Beginner strobe kit - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

01/10/2007 03:26:05 PM · #1

I want to put together a small studio in my home and have a few different setups that I'm looking at (consisting of 1-3 lights plus the necessary umbrellas/reflectors/softboxes/etc).

I saw this on EBay and wondered if it would be ok for a beginner strobe kit? I'm not too concerned about the buyer being a problem as they have a fairly high rating.

Has anyone else picked up this set or something similar, and if so would you recommend it?

zool

Canon EOS-7D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/10/2007 03:35:35 PM · #2

I am not sure about that kit. I am going to get one of these in two weeks.
Ebay Auction number 290069639697

They have kits like the one you are looking at.

I figure I'll order it in two weeks and it should take a week for the paypall to clear and then a week for shipping. So if you can hold off a month I'll let you know what they are like.
I have heard about this brand a few times and people seem to like them. Not the best but they are supose to be built like tanks and reliable.

poonaka

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/10/2007 03:44:00 PM · #3

I'd be really interested in hearing what people recommend as I'd like to buy a beginner kit soon.

DianeS

Canon EOS-30D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

01/10/2007 04:00:48 PM · #4

I bought this oneand I'm very happy with it for my very beginner uses. It looks quite similar to the one ponnaka posted. The backdrops are CRAP, and the stands are very light so you have to be careful not to knock them down, but I feel it was worth it to work around these obstacles. If you're looking to get started right away on a budget, as opposed to slowly building a collection of higher quality equipment, I recommend the cheaper sets.

acrotide

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

01/10/2007 07:56:49 PM · #5

Little bump for the evening crowd.

01/10/2007 08:00:17 PM · #6

Originally posted by DianeS:

that is the set I've had my eye on for a while now ... nice to know that it's not total crap! Do you know if you can change the flash bulb on your own or if you have to send it back to the manufacturer?

poonaka

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/10/2007 10:27:36 PM · #7

Originally posted by DianeS:

I just bought this kit, can't wait to get my hands on it.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

01/10/2007 10:31:13 PM · #8

I'll throw my 2 cents into this thread, but I have a feeling it won't be popular.

In my humble opinion... there is no such thing as a starter strobe set. There are good strobes and bad ones. If you have to ask whether or not it must go to manufacturer to change bulbs -- its probably a bad set. Would you buy a car if it had to be sent to detroit everytime it needed tires? I strongly believe you should buy ONE good strobe - something that will last for years, take abuse, survive anything you can give it while you learn how to use strobe/studio lighting. As you can afford, add another and another and another.
The idea of an out-of-the-box studio is silly, you end up with lights you can't master and by the time you can they're 'disposable'. Its a waste of money.

01/10/2007 10:43:07 PM · #9

LOL ... I live in Detroit! Actually, the more I consider things and read the threads here ... I think I'll wait and get the digibee kit ... it's just frustrating when all you have are a few Home Depot clamp lights ... and you want to do so much more than those lights will allow .. thanks for the 2 cents Cindi ... it's much appreciated!

poonaka

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/10/2007 10:49:00 PM · #10

Originally posted by pamelasue:

it's just frustrating when all you have are a few Home Depot clamp lights

lol I have a table lamp and a 500w construction flood light.

Spork99

OM System OM-1

01/10/2007 10:57:17 PM · #11

If you want to get started, seriously, all you need is one light and a reflector card. You can get the "Beginner Bee" set from Alien Bees for $360. If you swap the AB800 for an AB400, the price drops to just over $300. I believe that's about what that ebay "kit" cost.

Get a stand and a clamp to hold your reflector, which can be a piece of white foamcore.

That would be a MUCH better way to get started. You'll have a reasonably high quality strobe and it'll be easy to add more lights when you figure out what you need them for.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/10/2007 11:00:18 PM · #12

cool ... I'll have to check into that ... I already have a BG stand (PVC pipe) and a few backgrounds, so that part of the ebay kit was unnecessary for me ... I'm really just looking for some quality light that doesn't turn the room into an oven ...

robs

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

01/10/2007 11:09:20 PM · #13

If you are looking for a good cheap air-cushioned stand have a look at this one. I got one recently and for $40 it's seems great value to me.

cloudsme

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM

01/10/2007 11:10:35 PM · #14

Originally posted by DianeS:

I bought a very similar package with yin yan strobes about 4 years ago. They have held up fine. They are not professional grade, but have been a ton of fun. The one I bought didn't use wireless, but uses an infared strobe to trigger the strobes. I have used them a lot, dropped them, and have abused them. The picture above was with the yin yan and softbox that came with it. For the price, they have been outstanding. I may have to upgrade to the wireless.

