Live Stream - Cheetah vs. Glow EZ Lock Softboxes - Head to head flash modifiers

[@2010mustangmr]

I bought a 48" Glow parapop soft box and after two weeks of use, the material is already tearing up. Beautiful soft lighting but the material is cheap. And the rubber ring that got in the middle reflector fell off. Already going to send it back and get a refund!

[@robhallphoto]

Thanks for letting me (and others watching) know!

[@Canon1DMkII]

I think you mean 38" Parapop. That surprises me as I have had mine for just over six months and it works fine for me. Anytime you buy a lightweight modifier there are always tradeoffs in material quality. I'm not disappointed at all.

[@2010mustangmr]

the new one that Adorama just got and are on back order.......I paid like 105 or something like that, its has yellow stripes.

[@bobwill]

Platinum Production Photography San Antonio Texas I don’t see a 48” listed for the paradox, which could mean that there were enough quality problems that they pulled it off the shelves for now. Have you called them, the glow stuff is supposed to have a 2 year warranty.

[@frankwoodbery2473]

Like others have said, there is no 48" Parapop. I have two 38" Parapops and they seem to be holding up just fine.

[@RyanMatta]

Great video rob

[@dab7963]

So glad you made this video looking forward to watching this. I have cheetah and glow and neewer and Godox and chimera. May sound surprising but of all of them I actually like the glow and have started buying quite a few of them.

[@steverealtyandfinance8171]

what do you think of the new glow parasnap softboxes?

[@robhallphoto]

My video on them shares all my thoughts.

[@dab7963]

Also the glow is half the price.

[@jeffreyrifkin7420]

Have many Glow modifiers but just ordered a Cheetah 48" with chopstick so I can have reverse/indirect mounting.

[@darryllafferty8730]

My guess is that both Cheetah and Glow products are OEM by Jinbei to the specifications of each vendor.

[@Canon1DMkII]

I do think Glow EZ Locks accommodates different mounting plates. There is a Profoto adaptor listed at Adorama.

[@Starriddin]

The yellow is to keep people from running into it!

[@deganni2688]

Thanks for all your insightful videos. I'm a long time subscriber. Between Cheetah and Glow, which one is your more go to modifier?

[@robhallphoto]

I use Glow exclusively now for a number of reasons. They have a more diverse lineup, and when it came to filling out my rental studio, Cheetahstand didn’t have anything in stock, something that’s been an issue now for a while. They will have months where their best modifiers are unavailable. Even without stock issues. I would have chose Glow for the studio gear anyways because of the price difference. And my current favorite light for on location kit, AD300 Pro, is Godox mount which Cheetahstand has nothing for, but Glow sells the AD-S85, S65, and S60.

[@deganni2688]

@@robhallphoto as always your insight is appreciated. From your videos, I have the ad600pro and ad400pro on my wish list. I'm gonna add the ad300pro to that list. Thanks again for everything

[@Canon1DMkII]

Al of my Glow grids have labels on them indicating their sizes in mm or inches: "EC38" on the Parapop 38" and "85mm" on the Glow EZ Lock 34" Beauty Dish

[@Zainphotography]

They don't ship to Australia. i have no idea where can i buy similar softboxes in this county.

[@johannbeckham]

Mate, have you found where we Aussies can get these cheetah here in Straya?

[@claydowdy9596]

Will the Ad600 pro fit the QSB 26? I have a Glow 25 inch that I can not use because the bulb on the Ad600 pro is too long.

[@robhallphoto]

Yes it fits. And yeah the Glow 25" makes that distinction on the product page.

[@claydowdy9596]

@@robhallphoto yes it does say it on the page. I saw it too late. Lol! Thanks for responding.

[@frnkjones40]

Would like to have seen the softboxes as much as I did your mic.

[@robhallphoto]

Almost as informative as the wealth of knowledge on your channel.

