ring flash vs strobe

[iamvietness]

so tonight i got to playing with some of my friend's strobe kit and it led me to look around at possibly buying a set of my own. i mainly shoot portraits outdoors since i don't do this full time and thus don't own a studio. i came across a ringflash which looked intriguing to me so wanted to get people's opinions.

if you had a budget around 1000 to start off with; would you go with a ringflash setup or a single strobe (assuming i only have 1 assistant) and which brand if any would you recommend? like i said mainly portraits and possibly engagement shots on location. TIA

[arich]

Its really all about what type of look you're looking for. Ringflash can look really great or it can be overused. You can shoot through it or have it to the side as a fill. A strobe will be more versatile as you can purchase different modifiers for it and have multiple styles of lighting.

[iamvietness]

a ringflash won't be powerful enough to overpower the sun though will it?

[Tom]

Originally Posted by iamvietness

a ringflash won't be powerful enough to overpower the sun though will it?

Depends on the ringflash.

However, I wouldn't get a ringflash until you have the more mainstream lights already. It is a look a lot of people dislike and I personally think a ringflash is best used for fill or hair.

[iamvietness]

ok thanks tom. i'm glad you chimed in b/c i just got done reading your recs for the quadra system. i'm not quite as familiar as elinchrom's naming so what would you recommend for a single strobe setup in the elinchrom line?

[Tom]

For on location, I would recommend the Quadra over just about anything. But you can't get that for your $1000 budget. More like 1300 for the basic pack. Add in reflectors, boxes, etc and you easily break 2k. But it is all compatible with the Elinchrom line, which is a fantastic line of equipment.

But the quadra will have a tough time overpowering the sun with modifiers. You can do it if you are using a reflector+grid. Put a softbox on it and you are going to get faint sun shadows still.

[SergeiR]

Strobe will be easier and more versatile solution, as you can use more modifiers on it, and it also will a bit cheaper than running comparable ringflash setup.

[David Whatley]

Well I'm going to suggest an AlienBee 1600 along with a beauty dish and battery pack. Lots of versatility and within the budget