Lightweight, Portable, Light-Shaping Tool
Review by Dave Williams
The 2′ (60 cm) Profoto Clic Softbox Octa is a game-changing, light-shaping tool. Designed to work with the magnetic mounts of the A range of Profoto lights, this portable lightbox assembles extremely quickly, with just one action.
When you unfold this softbox and “clic” it to lock it open, it can be attached to a light stand and locked into place with a quarter twist, securing it and supporting the magnetized light that you’re using. The stand adapter doubles as a handle for those moments when you use voice-activated light stands (a.k.a. “assistants”), and ergonomic details have even been considered to provide a comfortable grip. The materials used in construction are high quality, and the product comes in its own soft carry bag.
The light generated by the Profoto Clic Softbox Octa is soft and flattering, making it ideal for close-up portraits, or lighting such things as flat-lay products, still life, or lifestyle elements. The quality of the diffusers is even, resulting in a clean spill of light across the subject. The Profoto Clic Softbox Octa is a studio-quality modifier that’s super-portable.
When you press the button to collapse the softbox, everything folds down by itself to align with the grip handle. The rods inside are well made. When I bent them to see if they would break, all that happened was that they bent almost in half and then went back to their original position.
If I’m looking to be fussy, it could do with collapsing just a little more, but I may be just looking for problems here. In reality, the Profoto Clic Softbox Octa collapses quicker and easier than any other similar product I’ve seen. ■
