Liking my $16 5-in-1 Reflector

adamr316

adamr316

Well-known member
Just got a 5-in-1 reflector for $16. Compared to the one I was renting that I think was in the $70-100 range it's equal in quality. Not sure of the colorimetry yet but it looks good on any of the sides I've seen.

And considering it was a b*tch to collapse it seems pretty durable. I was bending it every which way until I found a good method (the older ones collapse easier, I think). The reviews on it are good and I won't take much of a loss if this thing does indeed break.
 
I've got three of these and two of the 22" version (which were about $9 ea) for about as much as one from a major brand. I've used them constantly for about a year now, and even the zippers are holding up well.

If I had a complaint, I wish the gold was a little more "silver-gold," as their current color gives subjects a highly oompa-loompish palor in even the bluest sunlight.
 
wtf is this... Is it a joke? I paid 100 bucks for mine.. There must be something to it.
 
Nope PaPa its not a dream. Been using them for years back when Amona was around. Mine have help up well and been around the world. Did a two camera shoot in Rio a while back and the local guy loved mine so I gave him one.
 
BrianMurphy said:
Nope PaPa its not a dream. Been using them for years back when Amona was around. Mine have help up well and been around the world. Did a two camera shoot in Rio a while back and the local guy loved mine so I gave him one.
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Oh yeah, Amvona. What ever happened to those guys? If you picked and chose you could get some killer deals.
 
mcbob said:
If I had a complaint, I wish the gold was a little more "silver-gold," as their current color gives subjects a highly oompa-loompish palor in even the bluest sunlight.
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Not sure I understand. It seems like you're saying the gold isn't gold enough but it there is some silver in the gold wouldn't that warm the light less and make it bluer?
 
slondon said:
Not sure I understand. It seems like you're saying the gold isn't gold enough but it there is some silver in the gold wouldn't that warm the light less and make it bluer?
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No, he means the gold is too gold. Some silver in it would help cool it down.
 
i have a couple of 2 in 1 (Silver one side, gold the other) that i got from ebay for less than 10$ and they've been working perfectly, i choose the 2 sided one because i hate to be playing around with the zippers in the 5in1's
 
The gold really works well on some skin and overdoes it on others. I was working in Barbados where a large portion of the people I shot on camera were either sun tanned or of African heritage and thus varying from quite black to brown. The gold worked wondefully with these skin colours highlighting the character and subtleness of facial expression that I am sure would have been lost or less apparent with white or silver.
IMHO
 
slondon said:
Oh yeah, Amvona. What ever happened to those guys? If you picked and chose you could get some killer deals.
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That's exactly what happened to them, with all the killer deals I think they passed too much savings over to customers :D I bought a 36x24 softbox with 500w& 1000w replacement bulb for $50, and then two smaller softboxes for under $100 combined.... gotta love bargains like that.
 
starcentral said:
That's exactly what happened to them, with all the killer deals I think they passed too much savings over to customers :D I bought a 36x24 softbox with 500w& 1000w replacement bulb for $50, and then two smaller softboxes for under $100 combined.... gotta love bargains like that.
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I hear you both! I bought four of their small 4497 softboxes, two as spares. I popped the center piece out of the speed ring and drilled a hole for a 2" 3/8th bolt and I use them with a 250 globe on the Lowel Pros. Nice small softbox that takes no space and even came with an egg crate and double diffusion. I think I paid less than $20. bucks each for them. So for sure they weren't making much or managing well. The website seems to have been sold however and has nothing to do with gear sales. I think that their Chinese suppliers also figured out how to market through eBay and just cut them out.
 
Brian, didn't your softbox come with the light head too? Mine did.. but I always wondered about modifying the speedring to work with other lights...
 
BrianMurphy said:
I hear you both! I bought four of their small 4497 softboxes, two as spares. I popped the center piece out of the speed ring and drilled a hole for a 2" 3/8th bolt and I use them with a 250 globe on the Lowel Pros. Nice small softbox that takes no space and even came with an egg crate and double diffusion. I think I paid less than $20. bucks each for them. So for sure they weren't making much or managing well. The website seems to have been sold however and has nothing to do with gear sales. I think that their Chinese suppliers also figured out how to market through eBay and just cut them out.
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Now, that's a good idea with a Pro light. I'll try it. I use those babies a lot but never thought to rig a small softbox like that and I have one of those little Amvonas too. I did use one of the Amvona speed rings and adapted it with some off-the-shelf hardware to a Tota and did it without needing to drill any holes in the fixture or speed ring. I should post a picture of that sometime.
 
Here is the speedring mod. The center just comes off when you remove the screws. I used a shaft that I got at Home Depot in the hardware dept. not sure what it is for but it is 3/8 and about three inches long with one inch of thread. Drill a hole in the ring making sure you have assembled and determined where the hole goes for the box to be straight when mounted. And then, put a nut all the way to the end of the thread on the shaft and insert and tighten the other nut. The shaft fits into the umbrella hole on the Lowel Pro. If you have a grinder flatten one side of the shaft so it wont rotate, I have been meaning to do this but if not just use a pony clamp to hold it in place. If you can't find a shaft just use a small piece of threaded rod or a bolt. I like to be able to remove the shaft when I store the ring that way it won't poke up or damage the softbox bag or anything else, just insert it and tighten with your leatherman.
 

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starcentral said:
That's exactly what happened to them, with all the killer deals I think they passed too much savings over to customers :D I bought a 36x24 softbox with 500w& 1000w replacement bulb for $50, and then two smaller softboxes for under $100 combined.... gotta love bargains like that.
Click to expand...

Amvona got sued by Photoflex a few years back. That's what knocked them out of the game.
 
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