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09/21/2006 11:08:15 AM · #1 |
I know there are trillions of threads about home studio 'lighting', however I was browsing on eBay and would like an opinion on one of the kits I found for sale there.
I'm looking for something relatively inexpensive that will be easy to use for pet and people portraiture (my sister will need some formal wedding photos next year) AND something I can purchase soon so the photo club I'm a part of can have a gathering at my house to practice portraiture with it.
I can probably go between $325-$375 with the higher being my absolute stopping point - though something less expensive but comparable quality/use-wise would be better.
Anyway, I found this kit Home Studio Kit for Sale on Ebay which to my untrained and unknowledgable eye seems like a fairly nice deal.. but I'd appreciate the opinion of those who have experience with portraiture work and using fancy smancy lights.
Is this a good deal? A whole lot of fluff to make the price seem acceptable? Decent quality brand?
I do expect I'll be able to use the lights for more than just portrait stuff, but that's the main need requiring filling at the moment.
I do know that those are continuous 'lighting' and that strobes are considered to be better especially because of heating issues but I checked strobes out on B&H and almost died of sticker shock.
Thanks!
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09/21/2006 11:25:28 AM · #2 |
| I tend to think continuous 'lighting' is never worth it. Just my biased opinion though. |
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09/21/2006 11:35:31 AM · #3 |
I second that.
I've tried studio shots with lights and the model was complaining about the light in her eyes and the heat. On top of that, it didn't give me enough light at all. I had 1500w and it wasn't enough for me.
Save your money and get good flashes. I sold my lights, and next time I need studio 'lighting' I'm going flash that's 100% sure. |
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09/21/2006 11:36:47 AM · #4 |
Actually, the cool thing about that one is that it gives you what looks like brackets that would also fit a flash head. Buy some cheapo slave flahses and you have a portable strobe kit too.
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09/21/2006 11:40:05 AM · #5 |
| These would be good for playing around with and learning how different positioning of the lights effects the 'lighting' of the model. But the lights will get hot, and if your model is under them for too long they will no doubt start to prespire (even a little bit) and their skin will become shiny which is hard to remove in ps. On the plus side, you'll already have stands so when you get tired of these and get strobes that's one less thing to get. |
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09/21/2006 11:41:38 AM · #6 |
| I'll agree with the others who say that continuous 'lighting' just winds up being a pain in the neck all around. You'll be much happier with the results if you go with strobes. |
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09/21/2006 12:06:31 PM · #7 |
Is something like this better?
Two strobe lights
Two 7 feet light stands
Two AC Swivel Adapters
Two 33" umbrellas
One 15.5' sync cord
ONE professional 16" light tent (retail value $29.99)
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09/21/2006 12:09:44 PM · #8 |
When you talk about flashes, do you really mean flashes (like Canon, Nikon or Sigma flashguns) or strobes?. There is a very interesting blog about 'lighting' with flashes Strobist but I wonder if a setup of only flashes would really give you enough power and enough quality as studio 'lighting' equipment.
Also I know that flashes are measured by GN, and studio flashes by Watts, is there a way to convert GN to Watts in order to know the equivalence? |
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09/21/2006 12:28:21 PM · #9 |
I suggest...
One AlienBees B400 Monolight $224.95
One 10-foot General Purpose Stand $39.95
And, since your 350D doesn't have a PC socket, you will also need one Hot Shoe Adaptor $14.95
Total $279.85 + shipping.
With one good monolight and a reflector, like a sheet of white foam core, you can make some very nice portraits. Then, add more lights as you can afford them.
You might add one Medium Softbox for $99.95. That would make your total about $379.80.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Message edited by author 2006-09-21 12:33:26.
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09/21/2006 12:33:51 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by patrinus:
Also I know that flashes are measured by GN, and studio flashes by Watts, is there a way to convert GN to Watts in order to know the equivalence? |
No, or at least not with the information they will provide. |
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09/21/2006 12:37:52 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by micknewton:
And, since your 350D doesn't have a PC socket, you will also need one Hot Shoe Adaptor $14.95
Just my $0.02 worth. |
I have a 20D. Which has the PC socket. That said, most of the lights I looked at (included the Alien Bees) seemed to state that they responded merely by the flash.
So do they have a place to connect the PC socket? If so, do I just connect one or do I daisy chain?
What about mixing AB400 with AB800. (ie: For the purpose of say backlightng one's hair?)
???
