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Best Softboxes For Food Photography (Top Picks Reviewed)

Besides being a hobby, food photography has become a business on which people depend.

This article will find the best softboxes for food photography on the market nowadays. They come from different companies, most of them as a complete kit! Let’s get started.

A Quick Look At My Favorite Food Softboxes

ImageProductFeaturesPrice
Best Indoor
EMART Softbox

EMART Softbox

10
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Most Versatile
GEEKOTO Softbox

GEEKOTO Softbox

9
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Best For Videographers
HPUSN Softbox

HPUSN Softbox

8.6
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Best Compact
Neewer Softbox

Neewer Softbox

8.5
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Best Light Quality
Neewer Collapsible Softbox

Neewer Collapsible Softbox

8.6
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Key Takeaways

  • Using Neewer Collapsible Softboxwill help you photograph food in the best lighting possible so that you can taste it from the image.
  • To choose the finest softbox, take into account several aspects such as size, mobility, lighting, and so on.
  • With the help of these exceptional softboxes, your food photography will sparkle like a diamond.

The 5 Best Softboxes For Food Photography

1. EMART Softbox – Best Indoor

What I Like

  • Fully portable
  • Well-built and lightweight
  • Flexible
  • Comes with a carrying case

What I Don’t Like

  • Low-quality adapters

EMART is a well-known name when it comes to softboxes that people need for their photography sessions. This one is used by many photographers, both professionals and beginners as well.

This softbox in general is a fully portable one! The measurements are 25.5 x 10 x 6.5 inches and weigh about 7 pounds. As a whole, it is made of a very high-quality material such as PET and it is very strong, lightweight, and also it is shatterproof which means that it is unbreakable! Flexibility is an important feature of softboxes and this one from EMART is flexible that allows movement or rotation up to 210 degrees.

It comes as a full kit and the parts that it includes are: 24 x 24 inches softbox, two 135W CFL light bulbs, and an adjustable stand, plus, it comes with a carrying case so that you don’t have to bother about carrying it around with any other bag. The stand of this softbox is a durable one, it is made of aluminum alloy and it allows adjustments of the height from 2.5 ft to 7 ft.

Verdict: This softbox is a great one when it comes to indoor photography of any product, mostly while shooting food photography! Even though you can choose light bulbs of different voltages, while using them for food photography, you will notice that with the 135W light bulb you will get the photography that you want! You should just direct the softbox to the food that you are taking a picture of and the light that it works with will bring amazing clarity, just as it should be.

Why should you buy it?

This softbox is a great one when it comes to indoor photography of any product, mostly while shooting food photography!

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2. GEEKOTO Softbox – Most Versatile

What I Like

  • Great Build
  • Affordable
  • Very durable and portable
  • Comes with many included parts

What I Don’t Like

  • Can’t adjust the brightness level
  • Not that bright

Moving along to GEEKOTO you will find some similarities but also some differences at the same time! This one also has great features, has a very well-built design, and is used for many photography shootings!

The measurements of the whole piece are 27.32 x 8.43 x 8.43 inches combined with a weight of 8.93 pounds. Designed with a high-density nylon material the softbox stands on the group as the most durable one! Besides being durable it is also portable-friendly which you can take with you wherever your shooting takes place. When put on the stand (more on it below), you will be able to adjust it up to 210 degrees.

This softbox comes as a full kit too! The parts that are included are one softbox that is capable of fully removing shadows, two light bulbs of 85W that are energy-saving, and a very flexible stand that allows height adjustment and is fully made of aluminum.

Verdict: The Geekoto softbox is a perfect match for any type of photography! It is usable for fashion photography, portrait photography, pet photography, and product photography which in this article is more concentrated on food photography! With the light bulbs that are included in this kit, you won’t only have amazing light, but it also is energy-saving allowing you to use them for up to 8000 hours! Just point the softbox to the food that is being taken photography of and the results will be definitely better than you expect!

Why should you buy it?

This softbox is the most versatile and usable for fashion, portrait, pet, and product photography.

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3. HPUSN Softbox – Best For Videographers

What I Like

  • Made of high-quality nylon
  • Portable
  • Aluminum stand
  • Comes with a carrying case

What I Don’t Like

  • The light is not natural

This softbox kit is the newest launch from the company, that brings to you the greatest package that you will ever need while doing a photography session of food or any other product.

The high quality of a softbox is included on this one too! Design-wise it is very similar to any other softbox because it is made of a high-quality nylon cover which brings to you high-quality lighting! The measurements of this one are 27 x 8 x 8 inches while it has a weight of 8.88 pounds. This softbox can be used in any studio or if you want to take it with you to any other environment where you may have a session, it is portable!

As the ones already mentioned above, this softbox also comes as a kit! There is a combination of the softbox itself which is 20 x 28 inches, the aluminum stand which is very strong and flexible at the same time and allows adjustments on up to 210 degrees, and the 85W light bulb which is also an energy saver, and the carrying case that helps you with the fact that the softbox is portable!

Verdict: All said, the HPUSN is definitely the greatest when it comes to any type of photography! If you are a portrait photographer, fashion photographer, animal photographer, and most importantly food photographer, with this one you will bring amazing pictures of any food! It also can be used while video shootings as well as live shootings!

