With so many softboxes on the market choosing one can feel like a lottery. But in my experience, the HexaPop 24” II Softbox from Glow stands out from the crowd in three important ways. First, it’s surprisingly light in weight — a feature that’s hard to appreciate just by reading the spec sheet. Next is its adaptability which, in this case, means it can work with both studio heads and speed lights without having to buy any extra kit. Finally, and most importantly for me, set-up takes just seconds and collapse happens with a very satisfying pop… hence the name. Let’s look at some of the other features you can expect of Glow’s HexaPop softbox.
Key Features of the HexaPop 24” II Softbox
- Opened dimensions of around 11” deep with a 24.5” diameter
- Anti yellowing, non removable front diffusing fabric
- Heat and water resistant inside and out
- Suitable for LED continuous lights, speedlights and flash heads
- Bowens Mount included
- OTA Speedlight Mount included
- OTA handle and OTA-S speedlight adaptor included
- Assembles in a flash, disassembles with a pop.
Out of the Bag
Over the past few years, my original HexaPop 24” softbox has served me well. It’s survived my rough treatment in the studio and weathered some tough conditions on location. It’s been blown over several times, and it always gets squashed by other kits while in storage. And yet, amazingly, it just keeps going. So, can the new HexaPop 24” II improve on the original? Well, surprisingly, yes it can.
From the first moment I took the HexaPop 24” II out of its soft-yet-cushioned bag, I could feel that it was high quality. The new black outer material feels durable. Both the inner and outer fabric have a dimpled design that makes the outside look a lot more high-end than it’s price point suggests, and the inside more efficient by scattering the light.
Setting Up the Glow Softbox
Setting up the HexaPop 24” II is a very satisfying experience. Personally, I actively avoid any softbox that needs thin rods slotted into color-coded holes on a speed ring. That’s mostly because once you’ve tried the Glow HexaPop way, nothing is as fast to assemble or disassemble.
As the “hexa” part of the name suggests, this softbox is six-sided. To assemble it, you just pull back each of the six rods in turn until they click into place. Honestly ,it’s faster to do than it is to type! Closing down the softbox is done by squeezing four lugs together (two on either side of the softbox). It takes a good amount of force to do but once squeezed, there is an audible “pop” as the rods spring closed.
The black outer sides are lightproof and there’s no sag in the front diffusing cover. The whole softbox feels really sturdy, possibly helped by the front cover being permanently stitched on. This part is not removable, so it’s not going to get lost or left behind.
Using the Glow Softbox
When I say the Glow HexaPop is lightweight you’ll probably think, “Well yes, of course it is. It’s a small softbox so it’s bound to be light!” But even for a small softbox the HexaPop 24” II is a featherweight.
Want to hold a camera in one hand and a softbox and speedlight in the other? Reach for the HexaPop. Want to fly a light above your model for a quick beauty light look? The Hexapop 24” II is the perfect tool for job. Need a lightweight softbox on your travels? You get the idea.
That lightness in weight is partly due to the material, but also the design. There’s no inner diffuser here or clunky metal umbrella-style opening mechanism. The rods are a light weight alloy which has high elasticity and strong shape retention.
Unlike many softboxes, the front diffusing fabric sits flush with the sides. Not having the usual lip at the edge gives the softbox a wider-than-average spread of light, but the flip side is you lose the space where an egg crate grid would usually go. Fortunately, the HexaPop 24” II can now take a grid that fits over the outside and, although it’s an optional extra, for me, it’s an essential.
OTA System
If you’ve unfamiliar with the OTA system from Glow, it’s a mounting system designed to use with speedlights. You can either use a rectangular head such as the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III, or a round head like the Flashpoint Zoom Li-on X. The HexaPop 24” II is supplied with an OTA mount, as well an OTA-S adapter for rectangular speedlights. It’s a snug fit but I’ve found it will also take something as large as the eVOLV 200 Pro Flash. If you have a round head on your speedlight, you’ll need the optional OTA-C adaptor.
The supplied OTA handle is a dream to use. It has a twist lock to firmly attach it to any standard 5/8” stud and a pistol grip hinge that locks into the a good range of angles.
So what’s all the fuss around a mount that only takes speedlights? One reason is minimal light loss from the back of the softbox. No light modifier is 100% efficient, as light is lost by it being absorbed or just misdirected. Mounting systems that aren’t designed for speedlights will often have large gaps around the flash. This means light will bounce off the front diffuser and escape out the back. With the snug fit of the OTA system on the HexaPop 24” II, that light loss is minimal. More light goes out the front, which means more flash power and less light unexpectedly bouncing off something like a white wall behind the softbox.
Bowens Mount
If you have more conventional lighting needs, the Glow HexaPop 24” II has you covered. Along with the OTA mount, there is a Bowens mount included in the box. You can switch from OTA to Bowens mounts by undoing three small screws. Then, line up the new mount with the equally small screw holes before screwing them back in. Glow includes a screwdriver and some spare screws — both of which you’ll need and will be thankful for one day.
Who Should Use the Glow Softbox?
The kind of photographers who are likely to love the HexaPop 24” II is a varied mixture. Wedding photographers, location photographers, headshot photographers are all going to love it — either its design, weight or durability. But if speedlights are your go-to light, than the Glow HexaPop 24” II has a surprise that you’re going to absolutely love.
More from Glow
If you like the idea of the HexaPop but want something larger then its 24” size, need a recessed and removable outer diffuser, or need an inner diffuser, then check out the Glow ParaPop II range. These have all of the build and portability benefits of the little HexaPop, but with extra functionality. These softboxes still feature the brilliant click-to-open, pop-to-close system you get with the HexaPop 24” II, but in larger sizes. The ParaPop range has a choice of 28” and 38” softboxes as well as eggcrate grids to match.
The HexaPop 24” II Softbox from Glow is the smallest softbox I own, and yet it’s a light modifier that I keep coming back to. Although it’s more than capable of working on any Bowens mount flash, I personally find its real strength is with smaller flashes. The HexaPop 24” II and the OTA mount are the perfect match.
Learn more in the AdoramaTV video below:
