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Product Description
The Ezybox Hotshoe with the all new Mark II bracket (LL LS2414) converts your battery operated flash Features gun from a harsh directional light into a much softer diffused light. This 24” x 24” Ezybox Hotshoe folds flat for easy storage and can be assembled in a matter of minutes. There are also a number of accessories available including extending handles, a tilthead bracket, creative diffusers and a powerful clamp with brass spigot. The new bracket is made of Delrin (a Nylon derivative)and is designed to flex, not bend. The hole is rectangular to match that of a tilt-head flash and is even able to fit the Nikon SB900 flash. This system will also accept handle mount flashes with optional mount plates (sold separately) for Metz 76, Metz 45 and Quantum flashes and can also accept optional studio type accessories (released late in 2009) such as beauty dishes, snoots and reflectors. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: height: 23.62; in; width: 23.62 in. This replaces the LL LS2462.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I'll start off by saying that I've used many lighting accessories over the past few years - the Ray Flash Ringflash Adapter for Canon 580EX II Flash with Canon 1V/1Ds/1D DSLR Cameras, the ePhoto A121BH 22-Inch Beauty Dish Bracket with White Diffuser and Honeycomb Mount, the Photek 36" Softlighter, Diffusing Umbrella with Black Cover., Gary Fong Origami Flash Diffusion System, Gary Fong WhaletailTM Complete Studio System, Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce for the Canon 580EX Flash and umbrellas. I think each one has it's uses and I still use (most of) them to this day.
The one thing these have in common are that they're designed for portable flashes -- if you're using portable flashes, "portable" is often the important part. You can't really be hauling around 30 pounds of gear for every photoshoot you want to do. A lot of the Speedlight Softboxes are made of metal and not the most compact.. they're fine if you want to set them up at home, but a pain if you plan to bring it all to the part for a photoshoot. That's where this comes in.
I will note that the model I'm reviewing is the Ezybox 24" Hotshoe Kit Mark 2. One problem I've noticed are that a lot of people refer to these as the "Ezybox" or "Ezybox Hotshoe" so it's hard to tell exactly what is being reviewed (I was surprised when mine showed up and was different from what I've seen online previously).
The difference between the Mark 1 ("Ezybox 24" Hotshoe") and the Mark 2 (this one) are all in the bracket (from what I can tell, the softbox itself is the same):
Mark 1 Bracket:
* Made of metal
* Circle opening (much like that for a studio strobe to fit in)
* Shorter height
* 1/4" threaded coldshoe
Mark 2 Bracket:
* Made of thick plastic
* Rectangle/Oval-Opening (to fit the speedlights' head)
* Higher maximum height (so you can use a radio trigger on your flash or a larger flash like a Nikon SB-900)
* "Double-Coldshoe" (one side fits most flashes, the other fits the SB-900)
The Mark 2 bracket is sold separately if you own the previous Ezybox Hotshoe, but it's very expensive at almost 100-bucks: Lastolite LL-LS2414 Ezybox Hotshoe Mark II Mounting Bracket New
The Mark 2 bracket comes as 2 pieces: The speedring and the coldshoe/lightstand adapter. They slide together easily and lock in place with thumbscrews -- the reason they come as 2 pieces are so that you can store them inside the carrying bag along with the softbox (when assembled it's too thick to store this way).
One big downfall of the Mark 2 bracket is that it no longer uses a 1/4" threaded attachment for the coldshoe -- the previous Mark 1 did. The Mark 2 uses a slightly smaller version (not sure of the exact size, but not a standard photography thread size) - this means you can't directly attach any alternate coldshoes you might have (such as a Stroboframe Bracket Shoe Mount, Flash stand for Canon 580EX 550EX 430EX 380EX 220EX, ETTL cables, Pocketwizards or Radio triggers). You're pretty much forced to use the included hotshoe. (I'm sure you can take a trip to the hardware store to buy replacement parts that will fit, but it was very disappointing to see it not come with the standard 1/4" or 3/8" threading).
