GEAR MINI TESTS
ZHIYUN LANTERN SOFTBOX 85D £139/$139 zhiyun-tech.com
SPILL KILL The Zhiyun can be used like a normal softbox (above left) or hung downwards with skirts to stop spill (above right)
Zhiyun continues to provide an ever-growing range of LED lights and modifiers to go with them. The latest is this Lantern Softbox 85D, an 85cm/33.5in modifier that is made to go with the G200 LED light we tested last issue. But, since it has a standard Bowens S mount, it can be used with pretty much any COB light from any manufacturer, or even flash. As it is very light, it pairs well with Zhiyun’s own G200, which is shockingly powerful for its very small size. It has a nominal 200W rating but that can be boosted to 300W using the Max Extreme mode at the simple push of a button. You’ll need a bit of power to adequately fill a large modifier like this one.
As the G200 has a separate power pack, it is easy to mount the super- light Lantern Softbox 85D and the G200 head on a boom where other COB LED lights will be heavier and need more sturdy rigging. The Lantern Softbox assembles much like many parabola-shaped softboxes. Put on the main outer and set the lantern on the oor, face down. Push down on the centre of the softbox, making sure the exible metal ribs bend outwards, then clip the larger metal rod into the holder at the bottom. It takes a few seconds, especially when you keep the outer cover stored on the frame instead of separately. Then use the Bowens S mount, attach your light and go. The biggest difference between a lantern and a parabolic softbox is that the lantern is designed to scatter soft light everywhere for a more natural, attering look with no harsh shadows. A parabolic softbox focuses a large beam of light with definite fall-off at the edges. Many come with grids, and these stop the spill of light even more for a dramatic look. The lantern doesn’t take grids, though. If you use the lantern like a regular softbox of roughly the same size, the light will be very similar in terms of softness but with more spill to bounce around. If there’s nothing to bounce
off, then it’s pretty much the same, even though the lantern doesn’t have as much diffusion inside. If there are walls and surfaces to bounce off and they aren’t in bright colours, then the lantern is easier to use as the bounced light acts like a fill light. Really, they are designed to be rigged above a scene and the soft light washes down over, producing a soft and natural-looking shadow. This is great for a key light over a set. However, the light spills around, so the Zhiyun comes with a set of four large skirts – or ‘barn doors’ according to the spec – for use when the light is being held horizontally. These fasten on the lantern and to each other with hook-and-loop fasteners, and act as shields to stop the light spilling. Just fasten as many as you need to channel the light to where you want and keep it off where you don’t. They can be fiddly to make sure they are light-tight, but it only takes a few minutes of squashing the hook-and-loop fastenings together. The Zhiyun Lantern Softbox offers soft light for LEDs or ash that can be used in lots of ways. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 A modifier that can do many things Pros: Inexpensive and very useful Cons: Skirt is fiddly to seal
SPECIFICATIONS Size: 85cm/33.5in Mount: Built-in speedring with Bowens S fitment Material: Fabric, metal Accepts grids: No Accessories: Four fabric skirts/ barn doors, carry bag Dimensions in bag (wxhxd): 112x18.5x18.5cm/44x7.3x7.3in Weight: 2.03kg/4.5lb
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