Everyone recommends Alien Bees...is there NOTHING else on the market decent or comparable. It just seems weird. About the only place I see this sort of recommendation is DJ'ing where everyone recommends Technics. Even though in recent years others have put out tables that outperform the Technics. But the Technics are the most common de facto standard. |
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09/21/2006 12:42:43 PM · #12 |
Ok do I understand this...
The AlienBee will 'flash' on its own triggered by the flash of the camera? (I only have a SB600 flash) Do you still put continuous 'lighting' between the subject and the backdrop or is this the location of the AlienBee?
I apologize for my 'newbie' questions. I am interested in learning to take portraits and don't want to waste money on my misunderstanding..
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09/21/2006 12:43:55 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by theSaj:
I have a 20D. Which has the PC socket. That said, most of the lights I looked at (included the Alien Bees) seemed to state that they responded merely by the flash.
So do they have a place to connect the PC socket? If so, do I just connect one or do I daisy chain?
What about mixing AB400 with AB800. (ie: For the purpose of say backlightng one's hair?) |
Typically you would connect your camera via PC to the closest strobe. All others will fire when they see the flash. Another option is to use your portable flash (for example the 550EX) in the hotshoe at lowest power. Point it away from your subject so it doesn't add to the illumination. When you take a photo the Alien Bees will see that flash and all fire. This gets you around having a wire to trip over.
You can mix any power of strobe. It does complicate things somewhat because you have to figure your 'lighting' ratios with the different powers and the modeling lights won't give an accurate representation of the illumination unless you change the bulbs to match the units output. |
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09/21/2006 12:46:31 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by dassilem:
Ok do I understand this...
The AlienBee will 'flash' on its own triggered by the flash of the camera? (I only have a SB600 flash) Do you still put continuous 'lighting' between the subject and the backdrop or is this the location of the AlienBee?
I apologize for my 'newbie' questions. I am interested in learning to take portraits and don't want to waste money on my misunderstanding.. |
Alien Bees can be triggered via the cord or another flash of light. If you're using strobes for part of the 'lighting' it's best to use them for all of the 'lighting' unless you're trying for a special effect. |
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09/21/2006 12:50:08 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by theSaj:
I have a 20D. Which has the PC socket. That said, most of the lights I looked at (included the Alien Bees) seemed to state that they responded merely by the flash.
So do they have a place to connect the PC socket? If so, do I just connect one or do I daisy chain? |
Yes, the lights have a PC connector socket, and they come with the necessary sync cable to connect your camera to the light.
If you have multiple lights, you only need to connect one to the camera. The rest can be set to fire when they 'see' the flash from the connected light.
Originally posted by theSaj:
What about mixing AB400 with AB800. (ie: For the purpose of say backlightng one's hair?) |
No problem. The flashtubes used in all AlienBees units are daylight-balanced at 5600ºK.
Originally posted by theSaj:
Everyone recommends Alien Bees...is there NOTHING else on the market decent or comparable. It just seems weird. |
Sure, there are lots of other lights on the market. However, I think AlienBees are simply the best bang-for-the-buck you'll find. They have standard features that many more expensive lights don't have, for less money. Plus, their customer service is simply awesome.
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09/21/2006 01:06:55 PM · #16 |
ABs are fine but you can get the same features and more power for less money, and the accessories are more readilty available and less costly.
Paterson Interfit Stellar strobe units.
They can be had in 150ws (some power as AB400), 300ws (AB800) and 600ws (AB1600) and they have a 1000 unit too.
the two light 150 kit, with stands, PC cords, umbrellas and a carry case at B&H is $412. see here - they often drop ship so don't be too concerned about availability.
I now have 4 of the 300ws units and I love them. A set of 2 with stands, cords, etc is $499.
Hot lights are, well, HOT, and off color and the color changes as they age, hard to use modifiers on them, and usually underpowered.
there is no relationship i can find between watts for continous lights and watt-seconds for strobes, so a 1000watt hot light is no where near as powerful as a 150ws strobe.
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09/21/2006 01:10:18 PM · #17 |
the lights I borrow from a friend have "model" lights in them - basically low wattage lights that show the shadows and 'lighting' that the larger strobes are going to give when they fire.
Does Alien Bees offer anything like that? It's darn handy to have those when setting the lights for model shoots.
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09/21/2006 01:17:15 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by digitalknight:
the lights I borrow from a friend have "model" lights in them - basically low wattage lights that show the shadows and 'lighting' that the larger strobes are going to give when they fire.