The bracket uses knobs for "up/down" positioning (based on speedlight size) and "front/back" positioning (to move the flash close to the opening)
The included coldshoe is made of the same thick plastic as the stand, but includes a white plastic insert to "hold" the speedlight foot. You can see the coldshoe here: Lastolite LL LA2433 Ezybox Cold Shoe for Nikon Sb900 Flash Units - my problem with this is that I don't like to trust these "held in place by friction" coldshoes, and it doesn't work too great with a flash like the Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras which uses a rubber weather-sealing around the locking mechanism.
I plan to use this flash wirelessly, so I put my Yongnuo 2.4GHz Wireless Flash Trigger/Receiver and Shutter Remote for Canon 1D/5D/7D/10D/20D/30D/40D/50D DSLR on the coldshoe. It does hold in place with the friction-grip of the coldshoe, but for my own piece of mind, I wrapped it up tightly with Gaffers Tape to prevent it from sliding out (if you're using a 500-dollar flash, the last thing you want is for it to slide out and down 5-10 feet to the concrete! Heck, same applies to a 50-dollar flash). That was a big downside for me. If you have a flash receiver that does NOT have a "hotshoe" type piece on it, there is no way to connect it to this unless it (and your camera) have a PC-sync input, and that method isn't as user-friendly. An example is the YN CTR-301 Hot Shoe Flash Light control Remote Trigger w/ PC Cable which only has a flat base with 1/4" threading on the bottom.
The Ezybox itself is very lightweight - I would guess it weighs 1-2 pounds with the bracket.
The size (when in it's case) is much bigger than I thought. Watching videos online, the Ezybox Hotshoe is shown as being able to fold up into a very small carry bag (looks like an 8" circle). This must be one of the older models (or a smaller version) as the 24" model only folds up to a (roughly) 24" triangle (about 2 feet for each size) which is a bit less compact if you need to carry it around all day (won't fit into a bag/backpack and is a bit big to carry by itself). The included bag seems fine as far as materials go, but it's a cheap-looking blue color which stands out quite a bit (this seems to be their signature color, I just think it looks bad.. but it is just a carrying bag. No deductions to the score for this, this is more of a "For your information" bit of information)
The material appears to be made out of a traditional Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector material.. you can tell the 4 sides of the "Softbox" are made of this.. fortunately it keeps it lightweight and easy to fold up (or unfold). The exterior is black and the interior silver -- I'll note that the exterior does have a 3x6" LASTOLITE EZYBOX logo on it (again, "for your information only")
Finally, there are 2 sheets of diffusion material included - the smaller one goes in first and fits roughly right in the middle between the flash and the front of the softbox, the 2nd one goes on the "end" of the softbox. Both have velcro on the borders and snap in place VERY easily. Material seems very high in quality (both material and craftsmanship with the velcro being attached) compared to some of the cheaper alternatives. I will note that because it uses velcro to attach, it is somewhat noisy when you remove the diffuser sheets (this is important if doing a photoshoot somewhere that needs to be quiet -- you won't want to take the diffuser apart in the middle of a wedding ceremony.
The softbox attached very easily to the bracket/speedring (I was very surprised by this -- literally 5-10 seconds). This is often a lengthy process with some of the traditional softboxes. It detached just as easily.
Light quality from this is very nice -- it's nice and soft and looks very nice (I didn't notice any color-casts from it). The falloff is pretty fast, so you probably don't want to be too far from your subject with this (5-8 feet is what I'd assume is the max I'd want to go). You probably also won't use this for group shots. For 1-2 people though, it works nice (particularly if doing a waist-up or headshot).
There is quite a bit of light-loss from the diffusion material. I can't measure it, but I would safely say at least 1 stop of light per diffusion sheet. The way this is designed, the flash points in through the back (outside of the softbox), aimed directly at the diffusion sheets (with the silver lining of the softbox along the exterior walls). Most of these portable softboxes like the Westcott 28" Apollo Speedlite Kit for Shoe Mount Strobes. go for a different approach.. the flash is INSIDE the softbox, pointing at the rear walls (silver) which then bounce it forward through the reflection material. I would assume the "inside" method works a bit better since it reflects much more, but I HIGHLY prefer the method of the Ezybox as it allows you to adjust the controls easily (the Apollo, for example, requires you to open it up and go inside the softbox to change controls).
