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Pack & heads Vs Monoblocks
I am at the point where I would like to start getting my own lighting. My instructor at the school I got to suggests getting the pack and heads. I hear most people use monoblocks. What are your thoughts on this? I also would like to have something portable to take out on location. I will be going places that there isn't going to be an electrical outlet. My budget is about 2 or 3 grand. Cheers Tim Jul 12 07 05:32 pm Link 5nap5hot wrote: I know that it's not the answer to every lighting problem, but have you considered a look at the Strobist Lighting 101 stuff? Jul 12 07 05:39 pm Link I'm a fan of monolights for most uses -- they allow me to move lighting further out of the way. Packs are most useful in smaller setups (unless you have more than 1 pack) or when you need more power. I've been using monos since '95, having dumped my Speedos a year earlier. Jul 12 07 05:48 pm Link Second Glance wrote: The bad thing about dumping in your Speedos is that *everyone* can see it. Jul 12 07 06:00 pm Link I've used both, but I prefer monolights. Jul 12 07 06:12 pm Link Who are "most people?" If you're talking about the prosumer "Alien Bee and Co." crowd, you're right. If you're talking about everybody else, that would depend. Personally I greatly prefer pack systems. Most of the time I use battery pack systems (my own or rented, my own has an AC converter so I can plug in) on location, but occasionally AC pack systems in the studio. There are a number of reasons. Do a search and you'll find some threads explaining the pros/cons. Cheers. Jul 12 07 06:38 pm Link I use stobes, monolights, and pack/heads depending on occasion. If I had to choose just one it would without a doubt be pack/head as it is so much more flexible if you do both studio and on-location work. If your just doing studio work-- then monolights make for a more economical option. And yes, you get what you pay for in terms of lighting for the most part. Jul 12 07 06:40 pm Link if you have up to 3 grand buy 2 novatron kits. and get a infrared to set them off. I have had mine for years and it is a workhorse I have 4 heads for each power unit so I have lots of lights to set up. Get extention cords as well and some hot boxes. You can get by easily with a single pack set up with 3 or 4 lights as well. Most of the shooting I do is with 2 heads attached but with a 1500 watt pack you have plenty of power for the majority of your shoots. MHO Jul 12 07 06:42 pm Link I use both... Monoblocks are great when they sit directly on a stand, and packs are better on a boom, just because of the weight. That said, if I could afford it, I would have all packs. When the client has the funds, I rent packs to supplement what I have. then again, I am a Profoto junkie... Jul 12 07 06:43 pm Link If you go with a pack, consider asyncronous power (ability to control the heads independently). This is one of the primary advantages of monolights.... they can be set individually and independently. Jul 12 07 06:48 pm Link One further piece of advice. No piece of equipment generally imposes its own sort of working method on you more than lighting equipment. Preferences vary among photographers (even those of the same "genre") wildly. Take two of similar capability, and you'll likely find you love the one and hate the other. That's why I'm not giving specific brand/model recommendations. Solution? Try before you buy. Seriously. Jul 12 07 06:50 pm Link Digitoxin wrote: so can novatrons when you get the heads that have the adjustment right on the head but its limited to only a few settings from 1/4 to full power. Jul 12 07 06:50 pm Link Digitoxin wrote: Tomaz Cervantes wrote: Yes, a number of packs can.... it is just a feature that is "good to have" .... but, it also comes at a price.... Jul 12 07 07:30 pm Link I'm a big fan of Black Line Speedos. Been using them for many years. I do have a couple of monoblocks for the odd time that I need them. But 99% is done with the packs. Jul 12 07 07:36 pm Link Carl J Speed II wrote: Note that I didn't say "...dumped in my Speedos..." Jul 12 07 07:55 pm Link Negative Altitude wrote: Damn, you must have some GOOD stands! Mine aren't that sturdy -- I keep my packs on the floor and just put a head on a boom. (Although I WILL add a softbox to it too sometimes...) Jul 12 07 07:59 pm Link I've been using off-camera hot-shoe flashes for a while now. With a Nikon D200 that is super-easy since it has built-in IR control over SB600 