HonlPhoto Lighting System

Hi all,

Just to share some info about HonlPhoto Lighting System.




Thank you very much.

Introducing Spectralight, the versatile flash diffuser

Hi all,

We would like to introduce the new flash modifier kit that we just brought in, The Spectralight.

If you’re a new photographer, diffusers are essential the moment you start shooting with an external flash. While getting my first ever flash, the 550 EX years ago, I immediately noticed the differences between shots with a diffuser and those without.

In short, unless we’re trying to create an intense mood (which is rare), a flash diffuser does much to soften the light, giving a pleasant appearance to the photographs.

Why Spectralight ?
The Spectra Light Diffuser, like other brands out in the market, is a flash diffuser tool designed for hotshoe or portable flashes or flash guns. It is unique because of its versatility, portability and design. It is designed to look good, as it goes well and “integrated” with most hotshoe flashes in the market today.  Because of its high quality ABS construction, it exudes professionalism and durability – attributes professional photographers want. Thanks to the unique ballhead design, Spectra Light frame panel rotates and swivels at almost any angle, giving the photographer a wide range of bounce/reflection angle capability. Likewise, since users can also make their own creative panels,  they would soon discover that the Spectra Light Diffuser truly is versatile.

Price : $99.00
Bundled Accessories : Soft Padded Case
Available Now...

Introduction HonlPhoto Filter Roll-Up

Hi all, 

We would like to introduce the new HonlPhoto Filter Roll-Up pouch for HonlPhoto Filter. A very quick and convenient way to carry up to 30 Honl Photo filters, our Filter Roll-Up makes it easy to identify filter colors and takes up minimal space in your camera bag. Filters not included.

Size: 5"x20" (5"x2" rolled, with filters)
Materials: ballistic nylon with nylon ripstop
Weight: 3 ounces 

Price : $59.90 

HonlPhoto Traveller8 Softbox (NEW!!!)

Honl Photo Traveller8 Softbox Review by ephotozine.com

 

HonlPhoto Traveller8 Softbox 

 

Using small flashes for off-camera lighting has become ever popular, probably because of the portability and ease of which the equipment can be set up in a hurry. The Honl Photo line of light modifiers are purpose-built accessories to help achieve the look you're after with the minimum of fuss and bulk to carry around.

Here we'll take a look at the Traveller8 softbox, which is the latest addition to the Honl Photo range, most of which we took an earlier look at here.

 

Honl Photo Traveller8 Softbox: Specification

• Size: appr. 11in x 9in folded
• Materials: nylon ripstop, nylon taffeta, low density polyethylene
• Weight: 3.75oz/107g

This accessory costs £59, which seems quite steep to me, although the quality of materials used is excellent throughout. The main body of the softbox is constructed from stiff nylon, which snaps into shape when unfolded. The softbox is designed to create a circular light, which apart from diffusing the light, should give nice catch lights in people's eyes. The one supplied for review tended to prefer forming a diamond shape instead though, although this didn't seem to impact on the overall performance of the item.

Unfolding the Traveller8 is as straightforward as can be. The white diffusion material simply needs to be vercro'd in place around the front of the softbox and it holds it's shape. All that's left to do now is to attach it to the front of a flashgun via the supplied velcro speed strap. I found it amongst the easiest of these kinds of accessories to setup, taking literally a couple of seconds.

The light produced is soft and even, falling off gradually. Due to the relative small size, and the fact there is only one layer of material to diffuse the light, there isn't much light loss to the softbox, making it suitable for use outdoors in daylight for fill. For a bit more diffusion and evenness of light I found it helps to use the plastic diffuser cap often supplied with many flashguns inside the softbox, although this certainly isn't necessary, and robs you of a little more light.

 HonlPhoto Traveller8 Softbox Sample

Honl Photo Traveller8 Softbox: Verdict
In use I found the Traveller8 to be a very good product on the whole, producing a good quality of light whilst remaining efficient, which can be so important when using small flashes. Even though the £59 price tag may seem a little expensive, the build quality is excellent, so much so that this accessory will probably outlast your flashes.

Overall I found it to be a useful product that is built to last.

Honl Photo Traveller8 Softbox: Pros

• Excellent build quality
• Compact when folded
• Lightweight
• Very efficient output
• Good quality of light

Honl Photo Traveller8 Softbox: Cons

• Maybe a touch expensive

The HonlPhoto Traveller8 Softbox is available for sell at Megacom Enterprise for B$129.00 (HonlPhoto Speed Strap included)

HonlPhoto (Flash Modifier Kit for everyday photographer)

Introduction to HonlPhoto by ephotozine.com

 

HonlPhoto Product

What is HonlPhoto Flash Accessories?
With any lighting, controlling the nature of the light is as important as where you place your lights. These compact light modifiers give photographers shooting with camera flashguns (strobes) greater control of the spread of illumination and even colour, opening even more creative possibilities, whilst keeping the size and weight down to a minimum. Professional photographer, David Honl devised the system and has used them himself on a variety of assignments. His website has a selection of instructional videos available to help you get the best of these accessories.