[@ltshinta]

Given this video is three years old, if Cheetah and Glow both produce a similar size softbox, price aside, which would you go for? Sounds like you prefer the Cheetah from this video. Thanks

[@deepspiritmedia9485]

The sad part is that you can't get this brands in europe

[@reoflex]

I prefer the Cheetahstand for quality and I own both brands. For the 48" Quick Ricebowl I picked up a 2' piece of 1" PVC pipe and a "T" fitting and made a push pole to push the box open down the unbrella rod instead of having to bend over and reach deeply into the box. Works beautifully. I keep it in the oversized bag, (love the oversized bag!) with the softbox. Just ordered the 36" Quick Ricebowl and will order the 42" Quick Soupbowl for use outside when it's back in stock in the middle of December.

[@jonnyboy8000]

Use a EC200 to get the flash on camera

[@reoflex]

Thanks Robert. Just ordered the Cheetah Quick Ricebowl 48" on your recommendation. Will get it in a week. I appreciate your efforts. I had planned on getting the glow, but changed my mind in agreement with your preferences too.

[@officialtiimo]

Have any new softboxes or other flash modifiers come out in the past two years that you think are similar enough to the ones mentioned in this video in design and use but also obviously price to performance ratio to justify also considering when comparing these two softbox lineups?

[@robhallphoto]

In Bowens mount, no.

[@officialtiimo]

@@robhallphoto Okay, thanks :)

[@VisiVisuals]

Phottix & Godox maybe

[@bobwill]

Man, I just got the EZ Lock 34” Beauty Dish, and when I first tested it out (quick open and close) everything seemed fine. Then, later in the day, I put in the deflection disk, and the rubber ring slipped off as I was pushing it on the rod. Take it off, slip the ring back onto the disk, push it back on keeping my pressure on the center, and get it all the way down, open the softbox up all the way, and it refuses to lock into place, the arms are getting stuck on the lip of the deflector. I pushed it so far down that the ring didn’t just come off again, it ripped into two pieces. I bought this to take on a trip where I’m leaving Wednesday morning. Why did I wait so long to buy the softbox? Well, ya see, I needed something that would fit into my 29” long suitcase for a flight. When you look at the 48” parabolic’s stats, they list the same folded size as the 28” (I actually bought the 38” parabolic, just figuring it would The the same size or smaller. So, given that I will have use for the 38” when I get back, I didn’t complain, and kept it. So, I spent most of a week figuring out how to proceed, and finally ordered the 34” beauty dish, and now, I’m what, about $180 in and still don’t have anything that can do the job I bought both of them for. Not happy.

[@sancho316]

Could you show us how you get such beautiful background 😱

[@robhallphoto]

It’s two LED panels with gels, fired at 45 degree angles!

[@sancho316]

Robert Hall Photography thank you.

[@jasonbodden8816]

Nobody should be opening any of these softboxes on their chests. Just put it on the floor and open it. It's really easy and takes 2 seconds. Don't know why anyone would do it any differently. It's much easier in general. The Glow Parabolic softboxes are more difficult to open, *particularly* the 48". THAT is a bitch to push down into place even if you get above it. I love the light out of that thing but I sold it and bought the EZ Lock version, which is way lighter and a pleasure to open. Too much strength just to open the damn thing and I don't consider myself weak by any means.

[@Connor_Dempsey]

Great channel Robert

[@robhallphoto]

Thank you!

[@bluedragoninc559]

Thanks for all your help Robert. My QRB 48 should be arriving Thursday, and I'm looking forward to putting it to use. I like your content in your videos... You're straight-up with your reviews and all your videos are very informative. I appreciate that. Continue with success brother, and as always I'll be looking forward towards your next video. Vince

[@kenawaken6894]

