outward all of the way, but after looking closer the clips are in their outermost position. Basically, when the stand is upright and the box/light is at a normal 90-degree angle (lets say to the left for explanation's sake), the box basically droops... not at the lightstand mount like it is explained in the FAQ, but rather where the speed ring mounts to the light unit itself.

Couple thoughts... since I don't use a boom extension, could using it this way caused warping of the speed rings? Has anybody else had this issue?

Love to hear if anybody has any experience with/has a solution for this...

Thanks in advance!!!

How far is it drooping? Other than the concern of warping the speedring (which it won't hurt the speedring), is it causing any ill effect?

I'd say that the gap is about 1/8", maybe a fraction more.

I bumped in to it during a shoot (luckily the model was changing) and it actually came right off of the light. How it didn't catch/break the modeling bulb/monolight bulb still blows my mind. To give it the benefit of the doubt, let's say that I may have mis-mounted it. I'm 99.9999% sure I didn't, though... I'm human, but I'm also pretty anal about making sure that I mount my gigantor softboxes properly.

I've balanced the softbox on a level surface and my initial view was that the speedring didn't look warped (no gaps/turning up on the edges where the ring met the ground, etc). But then again, when the softbox isn't attached the clips extend out to their furthest reaching point, which would indicate the the springs are at least working correctly WITHOUT a load.

Maybe the next test is to mount the softbox without any of the diffusion material attached and see if the clips look like they're slipping from the diffusion side, instead of from the monolight side. Worth trying?

BTW, I should clarify. These are 30"x60" giant foldable softboxes that were bought less than a year ago (item code: FSB3060), just for reference.

Yes, if possible, mount the softbox without the diffusion material and see if you can specifically identify the failure. This will both ensure the box is mounted correctly, as well as showing if the fingers or slipping, or any other issue. Please let me know what you find!

Sorry this took so long... but yeah. It looks like the little "catches" on the light itself don't extend all of the way out to their furthest points when the softbox is attached. :(

Are they up against teh speedring, or is there a gap between the fingers and the ring?

They're up against the speedring when the box is vertical (on top, facing straight up), but as soon as you go off-vertical they slide back and a gap between the speedring and the mounting plate of the monolight appears. Basically, it appears that the springs just don't have the "umph" to hold it tight.

You will likely get a small gap between the ring and the front plate of the light, however, it should not fall off. If it does (assuming all 4 fingers are in place) then the springs of the mounting mechanism should be adjusted. If a small gap forms (1/8" or so) at the top, but otherwise stays in place, no ill effects should arise from it.

I can work around this... but my worry is that if I plan on using the softbox in these types of situations (hanging the softbox from overhead via clamps & background pole) or possibly on a boom arm in the future, I'm really worried about this becoming a much more dangerous issue.

And seriously... if me trying to do this with a 30x60 softbox is unrealistic, please tell me. I can handle the truth... lol.

We have users doing this all the time. As I said, a small gap will likely be there, but the box should not fall.