Godox Lantern vs Traditional Softboxes: What's the Real Difference?
There's something magical about the quality of light that comes from a Godox lantern. If you've ever walked onto a set and seen one hanging from a boom arm, casting that gorgeous, wraparound glow across a subject's face, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's the kind of light that makes skin look luminous, reduces harsh shadows, and somehow makes everything in the frame look just a bit more cinematic.
But here's the thing: despite how professional they look and the results they deliver, lantern softboxes remain one of the most underrated modifiers in many photographers' and videographers' kits. Maybe it's because they look a bit unusual, or perhaps people just aren't sure when to use them. Whatever the reason, if you've been sleeping on the Godox lantern, it's time to wake up.
What Makes a Lantern Softbox Different?
Before we dive into why the Godox lantern specifically deserves a spot in your gear bag, let's talk about what makes lantern softboxes unique in the first place.
Unlike traditional softboxes that fire light in one direction, a lantern softbox is spherical and spreads light in all directions at once. We're talking about 270 degrees of omnidirectional light coverage. This creates an entirely different quality compared to your standard rectangular or octagonal softbox.
Think of it this way: a regular softbox is like a flashlight with a wide beam, directing light toward your subject. A lantern, on the other hand, is more like hanging a glowing orb in the middle of your space. It fills the room with light, bouncing off walls, ceilings, and floors to create a soft, natural ambience that feels less like artificial lighting and more like you've somehow bottled beautiful window light.
The Godox Collapsible Lantern Softbox: What You're Getting
The Godox lantern lineup includes several sizes, but the most popular options are the 65cm and 85cm versions. Both feature that signature collapsible design that Godox has become known for. When you need to pack up and move to your next location, these lanterns fold down into a compact form that's genuinely easy to transport.
Setting up a Godox lantern is refreshingly simple. The collapsible frame pops open in seconds, and you secure your light inside the opening at the bottom. No fumbling with dozens of rods or speed rings. No watching YouTube tutorials to figure out which piece goes where. You literally unfold it, attach your light, and you're ready to shoot.
The build quality feels solid without being unnecessarily heavy. The fabric diffusion is durable and does an excellent job of softening the light while maintaining good output. You're not losing excessive power through poor diffusion material, which means you can keep your light at lower power settings and preserve your battery life or avoid overheating your continuous lights.
Adding a Skirt: Control When You Need It
Here's where the Godox lantern becomes even more versatile. While the omnidirectional light spread is brilliant for many situations, sometimes you need a bit more control. That's where an optional lantern skirt comes into play.
A skirt is essentially a fabric attachment that wraps around the lower portion of your Godox lantern, blocking light from spilling downward and outward. This transforms your 270-degree light source into something more directional, giving you the soft quality of a lantern while containing where that light actually goes.
When would you use a skirt? Imagine you're shooting in a location with a distracting floor or you want to prevent light from hitting your background. Maybe you're working in a space with reflective surfaces below your subject that are causing unwanted bounce. A skirt solves these problems instantly.
Video work benefits enormously from skirts. When you're recording and don't want light spilling onto your camera operator, equipment, or certain parts of your set, adding a skirt to your Godox lantern gives you that control without sacrificing the beautiful soft quality overhead. You're essentially creating a more focused pool of light while maintaining those gorgeous wraparound characteristics on your subject.
Skirts also help when you're working with multiple lights and need to prevent your Godox lantern from contaminating other areas of your lighting setup. You can keep your key light exactly where you want it without it bleeding into areas meant to be lit by other sources.
The beauty is that skirts are typically quick to attach and remove, so you can adapt your Godox lantern on the fly depending on what each scene requires. It's like having two different modifiers in one
Choosing Between the 65cm and 85cm Godox Lantern
This is where many people get stuck. Both sizes have their place, and honestly, if your budget allows, having both gives you fantastic versatility. But if you're choosing just one, here's how to think about it.
The 65cm Godox lantern is your Swiss Army knife option. It's large enough to create that beautiful soft light we're after but compact enough to use in tighter spaces. For portrait work, small product photography, or even as a key light in intimate interview setups, the 65cm hits a sweet spot. It's also noticeably lighter and easier to position on smaller light stands or boom arms.
The 85cm version takes everything up a notch. The larger surface area means even softer light with more gradual falloff. This is your go-to when you're lighting larger scenes, need to fill more space, or want that extra-luxurious quality that only comes from bigger light sources. Group portraits, larger product setups, or situations where you're lighting an entire small room benefit enormously from the 85cm.
Consider your typical shooting environment. If you're often working in standard living rooms, small studios, or on location in spaces that aren't massive, the 65cm will likely serve you better most of the time. If you have the ceiling height and floor space to really let a larger modifier work its magic, the 85cm becomes incredibly appealing.
Round vs. Flattened: Understanding Your Lantern Options
Here's something you might not know: the Godox lantern family includes both traditional round lanterns and what are called flattened or space-saving lanterns. The difference isn't just aesthetic.
Round lanterns are the classic spherical shape we've been discussing. They provide that full 270-degree spread and create the most even, omnidirectional light possible. When you want that "glowing orb in the middle of the room" effect, round is your answer.
Flattened lanterns have a more oval or compressed profile. They're designed specifically for situations where you need to save space, either during transport or when working in environments with lower ceilings. The light distribution changes slightly with the flattened design. You're still getting beautiful, soft wraparound light, but the pattern becomes more directional than the perfectly spherical round version.
The flattened Godox lantern options are brilliant for travelling creators who need to maximize luggage space or for anyone working regularly in spaces where a full sphere just doesn't fit comfortably. The light quality remains excellent, just with slightly different characteristics.
Why the Godox Lantern Excels in Small Spaces
This might seem counterintuitive. Why would you use a large modifier in a small space? Shouldn't you go smaller when space is limited?