Kinda long but worth reading. I bought both Glow EZ octa 36’ and deep parabolic 38’ and after 4months of use. The material on both are slowly giving in and tearing apart as if it were effected by the heat from my strobe and Aputure 120d (mind you which doesn’t give too much heat, and never hot to touch, so maybe its not a heat problem but a material and quality control problem). I probably shoot for around 4-6hours 3 times a week and I notice there are some poorly done stitching on both of the products particularly where you connect your light to and the ends of where the prongs ends, I literally have to black tape it to have more secruity. I complain and sent photos to Adorma and sent them micro shots of the poorly done stitching and how the material is tearing but they refuse to give me a refund or replacement bc they think I missed use it, they don’t even stand by their product they sell to make things right and really upseting… I bought both of these full retail $150 and $165, and now they’re literally discounting them for 60% off, which is good for people to afford but im having second doubts. Since this is an Adorama product if you type in soft box in their search, this product is on the top of the list with a lot of reviews phrasing this product, but if you type this product on KZbin, THERE ARE NO REVIEWS or unboxing. Which is a little funky, which means Adorma prolly have fake reviews on their product to be passed as superior or no one wants to review the product on youtube. If you look at the top contender like Westcott rapid Box who reign supreme, there are tons of reviews on youtube but less reviews on sites. You see a lot of high end you tubers, and film makers using Westcott and not Glow EZ. But anyways that’s my 2 cents, I still currently have both of the Glow EZs and its still hanging on, with tape on certain spots and me personally stitching areas of weakness just to give it more strength, and when you think about it its crazy to do all this for a product…

[@toburton15]

Robert, Travis Burton again. I've been a Elinchrom guy for a long time and gradually transitioning to GODOX/Cheetah. Question, is there a bracket mount for Elincrom modifiers for the Godox AD600 Pro? I've looked in the usual places; Adorama and B&H? Thanks

[@_johnvalentine]

Not sure if it’s just me but the video stops around 5:37 mark...

[@ckm3865]

Also check out Atlas bags the next time you go for an overseas trip.

[@xpy1]

What size should I use for fashion and weddings the 48 or 38 inch

[@llamarvasquez1803]

Hello there... can you take group photos or a couple with a 34 glow EZ beautiful dish outside... or what kind of Softbox would you recommend not too big thanks

[@KirbyG970]

You can if you angel it from say a 45 or 60 degress. But watch your distance and height of light from the group

[@PatrickN.]

Hey guy, thanks for this one and all your great teaching videos. I am an amateur, but love photography and videography. I just found you on KZbin searching for a good softbox, and now have been power watching a lot of your videos. So Thank you!! Oh, and ignore all those who tell you to be like someone your not! Everyone is much better being themselves. When they try to skew from that, it is unnatural and annoying to others others. You are great just the way you are, and I was actually a little uncomfortable and annoyed when you tried to try to sound diferent for the commentor you had write in. So yes, you are so right when you say you are not going to be someone your not. Cheers man, and thanks again!

[@KristiGay1973]

I use Godox AD200's with MagMod grips on them all the time for color correction and such. Can I put a Godox AD200 through the velcro opening and push it through "backwards" into an S mount once the softbox is on the Bowens mount of the S mount bracket already?

[@robhallphoto]

probably not because of the internal mechanisms. Basically, it would be a paint in the ass, if it's possible at all.

[@robhallphoto]

Easier than that is to put the body of the AD200 on, put the softbox on, then put the fresnel head with Magmod on. But, even that isn’t eloquent. I use the barebulb with gels from flashgels.com because you can correct it and put the softbox on second

[@jamesskintauy6773]

I watched you closing the softbox through the velcro opening and I must say, I really don't care. Here's why. The first time I did this I smashed my fingers when it collapsed...ouch! I would rather put the bowens mount on the ground, detach the diffuser(s) and come at it from there....then no pinched fingers. It probably takes 10 more seconds...and painless :)

[@cadillaccrow808]

which one do you think would be better with godox smart 300sdi for boens mount?

[@jamesh888]

Great video Robert. What is the link for the 60" Glow you showed on the stream?

[@robhallphoto]

bit.ly/2Hx4hEI Here you go James!

[@PowerAirSimulations]

I was wondering if you could help me with a problem, I have a birthday party to do at the end of feb and i wanted to know whats the best modifiers to use for small groups? I will basically have a 10x10 backdrop with 2 AD600 strobe lights. People tell me i cant use a modifier for beauty light and then i have others that say I can i just want to light up the small groups that come up for a picture . I usually take waste up pics. Could you recommend the best modifiers and sizes?

