AlienBees again - help - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

05/22/2007 01:10:10 PM · #1

I am about to purchase some lighting equipment. But I can't decide what I should get.
I would like to shoot mainly food but I don't want to limit myself and occassionaly I might want to shoot bigger objects.
Should I get B400 or B800 flash units? Also is medium soft box sufficient?
What else should I get? Wireless remote? Any other recommendations?

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

05/22/2007 01:17:14 PM · #2

B400 is plenty for food and the occasional larger shot. I rarely push my B800's past half power. The wireless remotes are great, but not essential. I would suggest a brolly box over a softbox. They're a lot more convenient to handle.

fotomann_forever

05/22/2007 01:36:05 PM · #3

AB400s are plenty for even full body portraits of 2-3 people, no problem.

Medium softboxes will do you quite well. I'd get some umbrellas too. They are just a hell of a lot easier to deal with if you need to move the setup somewhere. Wireless triggers are cool, but far from essential.

05/22/2007 01:42:02 PM · #4

thank you.

What do you you think of the new foldable softboxes?
What about the boom arm? Should I bother with that?

drewbixcube

Canon EOS-7D

05/22/2007 01:47:09 PM · #5

With food shots, I would expect all the equipment to be fairly close to the subject, so you might not need the wireless triggers yet. I have 2 AB400's and shot over half a dozen gymnastics teams in a high school gym (flourecent lights!) just fine. The largest group had 12 kids in it. For the individual shots, I had one light to my right, looking down through a medium sized foldable octabox (awesome) at a 45 degree angle. The second light was at eye-level just left of the camera (again, no need for wireless triggers, as the sync cord reached the 2nd light) and it was reflecting out of an umbrella. I have yet to crank the 400's up to full power!

idnic should have some good answers for you...I guess she's the resident AB pro!

-drew

drewbixcube

Canon EOS-7D

05/22/2007 01:50:14 PM · #6

Originally posted by maggieddd:

What do you you think of the new foldable softboxes?
What about the boom arm? Should I bother with that?

Foldable Octabox=GREAT, takes <1 minute to set up. Collapses down like an umbrella, with the base being small enough to carry in one hand (as big around as a small salad plate or something).
Boom arm? Don't know haven't used one...don't really know what it is for.

-drew

coryxmorton

Canon EOS-5D

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

05/22/2007 01:53:23 PM · #7

I have the AB800's with a vagabond and absolutely love them. the 400's would do perfect for food, however if you plan on doing any outside portraits with them and want to overpower the sun, then you'll need at least the 800's if not the 1600's. I do a lot of outdoor portraits, and have had the 800's at full power.

I've never used the foldable softboxes, but I'm planning on getting one with my next paycheck. Wireless remotes aren't needed for what you're using them for, but they are extremely convenient.

Bugzeye

05/22/2007 03:44:36 PM · #8

get a snoot. or make one.

Louis

Nikon D800

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

05/22/2007 03:46:21 PM · #9

The boom arm is damn HEAVY! So that might be a consideration for you. It's useful to control light direction from many different points very quickly, and it's easy (and kinda fun) to be able to just swing the light around to wherever you need it, but I wouldn't think it's an essential piece of equipment for the kind of shots you're describing. Also, if you're in a standard space with average ceiling heigt (8 or 10 feet?), you won't get as much use out of it as you might think. The stands are perfectly fine in that case.

AllgoodPics

Canon EOS-20D

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon

05/22/2007 03:48:22 PM · #10

Having bought the DigiBee starter kit with the 400 and then buying a single 800 my suggestion would be to get the 1600 straight out of the gate if you can afford them. You can always turn the power down but you can't push it past 100%. At some point you will want more light for some reason. Get the highest output units that fit in your budget.

Mike

virtuamike

Nikon D2X

Carl Zeiss 35mm ZF f/2.0 Distagon T

05/22/2007 07:07:50 PM · #11

//www.strobist.blogspot.com/

Lighting food is more about control than output. I don't see why it couldn't be done with just a couple hotshoe flashes, cinefoil, flags, reflectors, and diffusers.

If anything, a medium softbox for food might be too big. You'll probably end up flagging it. Again, it's about control.

Booms are extremely useful for positioning. The Alien Bees boom isn't very well made. You'd be better off getting a Matthews or something that'll actually last. And because of the weight, you'll need either a very sturdy lightstand or a C-stand (Matthews gets my vote). Weight capacity and sturdiness would obviously be based on your lighting and modifier selection, but support (and consequently the flexibility you'll get in positioning) is one area I wouldn't skimp.

For lightweight gear, I get by on Bogen superclamps and flex arms. They're great if you're doing a lot of location work.

05/24/2007 07:52:35 PM · #12

thank you everyone for your recommendation.
Should I get a softbox or octabox?

05/24/2007 08:08:35 PM · #13

which stands would you recommend?

coryxmorton

Canon EOS-5D

05/24/2007 08:24:52 PM · #14

the standard 10' stand they sell are kinda flimsy. I'd get the heavy duty ones, especially if you're attaching a boom or any type of dish or box. The type of box you get depends on what you're shooting. If you're shooting glasses or bottles, the reflection of a softbox is rather nice. Plus you can make a grid out of tape to make the reflection look like an actual window. If you're shooting people, an octabox can be more beneficial just because the reflection in the eye becomes more round rather than rectangular or square. The roundness is way more flattering.

05/24/2007 08:37:05 PM · #15

Originally posted by coryxmorton:

thanks. I guess, I'll go with medium softbox. As far as the stands. I just need one for my strobe and one maybe for a reflector

drewbixcube

Canon EOS-7D

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

05/24/2007 11:41:10 PM · #16

Originally posted by maggieddd:

thanks. I guess, I'll go with medium softbox. As far as the stands. I just need one for my strobe and one maybe for a reflector

Don't buy an expensive stand for a reflector, unless you plan on putting a light on it in the near future. I think

idnic uses hospital IV stands for her reflectors/lightweight stuff...you can get them used and cheap...and they have wheels for easy portability.

Bugzeye

05/24/2007 11:47:56 PM · #17

I have the giant softbox it is very huge I also have a beauty dish. a bit expensive but very effective and alot easier to set up than the softbox. it is something for you to think about anyway,.

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

05/28/2007 08:29:42 PM · #18

So I o rdered this for now:
2 stands
medium softbox
400 light

Don't laugh, do I need any cables?

Louis

Nikon D800

05/28/2007 08:53:28 PM · #19

Originally posted by maggieddd:

So I o rdered this for now:
2 stands
medium softbox
400 light

Don't laugh, do I need any cables?

Each flash unit comes with a sync cord, so no. I use the flash trigger though, to avoid using wires altogether.