Does Alien Bees offer anything like that? It's darn handy to have those when setting the lights for model shoots. |
Alienbee lights come with 100W or 150W modelling lamps. |
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09/21/2006 01:17:51 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
the two light 150 kit, with stands, PC cords, umbrellas and a carry case at B&H is $412. see here - they often drop ship so don't be too concerned about availability.
I now have 4 of the 300ws units and I love them. A set of 2 with stands, cords, etc is $499. |
I'm watching this too - 'lighting' is so confusing! I'm contracted to do headshots for 70 children actors, which I'm terrified of. This won't happen until after Christmas, so I'll have plenty of time to practice on my own kids. I was looking at the alien bees, but will consider this as well.
My questions: is two lights enough for doing headshots? I know I'll need to buy a backdrop kit. What else do I need? Is a light meter necessary/helpful?
Many thanks for any replies. I'm going to read all the other 'lighting' threads too, but saw this one & it was relevant ... |
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09/21/2006 02:07:02 PM · #20 |
| newbie question: what is a "PC"? |
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09/21/2006 02:40:16 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by dleach:
newbie question: what is a "PC"? |
"PC is an acronym for Prontor-Compur, the two European shutter makers who, long ago, devised a system that allowed a cable from a studio electronic flash unit to synchronize with a camera shutter."
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09/21/2006 02:59:00 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by Bebe:
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
the two light 150 kit, with stands, PC cords, umbrellas and a carry case at B&H is $412. see here - they often drop ship so don't be too concerned about availability.
I now have 4 of the 300ws units and I love them. A set of 2 with stands, cords, etc is $499. |
I'm watching this too - 'lighting' is so confusing! I'm contracted to do headshots for 70 children actors, which I'm terrified of. This won't happen until after Christmas, so I'll have plenty of time to practice on my own kids. I was looking at the alien bees, but will consider this as well.
My questions: is two lights enough for doing headshots? I know I'll need to buy a backdrop kit. What else do I need? Is a light meter necessary/helpful?
Many thanks for any replies. I'm going to read all the other 'lighting' threads too, but saw this one & it was relevant ... |
2 lights should be good enough - 1 to light the face, and 1 to light the background. A 3rd light would be nice for hair/edge 'lighting', though it's up to you (plus I've seen setups where background light serves dual purpose as a hair light too). Get reflectors too. And yes, light meter is helpful. Chances are once you set up your lights you won't be changing output much, but it really speeds things up during setup and helps nail your exposures.
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09/21/2006 03:01:29 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by gaurawa:
Originally posted by digitalknight:
the lights I borrow from a friend have "model" lights in them - basically low wattage lights that show the shadows and 'lighting' that the larger strobes are going to give when they fire.
Does Alien Bees offer anything like that? It's darn handy to have those when setting the lights for model shoots. |
Alienbee lights come with 100W or 150W modelling lamps. |
100W. They take a standard household lightbulb.
White Lightning uses a 250W bulb.
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09/21/2006 03:28:21 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by Bebe:
I'm watching this too - 'lighting' is so confusing! I'm contracted to do headshots for 70 children actors, which I'm terrified of. This won't happen until after Christmas, so I'll have plenty of time to practice on my own kids. I was looking at the alien bees, but will consider this as well.
My questions: is two lights enough for doing headshots? I know I'll need to buy a backdrop kit. What else do I need? Is a light meter necessary/helpful?
Many thanks for any replies. I'm going to read all the other 'lighting' threads too, but saw this one & it was relevant ... |
Check out the Strobist blog for extensive information on doing great headshots with only one flash. Good luck with the kids! |
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09/21/2006 06:44:15 PM · #25 |
Thank you guys for throwing in your opinions. It sounds like consensus is save for strobe.
I am going to check out the set ups you guys suggested  micknewton and Prof_Fate when I get a little bit of time. I also need a background dealy and I saw one mentioned in another 'lighting' thread that I can get at B&H so I'll have to add that in there too which would push past my limit.
I have absolutely no clue how to use/set up lights dealing with flashes, slaves, and all that good stuff so I hope the learning curve on these things isn't too steep and the portability is high - I'll be 'borrowing' the living room for my experiments.
I really appreciate the input thus far, I'm glad I didn't rush to go purchase just because it looked like I got a lot of accessories with that kit.
If anyone else has suggested setups - particularly for a very beginner at portraiture - let me/us know. I'll be checking out this AlienBees stuff during my break at work. :)
Thanks again!
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