[@robhallphoto]

It all depends on how picky you want to get about light quality. If you want something just lit and bright, you don't need to go that big. I would simply do a medium (3foot ish) softbox and keep it close and overtop you. This will create slight shadows under the nose and brow, while minimizing cast shadows on the background.

[@robhallphoto]

If you want to get into soft, directional light, it becomes problematic with a single light source on groups, at least if you have little ambient light. A large modifier on one side will be much brighter on those closer to the modifier. Additionally you'll get cast shadows onto the background. I wouldn't use a large modifier to the side unless you had another light source to fill it in (whether it's ambient, or another flash overhead). The best solution (without buying a second flash) is to feather the light across the group and put a reflector on the other end of the groups.

[@PowerAirSimulations]

Robert Hall Photography Hi Robert, I will definitely be using 2 AD600 light strobes so would it be sufficient enough to get two large modifiers and then place them at an angle on each side making sure that they are angled in a way where the harsh light feathers off on each side? I wanted to purchase two Cheetah 42" Quick SoupBowl modifiers in your professional opinion do you think this would work?

[@brandonreed7356]

new to your channel. quick question. Im really interested in the 38' deep parabolic softbox. I was wondering if I could use my Neewer 750II Speedlite with it until i can afford the GodaxAD200pro ? Thanks if you can answer it . Im new to buying off camera lights and softboxes

[@guamization]

For the Godox EZlock do you use the inner baffle and outer diffuser with the beauty disk?

[@robhallphoto]

If I were to use the dish attachment then I would not use the inner diffusion at all but maybe use the outer

[@sergeiegorkin7873]

Loved this stream man, some valuable stuff right here! Keep it real!

[@leongkenn]

Awesome! Please keep up the good jobs.

[@robhallphoto]

Thanks Kenneth!

[@ForeverYoung007]

Long term, how have the Glow ez held up? I've seen some complaints in reviews mentioning of failures with the rods that attach to the speeding. Any experience with the rectangular soft boxes they offer?

[@robhallphoto]

I intentionally exclusively used the 28” deep glow for 2 years, attempting to find out how quick it would break down. I gave up trying. I used it for weddings, and tons of editorial gigs, I regularly toss my softboxes around as I take them on and off. I let it roll around in my car trunk uncased in between shoots. And especially at the University I shoot for, it’s frequently rubbing against doors, walls, and ceilings as I avoid collapsing it as we move throughout the campus. To date I have not had a single EZ lock break down including my punching-bag 28”. I’ve also read reviews and had a couple friends have them arrive damaged or break quickly, so clearly there is a small sample size that has issues but my experience has been fantastic. Nowadays I abused the glow 33.4” for Godox mount instead.

[@ForeverYoung007]

@@robhallphoto thank you for replying and providing this insight.

[@neoshazam]

I enjoy reviews about products that were found to be disappointing ; just be sure to outline how you work, what you were looking for/expecting, and if there may be a segment it will still be useful for.

[@ConsumerFanatics]

For on location/travel, would you recommend the EZ Lock 20” Para or the EZ Lock 25” Beauty Dish? I hear the Para is a bit heavy.

[@monarchpixels]

Like the cat appearance

[@PostColorGear]

Isn't the Cheetah better set up for adapting to speedlights? The reason i mention that is because a fellow photographer pointed out to me that the Glow are set up like an umbrella. So there is something smack dab in the middle, and it's only good for bare bulb whereas the cheetah uses a different way to collapse down. Does that sound about right? (sorry if you mentioned that in the livestream)

[@robhallphoto]

nope, the mechanism on the inside are the same for both - so neither is superior in that regard.

[@champchamberlain]

I know it's late so hopefully you will respond...but which size/style do you recommend for outdoor us with the AD200? Thanks in advance

[@robhallphoto]

I like 26"-36" for outdoor use, depending on how windy it is when you typically shoot.

[@champchamberlain]

Robert Hall Photography thanks for the response. I was thinking a 34 would be pretty good. I mainly shoot portraits.

