TOP 8 Best Softboxes for YouTube Videos & Photography

One of the best ways to get the best results in video shooting, vlogging, or photography quality is to have good quality lighting that minimizes the shadows and delivers excellent lighting. We have talked about it a lot.

A great way to improve the quality of a video or picture is to find the softbox lighting kit for your vlogging or photography studio.

In this article, we will give you the list of the best softboxes and why you should choose this type of lighting.

Here’s the kicker:

There are a lot of different options available. However, it is not easy to choose the type that you need. This is why we have rounded up the top 8 best options in the market that might improve the process of making a great vlog or photo shooting in 2023.

Best Softbox Lighting Kits in 2023

1. Fovitec Photography & Video Softbox – Best Softbox Lighting Kit for YouTube Studios

Fovitec has been well-known as a manufacturer of great lighting products. This product isn’t an exception.

This softbox lighting kit comes with:

• 2 straight stands whose height is 7’6″ (2.28 m) but can adjust to a lower height – around 4 feet (1.2 m), 3 20″ x 28″ (50 cm x  71 cm)
• 2 x 5 socket head / 1 x 1 socket head
• 1 boom stand + sandbag
• 11 x 45W bulbs
• 1 bag

By the way, you could select how many kits you want in the packet (from 1 to 3), and it affects the price. I highly recommend checking it out.

Besides, you are getting a big carrying bag and a sandbag counterweight, which you can use for the boom arm. The boom arm comes with a large adjustable handle and a metal ring on the end where you can attach the sandbag counterweight.

Unluckily, there is a downside to this kit.

The stands are the weakest element of this kit – the 2 straight lights are a bit top-heavy. This is because of a large socket head and the number of bulbs. If you extend the height over 70″ (1.77 m), the stand starts to wobble a bit. Despite it, you can stabilize it by positioning the softbox in the same direction as the stand legs.

The Fovitec softbox lighting kit is set up within 15 minutes after your practice. Because there are several bulbs and rods in the softboxes, at first, it may seem to be hard to assemble everything. In total, you are getting 11 bulbs, so you are required to read an instruction manual before joining it.

For the beginner, it might seem mission impossible, but once you have gained a bit of understanding of how it gets together, there is no problem at all.

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2. MOUNTDOG Softbox Lighting Kit – Ideal Budget-Friendly Softbox Under $100

The Mountdog Photography Studio Softbox Lighting Kit might be the best softbox to buy if you are on a budget.

If you are looking for a high-quality lighting kit that is including a boom mount for overhead lighting but still want to keep the price low, this is a great choice.

Usually, softbox lighting kits cost way over $100, but with this kit, you are getting 2x softboxes with a stand (from 26″ to 78″ or 68cm to 200cm), 2x E27 85W 5700K Led Bulbs, 1x softbox bag and 2x remote controllers which will help you to adjust the brightness and color temperature.

This budget-friendly softbox is ideal for photography and videography but as you can understand it is more suitable for 1-2 people at one time.

This softbox lighting kit is lightweight, so you can transfer the kit easily. Stands are made from sturdy material, however, because of this low price, they can be unstable if you are going to extend the stands to their highest points.

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3. Neewer Socket Light Lighting Kit – Perfect Softbox for Beginners

Another great softbox lighting kit from the Neewer brand is very affordable and practical for entry-level video makers and photographers.

According to some tests, the Neewer 700W lighting kit is labeled as a professional kit; it ideally could be used by beginners.

You can expect that it will be great for photography like advertising products, scientific or even recording podcasts, or vlog sessions.

The kit comes with 2 softboxes, 2 lightbulbs, 2 light stands, and 1 carrying bag. These softboxes defuse the light and provide balanced lighting so that you can take high-quality shots.

These softboxes are also using the E27 socket, which allows you to connect the bulbs directly to it. The bulbs are 85W 5500K CFL and operate at low temperatures, which means that they will not get as hot as the other regular bulbs and still provide excellent lighting.

When talking about the light stand, is made from a strong and sturdy aluminum alloy that doesn’t weigh down the stand and still makes it lightweight. The setup process is easy, so the Neewer lighting kit is suitable for beginners.

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4. RALENO Lighting Kit – Great Lightweight Softboxes Kit

This softbox review list comes down to cheap and great products.

Another great choice if you are looking for a cheap and great quality softbox lighting kit.

Most of the time, people are spending a lot of money on professional softbox lighting. However, if you are just starting your career, you could easily go for the Raleno Softbox Photography Lighting Kit.

It uses CFL bulbs that provide lighting, which improves the image or video quality that you are shooting. Besides, the Raleno softbox kit uses the scientific technology of soft light. In other words, the relief stone line spreads the light. Therefore, the light is more bright.

Besides, the softboxes have high-quality nylon cloth, which helps to improve the quality of the lighting. The light stand can extend from 27″ to 85″ (68 cm to 2.15 m), making it suitable for any type of angle lighting.

The Raleno softbox kit comes with 2 softboxes, 2 85W 100V CFL bulbs, 2 adjustable light stands, and 1 portable tote.

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5. HPUSN Softbox Lighting Kit – Good Softbox for Group Shots or Fashion Vlogs Under $60

The HPUSN Softbox lighting kit is a great product if you are looking for the type of lighting that can provide you with enough light for group shots, portrait photography, or fashion vlogs.