and SB800 - just buy 2 or 3 SB600 and you're ready to go! I use them as did Jacob in that video and also with umbrellas - both shoot-through and reflective. I also have some hot-lights, but for outdoor use - flash matches the light temp of sunlight. Jul 12 07 08:08 pm Link It's such a personal choice. All I can say is that I'm shooting with a symmetrical 2400 ws pack right now which takes up to 4 heads and it's a royal PITA to adjust the ratios. I almost wish for the bees and their independent control. Is there a reason as to why you can't mix it? Asymmetrical 2400 ws as key with second head as hairlight and then 600/1200 monoblocks for everything else? Jul 12 07 08:27 pm Link The ideal situation when shooting with multiple heads is to have a single pack dedicated to it. One pack per head. Depending on who you are, who you shoot for, and how many sources you need, this is not economical for everybody. But don't forget that a pack/head combo does not necessarily mean you have to go 3 or 4 heads into the same pack and then try to ratio them. Jul 12 07 08:38 pm Link It's critical to understand what and how you'll be photographing. Shooting large groups on a 4x5 camera requires entirely different setups than one person with an APS sized sensor. Portability, recycle time, expansion, rentability, etc., are all important issues, but which are most important to you is something only you can determine. See the Lighting, Flash, Ring, & Battery Strobe Reference thread for links to other articles and discussions, including some links which discuss the advantages and disadvantages of pack systems vs monolights. Jul 12 07 09:33 pm Link I have both, use both, but if I could only have one: Monolights hands down, 1 fails the rest work, pack fails, you're done for the day. Photogenic's can be remote control operated and are 1/10 stop settable, luv 'em  Jul 12 07 09:37 pm Link I prefer packs and usually just have on per head. I've owned/rented/used many different brands of flash, and for me this works best. Like Marko, I suggest that you rent and try stuff out before you buy into a system. Don't get caught up in getting the most "pieces" for the money, you are better off getting one pack, one head, and some modifiers and reflectors than getting a bunch of lesser lights. Buy more as you need and can afford it. D Jul 12 07 11:40 pm Link I have used both but prefer packs and heads. I use Novatrons and have about 5 packs from 250ws to 1500ws. Some of the newer packs give you tenth of a stop control. Packs give you the most bang for the buck and are the easiest to transport. Most kits come complete with stands and are great for storage in the small home studio. One big advantage to packs is that the weight is sitting on the floor instead of 10ft in the air. this means you can use lighter weight stands and the $$ part is on the floor where it is generally safer. Having a head fall cost a lot less to replace than a monolight, also less of a liability problem as it is less likely to cause as much damage. Most power packs have misfire alarms so if your BL or Fill doesn't fire you know it right a way. A buddy of mine shot an entire wedding where his fill did not fire with monolights. Regardless of type get an wireless remote. Highly recommend Novatron: American made, great value, all accessories from everyting they have ever made works with everything they make and very durable Jul 12 07 11:57 pm Link Use both - prefer packs. Monos have the benefit of still working if only one of them dies. Then again, if you invest in a good pack system it isn't too likely to die on you either... Jul 13 07 12:09 am Link Packs over Monos any time. Most actual working pros here in NYC use packs (Dynalites or Profotos being the most prevelant). They provide the greatest flexibility. For 3 grand you can buy a two head 1000 ws Dynalite kit with IR trigger and built in pocket wizard reciever, plus the pack that sells at that price is asymetrical. Jul 13 07 12:12 am Link Second Glance wrote: I guess I deserved that! ;P Jul 13 07 12:52 am Link A major advantage of Monos v. Pack/heads is reliability. If a pack fails, every light attached to it is out. If one mono fails, you CAN get by using those remaining. Not everyone can afford a backup power pack, as that is the most costly component in a pack/head system. Jul 13 07 12:58 am Link I have a relatively ancient 800ws Dynalite with push-pull sockets as opposed to the modern arangement of plastic twist sockets. I have been in business for 32 years in Vancouver and the first 10 years I used an Ascor QC-1000 and a Norman 200B for location work. When I bought my Dynalite I had a stinker of a car, an extremely small sports car, a Fiat X-19. Any lights I purchased had to fit in the small trunk. In a relatively small hard metal case I have: 1. The Dynalite pack. 2. One set of 5 Balcar grids. 