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06/18/2009 05:37:44 PM · #1 |
I was just at National Camera looking around their lighting department, they have a very slick deal for $500 that include 2 Promaster 300 W/s strobes, 2 reversible umbrellas, stands, and a carrying bag. The Bees (B-800 in particular) are only marginally more powerful and don't come with any of that gear, though I do get a Student Discount which would get the price of 2 B-800s down to the price of the whole Promaster kit. The Promaster lights were very solid, and the lighting guy said no one has ever had any issues with them and he's sold 50+ sets since January.
So is there anything I should know that should sway me towards the Bees? The Promaster set seems like a very good deal and I've had no issues with any of their other products before.
PS Anyone want to buy my SB-900 complete in box with a Promaster TTL cord and homemade ringflash? :P |
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06/18/2009 08:44:29 PM · #2 |
| I dont have any experience with Promaster but do have some Alienbee gear and all I can say is to date for me their service has been great which is very important to me, more so sometimes than the price. |
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06/18/2009 09:57:00 PM · #3 |
Power levels and price aren't the only things to consider when comparing lights. There are lots of other aspects to consider. What about flash duration, recycle times, and adjustability, to name just a few? The AlienBees have built-in automatic fans. Do the Promasters have that feature? What about accessories? AlienBees have tons of accessories available. What about the companies themselves? AlienBees is well known to provide excellent customer service. Can the same be said about Promaster?
I think you would do yourself a favor by researching both the products and their companies a bit more.
$0.02
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06/18/2009 10:05:30 PM · #4 |
The Promasters actually have larger fans than the Bees and recycle from a full power burst in (I didn't time it officially but it seems right) under 1.5 seconds. Anything below 1/1 power is pretty much instantaneous. The Promasters use a common S-Mount for attaching accessories which won't be an issue finding.
I have heard that Alien Bees provides amazing customer service. I haven't really heard the same for Promaster, but that's more due to the fact that I haven't heard ANY stories about Promaster customer service. I wonder if BH or Adorama has these lights and what the customer reviews say. Off to find out. |
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06/18/2009 10:13:59 PM · #5 |
Have used Alien Bees gear quite a bit, and their customer service is SUPERB. I recommend them without reservation. I work in a local studio where the gear gets used heavily, by lots of photographers with varying degrees of experience. It gets used and abused. I have bought their umbrellas, brolly boxes, reflectors and radio triggers for myself, and would not hesitate to buy their strobes if I did not have access to the studio gear.
I have never used Promaster, so cannot compare. I guess I would, at a minimum, find out the return policy on the promasters, if you wanted to be able to try them without committing. But you can probably find reviews of that gear, the company, and their customer service with a bit of googlin |
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06/19/2009 03:09:29 AM · #6 |
I would pick the Alien Bee's! Promaster is not going to provide you with the same customer service as AB. They are top notch in backing their products. A couple of the shops I frequent carry a line of Promaster products and the only thing I have noticed is they are quite dusty. Which tells me that they have a long shelf life. Then again these stores cater to Professional Photographers and they tend to spend their money on Canon or Nikon products. I do own a Promaster CP Filter which I can not say is total crap but I haven't used it for ages.
Message edited by author 2009-06-19 03:10:04. |
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