The softboxes from this kit are made of high-quality PET and deliver good reflective performance. These softboxes do not release toxic and unwanted odors when you are using them for a longer time.

The HPUSN kit has 85W CFL bulbs, which provide enough lighting for 80% energy use, so it is not only powerful but also an energy-saving softbox lighting kit. The bulbs provide white lighting that looks like daylight and is suitable for the photography and vlogging environment.

The studio softbox can rotate 210° thanks to the locking knob and makes it perfect if you want different angles. The stands are made from sturdy aluminum alloy material and are lightweight enough to carry and transfer your softbox lighting kit from studio to studio.

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6. Yesker Softbox Kit – Perfect For In-Close Videos and Photo Shooting

Here’s the deal:

If you are a YouTuber, vlogger, or photographer who works on in-close video or photo shooting, for example, cooking, or makeup – this is a really perfect softbox that removes shadows and has quite a good reflection performance. Considering the price and market value – one of the best softboxes in 2023.

This softbox is super simple made from aluminum alloy and uses 2 x 85W bulbs that deliver maximum and excellent quality lighting for your studio, which suits your vlogger’s or photographer’s needs.

On the other hand, we should say that the light fixture is too heavy for the stand (that’s our and a few user’s opinions) but again, for that price, it works perfectly.

Also, Mountdog softboxes are foldable and easily adjust to your desired angles. The stands are using standard screw thread tips allowing you to collapse or extend the stand from 29.2″ to 79″ (74 cm to 2.01 m).

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7. SH Softbox Lighting Kit – Cheapest Softboxes from the List Under $50

If you are searching for the best and cheapest softboxes for photography, vlogs, or just a simple for your studio, SH softbox lighting kit might be the most suitable type of lighting.

However, considering that this kit is extremely cheap, it might not be suitable for professional photographers or those who are looking for a lighting upgrade.

It is more a consumer type of lighting kit and suitable if you are a beginner who wants to see if the softboxes are the best type of lighting.

On the other hand, when we tested this softbox, we were surprised by the overall light quality of this softbox, so we can definitely say that one of the best purchases at that price.

In this kit, you are getting 135W daylight-type and energy-saving light bulbs that are almost equal to the regular 675W incandescent bulbs. Light stand can be height adjusted from 30″ to 80″ (76 cm to 2.03 m) and make it easy to get that perfect lighting angle.

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8. AmazonBasics Portable Foldable Studio Box – Best Portable Softbox for Product Photography

If you need an easy-to-use and easy-to-assemble portable studio box to shoot whenever you want to, the AmazonBasics Portable Studio Lighting Box is the most suitable for your case.

It is a size of a 25″ x 30″ x 25″ (63 cm x 76 cm x 63 cm) box and has built-in LED lights to deliver high-quality lighting even if you are shooting outdoors. It is suitable for any photographer, and it doesn’t matter if you are a professional or a beginner.

The softbox reduces all reflections coming from the outside thanks to the 3-door system which maximizes the image angle. This feature makes this studio box suitable to use outdoors.

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Do You Need A Softbox?

A softbox spreads the light into a soft and even light, and when used properly, a softbox reduces any harsh shadows that come into a subject that you are taking pictures of or shooting a video.

The closer you will place the softbox to the subject, the softer light it will give, copying the window light.

There are also many shapes of the softboxes: rectangular, octagonal, square, or long strip. It depends on what type you need.

This lighting type is a studio strobe light or a Speedlight covered with a translucent cloth. You can see that most of the softboxes have a black exterior and a white interior. The black part of the softbox is to prevent the light from spilling out.

It is not a secret that many videographers and photographers are using a softbox as the type of lighting for their vlogs.

So, if you have your own studio where you film your YouTube videos or take pictures for thumbnails and commercial banners and so on, the softbox could be very useful for you. 

How and Where to Use Softbox Lighting?

Learning how to use a softbox correctly could improve the quality of the video or picture that you are shooting. They are also useful when the light is low and you are shooting indoors.

Firstly, you need to choose the required and best softbox size according to the environment size. A softbox could be used as the leading light or as the key light, it depends on the situation.

You can also use the softbox as the filling lighting option. If you are going to be shooting in a studio setting or anywhere else where the softbox will be the leading light you need to consider these things:

• The closeness to the subject
• The place that you are going to put the softbox
• How powerful is your softbox
• Are you going to be using additional lights
• Is your subject reflective

It would help if you placed the softbox far enough from the subject so the lighting would be even and natural.

However, placing the softbox at the right distance will provide soft lighting to the subject. The farther the softbox is, the more sharp edges you will get.

Recommendation

As you can see, there are many types of softbox lighting kits, so before buying any you need to find out what could be the best softboxes for you.

• If you are looking for an easily assembled, travel-friendly, and dedicated to product photography studio lighting box, then the AmazonBasics portable studio box will exceed your expectations.
• On the other hand, if you are looking for an upgrade, the Fovitec Softbox Continuous Lighting Kit is the best softbox on this list.
• By the way, if you are a beginner and looking for a great budget-friendly kit – Neewer Socket Light Lighting Kit is a choice.

Always find out the type of lighting that you need, measure your studio or any other type of environment that you are going to be working in and consider if you are going to need any additional lighting.