With the bracket on the Ezybox, I had no problem with my radio triggers (sometimes they're too long and won't allow the flash to get close enough to the opening, or require you to put it on sideways and twist the flash head) - I had none of those problems with the Ezybox and RF-602 radio triggers linked above.
One other nice touch is that all 4 sides of the Ezybox have a velcro strip on the outside. This is great if you use other velcro accessories (flash gels, diffusion sheets, HONL accessories, etc..) as you can easily "hold" them in place using this (so they're always there if you need them). Read more ›
The one thing these have in common are that they're designed for portable flashes -- if you're using portable flashes, "portable" is often the important part. You can't really be hauling around 30 pounds of gear for every photoshoot you want to do. A lot of the Speedlight Softboxes are made of metal and not the most compact.. they're fine if you want to set them up at home, but a pain if you plan to bring it all to the part for a photoshoot. That's where this comes in.
I will note that the model I'm reviewing is the Ezybox 24" Hotshoe Kit Mark 2. One problem I've noticed are that a lot of people refer to these as the "Ezybox" or "Ezybox Hotshoe" so it's hard to tell exactly what is being reviewed (I was surprised when mine showed up and was different from what I've seen online previously).
The difference between the Mark 1 ("Ezybox 24" Hotshoe") and the Mark 2 (this one) are all in the bracket (from what I can tell, the softbox itself is the same):
Mark 1 Bracket:
* Made of metal
* Circle opening (much like that for a studio strobe to fit in)
* Shorter height
* 1/4" threaded coldshoe
Mark 2 Bracket:
* Made of thick plastic
* Rectangle/Oval-Opening (to fit the speedlights' head)
* Higher maximum height (so you can use a radio trigger on your flash or a larger flash like a Nikon SB-900)
* "Double-Coldshoe" (one side fits most flashes, the other fits the SB-900)
The Mark 2 bracket is sold separately if you own the previous Ezybox Hotshoe, but it's very expensive at almost 100-bucks: Lastolite LL-LS2414 Ezybox Hotshoe Mark II Mounting Bracket New
The Mark 2 bracket comes as 2 pieces: The speedring and the coldshoe/lightstand adapter. They slide together easily and lock in place with thumbscrews -- the reason they come as 2 pieces are so that you can store them inside the carrying bag along with the softbox (when assembled it's too thick to store this way).
One big downfall of the Mark 2 bracket is that it no longer uses a 1/4" threaded attachment for the coldshoe -- the previous Mark 1 did. The Mark 2 uses a slightly smaller version (not sure of the exact size, but not a standard photography thread size) - this means you can't directly attach any alternate coldshoes you might have (such as a Stroboframe Bracket Shoe Mount, Flash stand for Canon 580EX 550EX 430EX 380EX 220EX, ETTL cables, Pocketwizards or Radio triggers). You're pretty much forced to use the included hotshoe. (I'm sure you can take a trip to the hardware store to buy replacement parts that will fit, but it was very disappointing to see it not come with the standard 1/4" or 3/8" threading).
The bracket uses knobs for "up/down" positioning (based on speedlight size) and "front/back" positioning (to move the flash close to the opening)
The included coldshoe is made of the same thick plastic as the stand, but includes a white plastic insert to "hold" the speedlight foot. You can see the coldshoe here: Lastolite LL LA2433 Ezybox Cold Shoe for Nikon Sb900 Flash Units - my problem with this is that I don't like to trust these "held in place by friction" coldshoes, and it doesn't work too great with a flash like the Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras which uses a rubber weather-sealing around the locking mechanism.