Bugzeye

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

01/10/2007 11:24:26 PM · #15

I just ordered the Busy Bee kit this morning. Now I have to save up for the wireless transmitter kit and 2 of the portable power packs. Everyone I have talked to has said that I couldn't go wrong with this kit especially for the price.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

01/10/2007 11:26:49 PM · #16

Originally posted by Bugzeye:

You took good advice. Can't wait to see your results. :)

MikeJ

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/10/2007 11:48:49 PM · #17

While you should look for something that is going to last you for awhile, give you a good return on your money, have consistant exposure and color tempurture flash to flash AND after being used for a few hours in warm room tempurtures, there is nothing wrong with buying inexpensive studio lights when you are first starting out. By buying less expensive lights your first time, you've got less money invested during those "learning years". If you decide to get out of photography or out of needing studio lights, you haven't tied up a lot of money into it. If you find out that you really like shooting with studio lights or that it is becoming a business for you, then you won't have spent a lot of money while you learn what kind of lights and features are best for you.

Two mistakes beginners make when getting into studio lights... they buy too cheap and they buy under powered. Too cheap and the light won't stand up to even occasional use before you have to replace it. Under powered and you don't have enough flash power to effectively use the softboxes, umbrellas, reflectors that you will want to learn to use. You can't put a big softbox on a lower power flash and expect it to give you the light you want. Also, if you don't have enough light to do the job, you will be shooting wide open and at higher ISO's, which will limit your quality and depth of field and you can forget doing several people or even full length shots and light everything evenly.

Rule of thumb for studio lights in a average 12x14' room is some where around 300 watt seconds for your main. You can use 160 watt seconds for fill, hair light, background lights, etc. A 300 watt second light will give you enough power to light your subject, bounce off a reflector, use a large umbrella or moderate size softbox (24x36" or so). Two 300 watt second lights and a 160 watt second light will give you enough flexibility to do just about any lighting situation most will want to do for awhile, do groups of people, and play around with more advance lighting setups. Keep in mind that for high key photography, you are going to need at least 2 lights for a white background to be able to get a good high key white background and a 3rd light (or even 4th) to properly light your subject. Some people give by with 2 lights and photoshop the background to get it white. It doesn't look as good as a properly lit background.

Also, if you are going to buy strobes, you really should buy a flash meter as well. You can use strobes without one, but it's going to be a hassle trying to learn lights as well as get the exposure correct by trial and error or by using your histogram. So save yourself some grief and plan on getting a flash meter from the get go. There are a number of brands, although Sekonic is the standard amoung flash meters. A L-308 is a good inexpensive model that will fit most needs. The L-358 is probably the one bought by many photographers... beginning and experienced. But there are several other excellent brands as well.

The Alien Bees are good lights. A lot of people have them and like them. Be aware though that though the lights are good, a lot of people do not like the quality of their extras... light stands, softboxes, umbrellas, etc. They don't make those themselves and the quality is really not up to the reputation of the Bee's themselves.

Another brand that I'm more familiar with, since I've owned and used them for going on 6 years now, is the SP Excalibur lights. They are in the same class (power, features, etc.) as the Bee's, with a few differences. Alien Bee's require a fan or they cook, the SP's are designed to not need a fan. The Bee's are smaller and lighter (the reason they need a fan) while the SP's are bigger and heavier. This makes the Bee's better to pack around, although I've had my SP's all over the country a couple of times and out on location with no problems.

The big difference is price. The SP's will give you more flash for your buck. You can save enough money for the same setup (lights, stand, umbrella or softbox) and power lights with the SP's to be able to buy a good flash meter. The SP's come with very good light stands and good umbrellas as part of the lights. You can buy SP branded add-ons, cheaper and of better quality.

For those on a tight budget for getting into studio lights, you might give the Excalibur lights a look. You can find them on B&H. Just do a search on Excalibur. Their 2 light kits are pretty good price wise. I have a SP-6400 (640 watt second, SP-3200 (320 watt second) and a SP-1600 (160 watt second) light. The SP-1600 is a rocker switch for full, half, quarter power (like the low end Bee) while the other two use full slider switches (like the higher end Bee's) to adjust power and modeling lights.

The Bees are good lights by a good company. But I thought I'd throw out another brand that I feel is every bit as good but cheaper, even if they are not American made.

Mike