Lighting Decision - Monolights or go the Strobist way

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Why not look at some used "candlestick" Metz flashes with battery packs? They have more light output than the Nikon's (yeah you would need some sort of wireless triggers) and the older models can be picked up pretty cheap on ebay.
Product information: Metz is info on one of the current models but older versions of this same "in non-digital format" are still out there. A lot of oldschool wedding shooters used these workhorse flash units. Yeah you may have to know what you are doing on setting each light up for a shoot but you can review your work really quickly with a digital camera vs FILM and since they are in the candlestick set up you can more easily add a modifier to it vs the smaller flash heads. Even with rechargeable batteries in them vs the lead acid battery packs the recycle time is reasonably fast unless you are really pushing them. BTW Metz will service any unit that they have made, heard this from a METZ Factory Rep at a trade show about a year ago, he did say that some real old units may require some searching for odd parts but they pretty much can handle em all, especially in the candlestick area. (BTW as you get to a lower model number the power does go down a bit on some of these).

So many people here are assuming that you have power to run that elinchrom on site and I guess you know that the portable power packs for battery and battery box for the model RX quadra AS is around 10 lbs (they are kind of sneaky since they list the weight for the battery and the box separately) and it offers only 110 firings at fast cycle with full power. (taken from ELINCHROM - Products spec link. So 10'bs is a lot of batteries for a stick and if you went with a stick you don't need to haul all 10 lbs of batteries around all the time, though it could help stabilize a light stand.

[Coelus]

Since you already have a couple speedlights I'd say go with the Elinchrom's. If you need the extra power you have it on hand, the quality and consistency from them is very good, and if you end up really hating them they hold value well for a resale. If I was going to add more little lights I'd find some used sb80's or pick up some of the new LumoPro's and save the money for stands, modifiers, and other various sundries.

[z-monster]

Originally Posted by ThePhilosopher

I want to see this pulled off with a speedlight - shot straight into the sun ISO200 1/250@f/22+2 stop ND: http://www.bartkophoto.com/StacieN/StacieN_0028.jpg.

Hmmmm...this looks like a successful shot straight into the sun with a speedlite...

http://www.tricoastphoto.com/blog/up...011-709114.jpg

...however, I'm sure a good counterpoint will be had.

Originally Posted by Coelus

Since you already have a couple speedlights I'd say go with the Elinchrom's.

Agreed, you can't go wrong with having Elinchrom's in your bag now.

[Tommy Scarmardo]

Here are a couple of outtakes from a "light test" using basically what you already have. Not keepers by any stretch, but you get the idea.

2- SB600's fired with Radio poppers. F4 1/200 ISO200.
Finger got heavy and I fired a two round burst, so I got a before & after.

[Bob2]

Everything on this page was shot with one SB800 off camera from 12 noon till 7pm.