I plan to use this flash wirelessly, so I put my Yongnuo 2.4GHz Wireless Flash Trigger/Receiver and Shutter Remote for Canon 1D/5D/7D/10D/20D/30D/40D/50D DSLR on the coldshoe. It does hold in place with the friction-grip of the coldshoe, but for my own piece of mind, I wrapped it up tightly with Gaffers Tape to prevent it from sliding out (if you're using a 500-dollar flash, the last thing you want is for it to slide out and down 5-10 feet to the concrete! Heck, same applies to a 50-dollar flash). That was a big downside for me. If you have a flash receiver that does NOT have a "hotshoe" type piece on it, there is no way to connect it to this unless it (and your camera) have a PC-sync input, and that method isn't as user-friendly. An example is the YN CTR-301 Hot Shoe Flash Light control Remote Trigger w/ PC Cable which only has a flat base with 1/4" threading on the bottom.
The Ezybox itself is very lightweight - I would guess it weighs 1-2 pounds with the bracket.
The size (when in it's case) is much bigger than I thought. Watching videos online, the Ezybox Hotshoe is shown as being able to fold up into a very small carry bag (looks like an 8" circle). This must be one of the older models (or a smaller version) as the 24" model only folds up to a (roughly) 24" triangle (about 2 feet for each size) which is a bit less compact if you need to carry it around all day (won't fit into a bag/backpack and is a bit big to carry by itself). The included bag seems fine as far as materials go, but it's a cheap-looking blue color which stands out quite a bit (this seems to be their signature color, I just think it looks bad.. but it is just a carrying bag. No deductions to the score for this, this is more of a "For your information" bit of information)
The material appears to be made out of a traditional Neewer 110CM 43" 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector material.. you can tell the 4 sides of the "Softbox" are made of this.. fortunately it keeps it lightweight and easy to fold up (or unfold). The exterior is black and the interior silver -- I'll note that the exterior does have a 3x6" LASTOLITE EZYBOX logo on it (again, "for your information only")
Finally, there are 2 sheets of diffusion material included - the smaller one goes in first and fits roughly right in the middle between the flash and the front of the softbox, the 2nd one goes on the "end" of the softbox. Both have velcro on the borders and snap in place VERY easily. Material seems very high in quality (both material and craftsmanship with the velcro being attached) compared to some of the cheaper alternatives. I will note that because it uses velcro to attach, it is somewhat noisy when you remove the diffuser sheets (this is important if doing a photoshoot somewhere that needs to be quiet -- you won't want to take the diffuser apart in the middle of a wedding ceremony.
The softbox attached very easily to the bracket/speedring (I was very surprised by this -- literally 5-10 seconds). This is often a lengthy process with some of the traditional softboxes. It detached just as easily.
Light quality from this is very nice -- it's nice and soft and looks very nice (I didn't notice any color-casts from it). The falloff is pretty fast, so you probably don't want to be too far from your subject with this (5-8 feet is what I'd assume is the max I'd want to go). You probably also won't use this for group shots. For 1-2 people though, it works nice (particularly if doing a waist-up or headshot).
There is quite a bit of light-loss from the diffusion material. I can't measure it, but I would safely say at least 1 stop of light per diffusion sheet. The way this is designed, the flash points in through the back (outside of the softbox), aimed directly at the diffusion sheets (with the silver lining of the softbox along the exterior walls). Most of these portable softboxes like the Westcott 28" Apollo Speedlite Kit for Shoe Mount Strobes. go for a different approach.. the flash is INSIDE the softbox, pointing at the rear walls (silver) which then bounce it forward through the reflection material. I would assume the "inside" method works a bit better since it reflects much more, but I HIGHLY prefer the method of the Ezybox as it allows you to adjust the controls easily (the Apollo, for example, requires you to open it up and go inside the softbox to change controls).
With the bracket on the Ezybox, I had no problem with my radio triggers (sometimes they're too long and won't allow the flash to get close enough to the opening, or require you to put it on sideways and twist the flash head) - I had none of those problems with the Ezybox and RF-602 radio triggers linked above.
One other nice touch is that all 4 sides of the Ezybox have a velcro strip on the outside. This is great if you use other velcro accessories (flash gels, diffusion sheets, HONL accessories, etc..) as you can easily "hold" them in place using this (so they're always there if you need them). Read more ›
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Hankk
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been using the Ezybox for a few months. The difference in my photos vs. using a plain flash -- or a flash with a small diffuser -- is incredible. No unwanted harsh shadows -- the fill is so much much more natural. It sets up in about 30 seconds from the compact blue zip-up bag (1 pound or so, same diameter as a small Frisbee but much thicker). I wish the bracket which holds the flash extended a little bit more -- another inch -- in order to fit a flash + PocketWizard + PW RF shield, all stacked.
Note that unlike some photos of the product you might see, there is *not* a handle included. There is a clamp (non-rotating), so you can stick in any tripod, light stand, or even wooden dowel to improvise a handle. Or you can buy Lastolite's handle.
I don't know why this thing costs as crazy much as it does. I think it's because it's made by well-paid Brits who invent, design, and build these things right there in the UK. I Looked at some cheap knock-off Chinese ones, which would cost less and work basically the same... they just rip off the Lastolite design and crank them out for less. But I'm happy to support Lastolite, so they can continue to design cool things like this. In the end the price is clearly worth it in terms of improved photos.
Note that unlike some photos of the product you might see, there is *not* a handle included. There is a clamp (non-rotating), so you can stick in any tripod, light stand, or even wooden dowel to improvise a handle. Or you can buy Lastolite's handle.
I don't know why this thing costs as crazy much as it does. I think it's because it's made by well-paid Brits who invent, design, and build these things right there in the UK. I Looked at some cheap knock-off Chinese ones, which would cost less and work basically the same... they just rip off the Lastolite design and crank them out for less. But I'm happy to support Lastolite, so they can continue to design cool things like this. In the end the price is clearly worth it in terms of improved photos.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Topanga Mac
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought one of these units, liked it so much that I bought a second one. The setup is fast and the results are excellent. The new Mark II bracket fits perfectly with my Nikon SB 900's. Wish it were less expensive, but "you get what...". An excellent solution for in-studio and on location.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good value, great results
Light and compact, sets up quickly and packs up just as easily once you figure it out. Excellent light quality for portraits; I would recommend this product to anyone starting out... Read more
Published 8 days ago by P. Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sturdy Softbox
Very easy to assemple. Very sturdy. Better than I excpected product. I plan to purchase a couple more. I highly recommend this product.
Published 1 month ago by Gregory P. Wingerd
5.0 out of 5 stars
So easy to use, so useful for diffused flash
I actually had to talk myself into buying this hotshoe softbox because of the price! After playing around with on-camera flash and not getting the results that I was looking for,... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jeannie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great portable softbox
Love this thing! Great for on location lighting with my speedlights. Took away one star because the screw that locks it to the light stand is pretty light and when I try to run... Read more
Published 4 months ago by N. Karpen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great build quality, does what is supposed to do
A little bit pricier but much better quality than cheaper brands, fells very solid. Very portable but large enough for almost any kind of "normal" shooting situation.
Published 9 months ago by Luis Eduardo Guillen
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good product for portrait
This product is amazing.
Light: Very soft. It contains two layers of diffuser.
If you want to maximize light output, attach none of them;
If you want soft... Read more
Light: Very soft. It contains two layers of diffuser.
If you want to maximize light output, attach none of them;
If you want soft... Read more
Published 10 months ago by ddd
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Lighting Tool for Hotshoe Flashes
I purchased this to supplement my off-camera flash tools. I had mostly been using a shoot-through umbrella, and while the quality of light from the umbrella is great, the light... Read more
Published 14 months ago by W. Hancock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works great for using your Flash off Camera
A perfect fit for my Sb 900.Does a job like if you were using a Studio strobe and light box.I would recommend this product.
Published 17 months ago by Garvin Marshall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great portable OCF light
While a little expensive, this is a great light for a couple of reasons. One, you can reach the controls on your speedlight via the back (as opposed to having to reach inside like... Read more
Published 17 months ago by JohnInCO
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT SOFTBOX!!
I've done my research for my first softbox and decided on the Lastolite 24x24 Ezybox kit. It is somewhat spendy vs others for the size, however the ease of the pop-up and fold-up... Read more
Published 20 months ago by KEVIN PASTORES
