|
Forums >
Photography Talk >
question about lights...
get your question answered? Rocksteady, Danno~ Jan 01 08 09:37 pm Link o.k. - bumping this up for further discussion.... : ) (sorry, I have a hard time with decisions....) just got back from convention and would love to work more with continuous lighting... that being said, I still want to upgrade my strobes as well... this is what I'm thinking, would love your thoughts on if it makes sense or not... I already have 4 alienbees plus the speedrings for my boxes... what I really want is more consistency with the power from flash to flash and stronger modeling lights that I can also use by themselves. If I switch brands, not only will I have color issues (probably, right?) but also, the speed rings will generally be different etc... what about the zeus system? still under the alienbee umbrella, same accessories and speed rings... stronger modeling light.... thoughts? Julia Feb 12 08 09:27 am Link Even 250W modeling lamps are pretty low on light, especially after you put a softbox in front of them. I wouldn't rely on them to do anything but emergency or experiments. Well, unless you like shooting wide open with your iso cranked up to 800 or more. :-) I'm a Speeodtron guy myself. They're built tough and I don't have any consistency issues. As for continuous light (hot lights) You would be better served to pick up used movie lights like Mole Richardsons or something like that. They're on Ebay all the time. Something in the 1K range is fun. Try doing searches for 1K fresnel or Mole 1K on Ebay to see what's there. Feb 12 08 10:10 am Link Julia, You know this is going to be expensive, right? Color consistancy, durability, and flexibility come at a price. Based on your location I would take a drive down to NYC and visit some of the larger photo shops like B&H and rental shops. What the rental shops carry can be a good indicator. I use Dyna-Lite, but you should also check out Broncolor, Elinchrom, Hensel, Norman, Profoto and Speedotron. Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. What ever you pick, find someone that uses it and try it out in a studio before you buy. Feb 12 08 09:01 pm Link If you can only buy one light at a time, decide which name-brand you want (however you decide) and use that one light as your main light whenever possible, letting the others (ABs?) work for fill or especially background and rim or hair lights. This way, the main light will be more consistent (because the recycle is faster and color more reliable) and you probably won't notice if one of the others is off a bit (especially if you've got gels over them). Since the name light will recycle faster, resist the temptation to shoot as soon as ITS ready, learn to wait for the slowest pack, and then take a beat before you shoot, to make sure its fully recycled too. In a worst case scenario, if one or more of your other lights is noticeably different, it probably will only be noticeable to you, and probably easier to repair in PS later if necessary. Andy Pearlman Feb 12 08 11:41 pm Link Julia Gerace wrote: Just to make your decision a little more complicated I'll add a vote for Hensel Integra pro plus. Feb 13 08 12:21 am Link PHC LLC wrote: Actually, the Hensels are only adjustable over a 5 f-stop range, not 6. They adjust from full to 1/32 power. Their marketing materials claim 6 f-stops, but this is incorrect. Feb 13 08 09:00 am Link You are correct Mr. Fryd. I hadn't thought about it I just remembered that they are quite adjustable and went to the B+H site to copy that part of my post. That's what I get for copying! Feb 13 08 11:46 am Link Do all the lights used in the shot have the same color temperature? Seems to me that's an important issue too. When purchasing lights of differing brands is it an issue? Feb 13 08 12:02 pm Link I'll add a little here.. I travel almost all the time. I have Calumet Travelites. 4-750's and 1-350. I'll not go into modifiers. These lights are durable and have nice control. I also have some Photogenics and they are great but the attachments all fit loosely as in not stationary. I use double swivel clamps alot and they flop to the bottom ...so no go for me there unless I use a counter weight or trusty duct tape. If you get the Travelites they come with standard stand not air cushioned so don't just adjust height with out gently aloowing them to drop. Also if you shoot fast they will loose consistancy. You have to give them I think about 3 seconds..Saying that, I am happy with them but I'm going another direction soon because of having to fly more. Feb 13 08 12:21 pm Link |