Actually, the opposite is often true. The Godox lantern is phenomenal in compact environments precisely because of how it distributes light. In a small room, that 270-degree spread means you're effectively turning every surface into a reflector. The light bounces off walls and ceilings, filling the space with soft, diffused illumination that feels natural and flattering.
I've used a Godox lantern in tiny bedrooms for portrait sessions and been amazed at how the confined space actually enhances the effect. The closer walls act as natural fill cards, bouncing light back onto your subject from multiple angles. You end up with incredibly even lighting that would require multiple lights and modifiers to achieve in a larger space.
The key is positioning. Hanging the lantern from above, roughly in the centre of your shooting area, gives you the most flexibility. Your subject can move around freely, and the light quality remains consistent from nearly any angle. And if you need to prevent light from hitting certain areas, adding a skirt gives you that extra level of control.
Practical Applications: When to Reach for Your Lantern
Portrait photography is where the Godox lantern truly shines. The wraparound quality creates gorgeous catchlights in the eyes while minimizing unflattering shadows under the chin and nose. For beauty work, fashion, or even environmental portraits, it's difficult to beat the aesthetic a good lantern provides.
Product photography benefits enormously as well, particularly for reflective objects. The spherical shape of the lantern creates beautiful, even reflections rather than the harsh rectangular highlights you might get from a standard softbox. Jewellery, glassware, and polished surfaces all photograph beautifully under lantern light.
Video and content creation might actually be where lanterns prove most valuable. When you're recording yourself or subjects who need to move around while staying lit, a Godox lantern positioned overhead provides consistent illumination regardless of which direction someone faces. It's like having a lighting setup that doesn't require constant adjustment.
Behind-the-scenes work, documentary shooting, and event coverage also become easier with a lantern in your arsenal. Set it up in a central location, and you've created a pool of beautiful light that makes handheld shooting much more forgiving. Use a skirt when you need to keep light off certain parts of your scene or prevent spill onto equipment.
Getting the Most from Your Godox Lantern
To really maximize what a Godox lantern can do, think about your placement carefully. Height matters significantly. Positioning the lantern too low often results in the light source being visible in your frame or creating unflattering upward shadows. Mounting it on a boom arm or using a tall stand to get it overhead produces the most natural, flattering results.
Distance to subject also plays a crucial role. Remember that larger light sources become softer as they get closer to your subject. Even though the Godox lantern is already creating soft light, moving it closer will increase that effect. Just watch for the light appearing in your frame or casting shadows from your boom arm or stand.
Pairing your lantern with additional lights opens up even more creative possibilities. Use the lantern as your main key light and add rim lights or background lights to create separation and depth. Or flip the script and use your lantern as ambient fill while another modifier provides directional key lighting. A skirt can help you fine-tune exactly how your Godox lantern interacts with your other light sources.
Experiment with power settings too. Because the Godox lantern spreads light so effectively, you often need less power than you'd expect. Start lower than you think you need and work your way up. This helps preserve battery life and keeps continuous LED lights from getting uncomfortably hot.
Why Choose Godox Specifically?
The lighting market offers several lantern options, so why specifically consider the Godox lantern? Value is a huge part of the equation. Godox has built a reputation for delivering professional-quality gear at prices that don't require a second mortgage. Their lanterns perform comparably to options costing significantly more while remaining accessible to creators at various budget levels.
The ecosystem matters too. If you're already using Godox lights and triggers, adding a Godox lantern means everything plays nicely together. No compatibility concerns, no worrying about whether your modifier will fit your strobe. It just works.
Build quality and reliability have improved dramatically across the Godox range over the years. These aren't flimsy modifiers that'll fall apart after a few uses. With reasonable care, a Godox lantern will serve you well through countless shoots
Making the Investment Decision
A Godox lantern isn't an impulse purchase for most photographers and videographers, even at Godox's competitive pricing. It represents a commitment to a particular lighting aesthetic and approach. Before adding one to your kit, consider whether the type of work you do will genuinely benefit from what a lantern provides.
If you're shooting mostly outdoor environmental work where you rarely use artificial lighting, a lantern probably shouldn't be your next purchase. But if you're regularly creating content in controlled environments, working with portraits, or producing video content, a Godox lantern could genuinely transform your lighting game.
Think about the modifiers you currently own. If your collection is mostly smaller softboxes, reflectors, and perhaps an umbrella or two, adding a quality lantern diversifies your options significantly. You're not just buying another softbox in a slightly different shape. You're gaining access to an entirely different quality of light.
The Bottom Line on Godox Lanterns
The Godox lantern lineup represents one of those rare pieces of gear that genuinely changes how you approach lighting. Once you experience the quality of light these modifiers produce, you'll find yourself reaching for them again and again. They're versatile enough to handle everything from intimate portraits to larger scenes, portable enough to take on location, and affordable enough that adding one to your kit won't break the bank.
Whether you opt for the 65cm or 85cm, round or flattened, with or without a skirt for added control, you're investing in a tool that'll serve you well across countless projects. The soft, wraparound light quality simply isn't achievable with most other modifier types, and in situations where you want that specific aesthetic, nothing else quite does the job.
Ready to improve your lighting setup? Browse the full range of Godox lanterns available at CameraStuff and discover which size and style best fits your creative needs. Whether you're shopping online or visiting us in-store, our team is here to help you build a lighting kit that empowers your vision.
CameraStuff is an Official Godox Distributor in South Africa. CameraStuff is proud to serve as an authorised official agent and distributor of Godox products within South Africa since 2018. This partnership, firmly established over an extended period, underscores our commitment to providing authentic Godox equipment to our valued customers. Our status is substantiated by an official Letter of Authorization issued directly by Godox Global.
