I get a lot of comments about using expensive photography equipment, most notably lighting. To be fair, the $400 softbox isn’t for everyone, and most people find it ridiculous to use this expensive regulator. However, there are good reasons to use such tools. Here’s why.
One of the things I started doing when I started my photography journey was to stick with it for as long as I could. I’m running a long marathon, not a short sprint. So investing always makes more sense than buying something over and over again. I’ve been doing this for a while with camera gear: I’ll buy cheap lenses. Since then, I have amassed a collection of inexpensive lenses that no longer work. This leads me to believe that it is better to own a lens but a good one. This, among other reasons, is why I own fewer but higher quality dimmers.
My first light modifier, if we call it that, is an umbrella from Amazon for about $15. It’s a great tool that works and does exactly what it should do: diffuse the light, make the light softer, and give me results I’m happy with. This one, combined with a 200W Yongnuo lamp, has been my setup for a while. I’ll show up with those two and get to work. By the way, the reason I chose Yongnuo is because it’s cheaper than Godox. Most budget settings did the job and very well. Except that’s what I thought back then. My eyes are not trained enough to see flaws, and even when there are problems, I still think they are normal. Then I found a used umbrella of an expensive brand name, you can guess the name, and my job changed. I don’t take better pictures, I don’t instantly become rich and famous (yet yet), but my business changes in terms of spending. I still own and use that umbrella.
To be long-lived
The first reason to invest instead of saving on a dimmer is that expensive dimmers are of much higher quality. It’s made from a higher grade metal, the bars won’t break and the acceleration won’t get stuck as soon as you try to take it off. Most, with a few exceptions, are purchased used. The most used modifier and also easily broken: my floppy box, bought used. By this point, I’ve used it hundreds of times, exposed it to the sun, overheated it with a model lamp, threw it, and let it fall from the lamp holder. Softboxes have existed for all. The quality of the diffuser fabrics, Velcro and reflective materials is superior to anything a cheaper option would offer. Having dealt with a large number of softboxes both expensive and cheap, you only know this feeling when the material is thick and durable — when it sticks together perfectly every time and when you can toss it without worry. it broke. Fold it a thousand times and it will be as good as the day you bought it. I say this, and I mean it. There are photographers using softboxes from the 90s that are still working. In fact, I’m looking to buy some myself.
The same can be said about hard modifiers like reflectors. Back in the day, I owned a cheap reflector that had only been dropped once or twice already dented and scratched. At the same time, higher quality products are simply made from thicker metal, designed to withstand higher pressures. You might ask why you should invest in a piece of metal designed to simply reflect light. I’ll answer. As soon as you get out of the studio and put it in a bag next to other tuners, you realize that it breaks very quickly. The shape of the reflector is really important, and if it doesn’t look the same after a few field trips, you may need to buy something like it again. All this increases the cost of an expensive reflector very quickly.
Light quality
The quality of light you can get from expensive dimmers is second to none. First and foremost, they will be designed with efficiency in mind. Grab two softboxes, one cheap and one expensive, and you’ll see for yourself that the reflective fabric isn’t as reflective as the cheaper one. Profoto does this really well with their softbox, where the interior is reflective and textured to properly and effectively reflect ambient light. Producing this is more expensive, but the amount of light emitted is much larger, resulting in less power consumption.
The same can be said about reflectors. Depending on which reflector you choose, you may find that the surface inside them is very different. Cheaper reflectors won’t be as reflective and won’t produce as sharp light as a more expensive, high-quality option. I can bet you you’ll start to care about efficiency once you get to the venue. The Profoto Clic Magnum excel in this. Designed for Profoto Clic lamps, this reflector is both highly reflective and effective in providing extra power to lamps such as the Profoto A2.
Ecosystem
Ultimately, what makes expensive dimmers worthwhile is the ecosystem. Brands design their modifiers to work primarily with their lights. Companies like Briese go a step further and create the technology so that it only works with their products. The same can be said about Profoto, Broncolor and Elinchrom. While the Profoto-Elinchrom was a great light combo that I needed to try, to be honest, I’m quite pleased with how the Profoto lamp with the Profoto dimmer and the Broncolor with the Broncolor dimmer performed. The ecosystem goes further when you start talking about things like hard reflectors. Softbox is a softbox, and it is designed to simply diffuse and soften light. Dedicated hard reflector to create light patterns. Therefore, you cannot use Profoto hard reflectors on flat front lights if you want accurate results. To mitigate this, I bought a dome for my B1X, which improved the results.
Stop thinking
As you can see, there are several good reasons to invest in a high-end dimmer. Whether it’s quality, durability, or light performance, these are important to me as a professional working photographer. I simply couldn’t afford to have a pause modifier on set, as that would stop the footage and slow down the creative process. After all, the creative process matters and good tools make it faster and more enjoyable.
