DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Idiots guide to studio lighting
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 6 of 6, (reverse)
AuthorThread
07/16/2004 08:30:26 AM · #1
I am soon to piurchase some studio light or a studio flash.

I know nothing about either so any advice would be most welcome (i feel this could be a propular thread as there are many others probably asking the same questions.

The first is a lamp kit here:
Interfit 3200k x2

The second is a flash kit here
Portaflash Studio Kit 2

Firstly, what is the difference between flashes and always on lamps? Is one preferable to the other?
If i get the lamps I presume by their power I will not need to use flash on camera.?

Also is 3400k bright enough? Considering there are 2 of them..So i can handhold at say 1/200th?

Main usage will be still life and a little bit of portrait stuff..

My initial thoughts are for the lamps as I will be able to see the effect without having to take a picture.

Thanks in advance.

JP

Message edited by author 2004-07-16 08:31:55.
07/16/2004 08:50:40 AM · #2
Jon:

Check out this thread. In one of my posts, I compare the difference between continuous vs. strobe lighting using some numbers I found on the 'net. To obtain an equivalent exposure for which a single 400 watt-second strobe is required, you would need roughly 50,000 watts of continuous lighting. (A 1000 watt incandescent light is roughly equivalent to the light that would be produced by an 8 W-s "strobe". For comparison, a decent battery-operated camera-mounted flash can typically achieve 30-35 W-s.)

Continuous lighting is fine for things that don't move, since you can use long shutter speeds to account for the difference in light intensity. But for anything that is alive (pets, people, etc.), they can be very hot, and long shutter speeds are problematic.

So... I'd recommend strobe-based studio lighting that has a modeling lamp (which can be set to track the power of the strobe) to help you visualize what the light will look like if you plan on shooting people or animals.

Message edited by author 2004-07-16 08:53:20.
07/16/2004 09:06:19 AM · #3
Thanks for that Eddy

Will strobes be suitable for still life? (by strobes I presume my second link is that?)

07/16/2004 10:58:55 AM · #4
Originally posted by jonpink:

Thanks for that Eddy

Will strobes be suitable for still life? (by strobes I presume my second link is that?)


Personally, I'd say for the still life mood, no. I've had my strobes for a few months and all I've shot with them is people. For any still life type shots that I've done, I've used my clamp lights with 100W Halogen bulbs. With still life, fast shutters are normally not necessary. And with my strobes, my camera is jacked up to maximum F# and the fastest or maybe two steps down from the fastest shutter to make the exposure correctly.

The appeal of still life certainly is in the lighting and I think strobes are too bright and flood too much light everywhere, which takes away some of the drama of the setup.

Strobes are the way to go though, but maybe not for still life

Bob
07/16/2004 11:12:54 AM · #5
I don't think I would waste my money on professional continuous lighting as you could probably get similar results using cheap work lights that you could get with 500 watt bulbs. Continuous lighting is more uncomfortable for your model(s) to be working under, and will make them sweat which may create shiney reflections on skin. In addition, they are very hot and dangerous and a fire hazard. Also, they throw off a very orangey colored light that you will need to either correct with filters on lens or light, or in computer with PS. Remember that strobes can be adjusted so that they don't flood the area with too much light. If you're going to buy an on-camera strobe, get something with eTTL capabilities, like the Canon 550EX.
07/16/2004 01:15:02 PM · #6
Originally posted by jonpink:

Will strobes be suitable for still life? (by strobes I presume my second link is that?)

I would say "yes" if:

1) the strobes have modeling lights (so you get a good feel for the lighting)
2) the strobes have variable power (for example, the Alien Bees are adjustable over a stepless 5-stop range)

Having the variable power makes them much more useable, since you don't necessarily have to rely on camera adjustments (i.e., use a smaller aperture) to control the light.

Also, if you have tracking modeling lights (i.e., intensity varies as you adjust strobe output power), you can also use just the modeling lights for your illuminiation if your are lighting a still life and for some reason aren't able to get the desired effect with the strobes. Just disconnect the sync cord so the strobes don't fire. Much easier than switching between strobes and continuous lights on your light stands. Even though the Alien Bees come with a standard 100W light bulb as the modeling lamp, they can be readily upgraded to 150W (the Bees have a standard household lamp socket, so you can get a 150W halogen bulb at most any home center or hardware store).

There is a (older) review of the Alien Bees monolights in Shutterbug here.
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/29/2024 10:54:08 AM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/29/2024 10:54:08 AM EDT.