Westcott has redesigned its Rapid Box Switch softboxes around one idea: getting a large, soft light up and packed away as quickly as possible. The new Fold-Flat versions, now listed on Westcott’s site, open to full size in one second, according to Westcott, and fold down flat for travel. There are nine shapes and sizes, priced from $99.90 to $139.90, and each one comes with a grid.
What’s new
The headline change is the folding design. Westcott says the softboxes open to full size in one second and fold flat, so more of them fit into fewer bags. For anyone who carries lighting to a venue or out on location, that matters more than any spec on paper.
The range covers three families:
- Octagonal softboxes in 2′, 3′ and 4′ sizes
- Strip softboxes in 1×3, 1×4 and 1×6
- Rectangular softboxes in 2×3, 3×3 and 3×4
Every model comes with a Bowens Switch Insert, which fits Westcott’s own FJ800, FJ400 series, FJ250 and L120-B lights as well as other Bowens-mount heads. Westcott says the Switch inserts attach instantly and lock securely, and it sells optional inserts for other strobes, speedlights and continuous LED lights. A 55-degree egg crate grid is included for controlling spill, and inside there is a reflective silver lining with what Westcott calls neutral dual diffusion, which it says gives soft, even light with true-to-life color.
Price and availability
- $99.90: 2′ Octa, 1×3 strip, 2×3 rectangle
- $119.90: 3′ Octa, 1×4 strip, 3×3 rectangle
- $139.90: 4′ Octa, 1×6 strip, 3×4 rectangle
All nine are listed as new products on Westcott’s store, which gives US prices; prices for other regions weren’t given.
What it means for film-look photographers
Most of us lean on window light and golden hour, but there are days when the light simply isn’t there: a dark reception room, an indoor family session in winter, a getting-ready shot in a hotel corridor. A soft, large source is the gentlest way to fill in without losing the natural look, and an octa in particular gives round, natural catchlights that read like a window.
Westcott itself pitches the 3′ Octa at portraits, weddings, beauty and interviews, while the 1×3 strip is aimed at rim light, products and video accents. If you shoot on film, a reliable continuous LED in one of these is also a simple way to meter and see the light before you spend a frame.
The real appeal is speed. A softbox that opens in a second and packs flat makes it far more likely you’ll actually bring it, and use it, on a busy wedding day.
Sources
- Westcott: Rapid Box Switch softboxes
- Westcott: Rapid Box Switch 3' Octa Fold-Flat
- Westcott: Rapid Box Switch 1×3 Fold-Flat
Header image: Westcott (press image)
