Ready to buy studio lights, but...

[rowingbum]

• I only have around $2,000 max to spend.
• Have D80 w/ 85 1.8, 50 1.8, 10-24 and 18-200
• Have one SB900
• I see lots of portrait kits online from alien bees, photo pro, etc...mostly with two umbrellas, stands, around 800 power with 2 seconds.
• For my first studio lights to use for doing portraits both full body and head shots, any recommendations? I like the softbox, umbrellas really blast a lot of light but I only have $2,000 to spend.
• I have a cheap light trigger setup but will buy a pocket wizzard II Plus if that would be best.
• I was hoping to maybe get two or three medium quality lights, that I could resale without others saying they were cheap junk.
• Would be nice to see before buying, Houston Camera Exchange?
• Another option would be to just rent a studio and buy a 24-70 2.8.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, David

[tukaniray]

There are lots of kits under 2K ... thats a good price start for a good start kit.

do you want Continuous Lighting ... or strobes? Do you want wireless slave lights or to be tethered?

Just some questions to see where you are going.

You can even go the Nikon CLS way ...

-Ray-

[danchez]

Alien Bees are a very good starting point and they are very easy to sell when you are ready to upgrade.

[rowingbum]

I want wireless slave lights, where I have a couple of pocket wizards that set all the lights off. I guess I can live without a soft box, probably a hassle to transport anyway, so two umbrellas and maybe a backlight. Would be nice to use on location also with a battery but I suppose that would add a lot to cost. Thanks for the input. I guess I need to just head over to HCE.

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by danchez

Alien Bees are a very good starting point and they are very easy to sell when you are ready to upgrade.

+1.... used prices are only about $20-50 less than new ones.

[Tom]

Elinchrom | D-Lite4 Two Monolight Kit (90-260VAC) | EL 20812KIT

2 400w/s strobes
2 small softboxes
2 light stands
2 Carrying Cases
$747

Elinchrom | 27" White Maxisoft Reflector | EL 26169 | B&H
1 27" Beauty dish
$278
For head shots and other things, this is amazing.

Elinchrom | Midi Octa Light Bank for Flash | EL 26184 | B&H
$289
This is great as a octo-box and can also be used as a background for headshots.

Matthews | Baby Jr. Steel Wheeled Stand | H386025 | B&H Photo
$229
You need a good roller c-stand for your key light.

Matthews | Hollywood Gobo Arm - 40" | 681013 | B&H Photo
$40
Good boom arm to get that beauty dish off the ground.

That's $1583. That leaves you $400 for other things. I bought a used D-Lite 400w/s light for $300, so you can probably find that if you want a third light.

With Elinchrom, you are getting MUCH higher quality gear and light than you would get with AlienBees. You will retain your value. And, best of all, you will have bought into a system that you can truly grow as high as you want. Elinchrom is one of the best brands that you can buy. Nothing Paul C Buff makes is going to be able to compare to the higher end Elinchrom stuff. It is real nice to buy into a system that you are going to keep long-term rather than buy a beginner/prosumer set, then upgrade to a professional set that uses everything differently.

Buy quality once.

[rowingbum]

Thanks so much, good tips.

[doctahjones]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

With Elinchrom, you are getting MUCH higher quality gear and light than you would get with AlienBees.

just curious, what do -you- base that statement off of? the quality of the build? longevitiy before replacement parts/blubs are needed?

i guess so far in my eyes alot of the non-ebay lights seem like lexus/infinity/bmw/merc/etc. maybe alienbees are an acura and elinchrom is a lexus?

[klynam]

See...we need a popcorn smiley directly in our selection box...

Is a low-end EL setup better than the best AB setup for roughly the same money? Some say yes, some say no. It's always a point of controversy.

Personally, I bought a complete studio of pre-owned AB lighting equipment for $2K last year because the seller was upgrading to hi-end Elinchroms. I got everything I needed and more for $2K. He came no where near upgrading everything to EL's for that amount of money - but he had undeniably better equipment when he was done.