Why should you buy it?

If you are a portrait, fashion, animal, and food photographer, you will bring amazing pictures of any food with this softbox!

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4. Neewer Softbox – Best Compact

What I Like

  • High quality
  • Solid build
  • Dimmable LED light bulb
  • Solid build

What I Don’t Like

  • Weak stands

Neewer is a company that is always in charge of photographers’ needs that including photographic equipment! The company is for about 10+ years around the world and photographers, in general, seem to love it! The products that they launch come always with high-quality and not very high prices! The one that will be mentioned is aimed at both professionals and beginners!

As per the whole design of this softbox, it is important to mention that it has a very solid build! It is compact and more than well-done! The measurement of the softbox only are 20 x 27 inches and weighs about 17.99 pounds as a whole. The material that it is made of is premium nylon and on the inside, it has an aluminum fabric which brings full protection from the high temperature of the light!

As said, this one comes as a kit! On it are included the stand which is made of aluminum alloy and is very durable, and the bag so that it can be carried easily. The light that is used with this type of softbox is a 45W Dimmable LED light bulb, which can be adjusted depending on the way they shine from 0% to 100%.

Verdict: The softbox in general is used more in the studio! So if you are a product photographer, most precisely a food photographer, then you should always have a studio to work on and capture images of food! It works great even though differing from the other mentioned, this one can only be rotated up to 90 degrees.

Why should you buy it?

The softbox, in general, is used more in the studio, so if you own a studio, this softbox is a must.

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5. Neewer Collapsible Softbox – Best Light Quality

What I Like

  • Very flexible
  • Collapsible
  • Comes with magnetic locks
  • Great light quality

What I Don’t Like

  • Nothing at all

Even though this product comes from the same company as the one that is mentioned above, there is a big difference! It is because this one comes only as a softbox without any other thing included! So, this one is also a huge difference even from the other products that are mentioned by different companies. Besides that, you may encounter that this softbox is mostly used in fashion photography, but still, photographers, mostly the ones that take pictures of food seem to use it a lot! You can also choose whether you want two softboxes or only one and they come with a slight difference in the price tag too!

It is the easiest one when it comes to its placement! Flexible in any way, just by its name it tells us that it is collapsible so that it can be a better fit for any bag or case that you want to put it in or to the bag that it comes with. Its dimensions of it measure 16.25 x 16.25 x 6.49 inches, and it weighs 11.6 ounces (0.725 pounds). Some of the softboxes use hook and loop straps, this one besides using those straps, has also magnetic locks, that are very easy to install. This softbox, based on its design, is mostly made or specially made for 660 LED lights and when attached it completely softens the light of the panel!

Verdict: As with all of the products, this one is used in many fields, or many photography sessions! In case you already own a panel of light, then feel free to use this softbox because the photo that is captured will be shown perfectly lighted.

Why should you buy it?

If you already own a panel of light, then feel free to use this softbox because the captured photo will be shown perfectly lighted.

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FAQ about Softboxes:

How to use a softbox?

The usage of a softbox is the easiest thing for any professional photographer! Beginners might think that it is kind of difficult, but not at all! Once you have the right equipment for your softbox then it is basically ready to be used. It is important to know that you need to adjust it! When it comes to food photography you should point your softbox at 45 degrees angle of the thing that is taking a picture.

Why are they called softboxes?

They are called softboxes because of the light they provide to you! Soft on its name stands for the soft light that it distributes in your studio or anywhere else that you are using it.

What is the best size of a softbox?

Always remember that the size of a softbox depends on what are you shooting! Since this article mentioned softboxes for food photography then you would definitely need a bigger softbox than the food that you are shooting a picture of.

Are softboxes the same as umbrellas?

They are definitely not the same thing! When it comes to umbrellas they bring or produce light that is similar in a way to the outdoor lighting and the light is broader and is not controlled, while the softboxes can be fully controlled and they have direct lighting and you can point the light of a softbox directly to the subject that is being photographed, in this case for food photography.

Why is portability important?

Portability is key if you are a traveling photographer so you should go to places to take pictures of products and food in this case! That’s why the portability and lightweight of a softbox are more than important! In case you are a photographer that works in a personal studio, then portability doesn’t matter a lot!

What are the shapes of softboxes?

Softboxes come in square and rectangular shapes, as well as they, come on octagonal shapes which in this case makes them called octa boxes but there are also some that come in hexagon shapes! The only difference between these softboxes besides their shape is the way you use them in order to take better photography! The products that are mentioned in this article have different shapes! The first and the fourth ones come in rectangular shapes, the second and third come as hexagons, while the last one is fully unique with a whole different form with rounded edges!


Final Words:

As you already see, the softboxes on this article mostly come as a full kit! They have their differences but still, there are lots of similarities, since they practically do the same job, while you shoot food photography!

If you are interested to read more about this kind of photography, I’d also recommend you read our food photography lens buying guide.

When purchasing a softbox for food photography always keep in mind that food is a product, and you will see many different softboxes on the market.