[@sjd4532]

I don’t know if anyone would see this to reply, question on glow collapsible boxes with the plate reflector do I need to use it if I double diffuse? What’s the advantage of using the reflector in the middle?

[@JohnJonesRocketCity]

Man I’m loving the videos! You are answering the tough questions we are wondering about!. Also man if you want a clean well trusted gain boost to your Shure SM1B then check out the Cloudlifter CL-1. All the pros who record vocals with the SM1B love the Cloudlifter CL-1 to add a clean inline boost. I’ve even used it with my SM1B and UAD preamps. The SM1B can be hard to push with regular interface preamps otherwise.

[@vladislavboutorine6502]

Can you tell us the difference between Godox X-pro and Flashpoint R2 pro? .../troll-face I bet there were hours of work on that "pwat's up !", I coudn't tell the difference ^^ Thanks for the informatives vidéos, and no it's not boring, we are precisely looking for it !

[@robhallphoto]

idk what's going on with this rebroadcast, the sound is working for some (myself). Some are getting a playback error, others are not. Nothing looks wrong on my end so I have no idea how to fix it!

[@markshirley01]

There's no sound

[@nuckinfuts5481]

There is a better lighting system and parabolics; it's called Briese...

[@robhallphoto]

There's lots of high-end parabolic systems. Briese. Broncolor. Parabolix. But those heavy duty systems all require more care, in the way of C stands, weights / human monitoring, which is not consistent with the type of work I do.

[@stepitup5409]

sorry buddy, love ya but cant to 1'45" with ya today

[@overlander99]

No sound....

[@eduardocortes-dv4lo]

Mate, do you work for Cheeta? Why They cant ship to Oslo,Norway?

[@nicholassmith7723]

Cheetah Bowens Mounts are out of stock on their website right now :`(

[@mustardfj40]

Almost 2hrs? So much ranting instead of real info.

[@robhallphoto]

If only I put the distinction of "Live stream" in advance so viewers knew what they were looking at. If only I had 2 additional videos comparing the products separately densely packed with information and sample images. Oh, wait...

[@Mphoto7]

The production quality is really nice. You present yourself differently than most. That is cool. I like the multi colored backdrop it says that you are creative. You will get more return viewers if you actually do a real review and not just talk. Show mounting it and setup time. Show photo results from each of the modifiers. Less blah blah blah and more actual data/examples of what makes them different. Keep to the subject. You spend a lot of time on other stuff than what the headline suggested. You could have done this in less than 15 minutes. Time is money and none of us have time for nearly two hours of talk. I hope you get it. I'm being constructive here and not critical.

[@robhallphoto]

You mean like the two separate videos I posted in advance of this live stream that concisely addressed the nuances of each of these brands with BTS and samples?

[@JannaSlaback]

Hello, I really hope that you'll see this message very soon because I'm having a difficult time finding the exact video to answer my question. I bought the Glow EZ deep parabolic 48" umbrella and I also bought the alien bee400 mount for it. We got the umbrella open ... I remember seeing a video about the mounts and unscrewing stuff but I cannot find it and KZbin gives me EVERYTHING BUT what I'm looking for. Can you help me please?

[@robhallphoto]

sorry Janna I have no experience modifying the softboxes to a different speedring, should just be taking the screws out and switching the mount!

[@JannaSlaback]

@@robhallphoto So my husband was able to figure it out!! Here's what he did (which I remembered seeing somewhere on a video but could not find it readily). He unscrewed the thumb screw and then the other 3 screws. We placed the mount (for Alien Bee) on top and then re-screwed the "plate" back in and voila! The AlienBee attached perfectly!

[@jibset3131]

It's a little frustrating watching this video because when you're opening and closing the softbox. it's often below the screen, so, out of view and I can't see exactly what you're doing. Also, you could get to the point faster with higher energy.

[@robhallphoto]

Ron, it was a live video and is titled as such. There's been two detailed, B-Roll filled, sample filled, dedicated videos on each of these series of modifiers on my channel for years now.