[srwatters]

Here's my opinion and take it for what you paid for it...

Alien Bees are like a Volkswagon. They will get you there and built with German toughness albeit not the tightest tolerances.

Elinchrom D-Lite4 are like a C class Mercedes. Yes they are a Mercedes, but they aren't quite like the E or S class.

Elinchrom Style RX are the S class Mercedes. Solid powerful and built to last.

Hensels are the BMW

Broncolor are the Rolls Royce.

They all will get you from point A to B. Just some with more style, elegance, and precision.

[doctahjones]

Hum...thanks Kevin and Scott, but that still doesn't address my first question.

how do -you- back up your opinion?

if someone says a bmw is better than a vw, why? well the bmw has faster 0-60, better mpg, quieter interior noise, etc (not basing that off any research, just using a hypothetical example).

[klynam]

It's a good question...one that has been cussed and discussed, on here and other forums and review sites, hundreds or thousands of times. So just because you are just coming around to asking it, doesn't mean it hasn't come up before or that you shouldn't listen to two people who have the exact equipment in question.

If you really want to know, don't take our word for it. Dig in to the internet and find out for yourself. This site is good. So is Photography-on-the.net. So are many others.

Check it out, then come back later and let us know we were right...


All right - I don't want to be a jerk so I'm formulating a short answer from the AB side...


AB's are small, plastic (mostly) entry level studio flashes that come in several cool colors. They are affordable, easy to work with, offer plenty of power (unless you're trying to overpower the sun), and have lots of affordable modifiers and attachments. Perhaps the biggest thing in AB's corner is some of the best customer service you will find in any industry.

On the downside, many people question the accuracy of power settings and color consistency at lower power levels. I don't know how truly relevant the color question is - I can create the difference in a studio setting but when actually shooting, it has never really bothered me. However, the slider is really a love/hate relationship for me. Fast and easy to adjust - no idea how accurate my adjustments really are. Many people also question the durability of the plastic cases and design of the modifier attachment - personally, I like them both and have had no problems with either.

Stepping up from AB's you have White Lightening or Zeus from the same manufacturer. WL's are higher power, more durable, more accurate monolights in (longer) aluminum bodies. Zeus lights are the same size as AB's but use power packs for increased power. There is also a new light from Paul C Buff - Einstein - which is available in the AB size but with full electronic controls.

Others can give you the positives of Elinchrom as I don't own them.

I will (hopefully) upgrade from AB's someday, but I will also keep a couple of them in my closet at all times.

I hope this helps...

[doctahjones]

hah, i don't need a long answer, i just wonder what you base your opinion on. white sheet specs? build quality? just plan advertising?

i know it's a ford vs chevy, bmw vs merc type of a question, but i'm not asking for why one is better than the other. i'm asking why -you- think xxx brand is better. some will say just word of mouth reputation. some will say build quaility. some will say customer service. i'm just looking for a one word answer on why you rank certain brands as "high end".

[srwatters]

I'm going by the Ken Rockwall school of equipment review. I am me. Just believe.

But seriously. I have put several years use on Alien Bee, Norman, and Hensel lights. I feel confident in my opinion that the Alien Bee lights are not as accurate in power and color temperature across their operating range. My Hensel lights are. My Norman ML-600R was. Every Elinchrom Style RX monolight I've seen has been. Believe me or not. That's up to you, but if you don't, go do the comparison yourself.

Does it matter to you if your exposure is off 1/3 to 1/2 a stop when that perfect expression comes up? Shooting for a catalog where the blue item needs to be exactly that blue and the background color needs to be consistent across many different pages? Then maybe you should consider gear built to tighter tolerances with more and better features like remote power control built in, high output modeling lamps, built in radio triggers, more consistent optical slaves, precise digital output control, etc.

[ldelacruz]

For $2000 you will have a lot of choices. I wouldn't buy an AB kit but would buy it seperate because their stands are over priced. I don't do a lot of studio stuff but I bought AB's because their support and accessories are easy and everything fits. You get what you pay for and some of their softboxes are less than stellar.