With its unique design and the opportunity of using its components flexibly, the 27.5″ Rotalux Deep Octabox from Elinchrom is the favorite light shaper of many portrait and fashion photographers. The depth of this softbox is 15.7″, whereas a standard umbrella is maybe half of that. The defining qualities of a deep octabox are focused light output, increased directional control, minimal spill light and significant falloff. Like a beauty dish, there’s a crispness to the soft light that adds dimension and facial structure to your subject while tightening the light spread. One of the most impressive features of the deep octabox is the ability to remove or add its components as needed for the quality of light required. Using both diffusers renders the softest light while using just the interior diffuser adds sharper contrast. Shooting with neither diffuser turns the octabox into a large reflector with high contrast, long throw capability, and a controllable beam spread.

The Deep Octabox’s unique shape also reflects natural-looking catchlights in the eyes of your subject. The light shaper can rotate 360-degrees on its separately purchased speed ring while its spring-loaded sockets allow you to mount the support poles in untensioned sockets, then snap them into place. The Octabox has a silver interior for maximum output and comes with a bag for storage and transport.