Features and Handling
The Honl Photo System centres around the Honl Speed Strap, which is essentially an inch wide rubber band with Velcro loops on the outside. On its own it seems like a bit of a gimmick, but it really comes into its own when used with the rest of the Honl system making it easy to put a bit of space between the accessories and the lens on the flash, so that nothing gets damaged due to overheating during heavy use. I normally have a strip of sticky Velcro around my flashguns for this purpose, but I found the accessories fit much more securely with the Speed Strap.

HonlPhoto  SpeedStrap

Once you have you flash Velcro'd up, you're ready to choose from one of the light modifiers in the range, depending what the look you intend to achieve. Each of the accessories have the hook half of the Velcro in just the places you need them, making swapping and changing between them a breeze.


HonlPhoto Speed Grids
A grid placed on the front of a flash narrows the beam of light emitted, allowing a certain area to be emphasized, or simply to keep light from spilling into areas you don't want it.

Those who like to indulge in a bit of DIY may have already experimented with strips of corrugated card, Corflute or drinking straws taped together to achieve the same look. Apart from looking more professional than either solution, the Honl grids are more rugged and are available with holes of either a quarter of an inch diameter, giving you more control over the nature of the light. Being completely black and bordered with a black plastic frame, light is less likely to reflect or spill onto areas of the image you don’t want it too.

Using these produces a very hard light effect, which can either be used as the main source of illumination for effect, or with a softer fill light to help lift an otherwise flat image.

HonlPhoto Speed Grids

HonlPhoto Speed Gobo/Bounce Card

Bouncing your flash off a light surface such as a ceiling will produce images with a softer quality of light than you would get with direct flash, but the problem is you often get shadows unless some of the light is directed forwards. Attaching this accessory with the white side facing the flash tube will do just that, evening out the exposure and creating a more pleasing, softer appearance, whether the flash is mounted on, or off the camera.

Flipping the card over so that the black side is facing the flash tube allows this item to be used as a Gobo, (or go-between) which can be used to control where the light from you flashgun spills. Say for example you wished to light a person from the side, but didn't want the background illuminated, you may use a Gobo to keep the light off the background in your image.

For what is essentially a piece of card, this item is very well constructed, being made from heavy-duty nylon, which is stiff and does not crease easily. The materials used mean that it is easy to keep clean, and should last a very, very long time.

HonlPhoto Speed Gobo/ Bounce Card 

HonlPhoto Speed Snoot/Reflector

Available in two sizes, one 5in wide and the other 8in wide, these wrap around the flashgun to create a long snoot-like tunnel, to narrow the beam of light. This can be very useful for highlighting a specific area of an image, such as a person's hair in a portrait and the longer the tunnel is, the more narrow the beam of light will be.

As these items are lined with a reflective material, they can also be configured to function like a large bounce card. When set up like this, they function in a similar way to the popular Lumiquest Pocket Bounce diffusers, although they don't hold their shape as well when used like this. It works by throwing some light forward to fill out the shadows that normally occur when bouncing flash directly off a light ceiling. Having this second option adds to the value of this item, making it useful for general photography as well as when you wish to be creative with off-camera lighting.

The build of this item is very good, although it's not as rigid as the Speed Gobo/Bounce Card, it's fairly easy to set up in either configuration quickly.

 HonlPhoto Speed Snoot/Reflector

HonlPhoto Colour Gels

Completing the system, coloured gels for balancing the colour temperature of the flash with the ambient light or deeper colours for special effects are available. The gels are large enough to fit easily over most flashguns and have the hook Velcro fasteners along the top and bottom, making attachment quick and easy.

 HonlPhoto Colour Gels

Honl Photo Lighting Accessories Verdict
Those looking for a lasting, more professional solution for modifying the light produced by their flashgun when using them off-camera, should enjoy the extra creative options these accessories put at your disposal.

Some of these items do seem a little pricey for what they are, but if you require something long lasting, and reliable that you will be using them time and time again, these are definitely worth a look. They are built of high quality materials and are easy to set up in a hurry, so will provide good value to heavy users of off-camera lighting.

Honl Photo Lighting Accessories: Pros

• Excellent build and materials
• Plenty of creative options
• Easy to set up and remove

Honl Photo Lighting Accessories: Cons

• Price may seem a little high to casual users
• Velcro fasteners could weaken in time