3. Three grid spot holders. 4. Three Dynalite heads (which have built-in cooling fans). 5. The power cord. 6. One 10 ft extension cable. 7 Two speed rings for my softboxes. I don't think one could possibly put three monoblocks in this space. Monoblocks are relatively dangerous when you attach them to a boom. They are simply too heavy. My Dynalite, being an ancient version gives me the choice of two channels, and each channel has two sockets and I hava a 400, 200 and 100 WS option. Sometimes (and this is often) I need less than 100 so I use an extra head (I have five in all, as I keep two extra ones in my studio) and point it away. Two heads at 100 WS will split the power. The monoblocks as well as the newer packs have an infinite power gradation. This feature, lacking in my Dynalite, has not prevented me from taking excellent pictures. The only real problem I have had with my Dynalite pack is that the switches sometimes wear out. When this happens I gently remove the top to change the terminals from one side of the switch to the other (they are double and one side is un-used). This keeps me going until I can have my pack repaired. The Dynalite heads with the built-in and recessed reflectors can be dropped and about the only thing that will break will be the quartz modeling light bulbs. I know this because I drop my head often! I have an beautiful Ascor focusing fresnel spotlight that I had adapted so I can plug it in to my Dynalite. My old Ascor I had converted to Dynalite terminals and is my backup pack or I use it when I want more power. In short my dynalites are extremely reliable, take lots of punishment, they have been all over the US and Canada in countless airplane flights. Best of all , for this Canadian, they are made in good old USA! Alexwh Jul 13 07 01:58 am Link As for portable power: I own three old type Norman 200Bs. One of them was modified by my repairman with beefed up capacitors so it is a 400B. For outdoor work I tend not to use my old (but very nice) 3x4 ft Chimeras. They are inneficient as they have a white interior lining. With the Norman I use a 3x4 Plume with a silver lining, minus the interior white baffle. This way I gain almost a stop and a half from the Chimeras using (I still shoo film) 100ISO Ektachrome. When I know I need more power I switch to the excellent Ektachrome 200. When the three batteries of the Norman are discharged (not often) the charger (I have two) and a Y cable makes the Norman an instant AC powered one light pack. One Norman 200B with a Y cable will accomodate two heads. And as some of you already know I have a Profoto ring flash adapted to plug into my Norman. I can take my ring flash anywhere. In a pinch with one Norman and two heads (via the Y cable) the second head positioned behind my subject without a reflector will easily serve as a back light(illuminating both my subject, from the back and the background)l as the head will act as a perfect bare bulb. Alexwh Taken with the Norman  I took this portrait (a scanned colour Polaroid) of my granddaughter in my garden with the Norman and the Plume soft box.  This is what my Norman 200B (modified to be a 400B) looks like:  Taken at 3200 ft in January in the Yukon at minus 40 celsius with an RB-67 and a Norman 200B.  Jul 13 07 02:12 am Link I use both. I started out with Novatrons because they were dirt cheap. I moved up to Balcar which were comaparatively more expensive but still not too bad in the grand scheme of things. I use a combination of Monolights and panck-n-heads with the Balcar stuff. Actually the Balcar Monobloc2 has socket for a head on it making it function like a mini pack if necessary. The probelm everyone always quotes with pack and head systems is "What if the pack dies, you'll need a back up!" I always though "so?" There's a cheap way to get spare packs. Buy a broken one and send it out for repairs. Doing this landed me a 800ws pack for a couple hundred. Having said all that, the light I use the most is my JTL Mobilight300. It's not my best light, but it's a reasonable wieght, and comes with a 100 full-power-pop battery for about $320. Not too shabby for 300ws on the go! Jul 13 07 03:04 am Link Use Hensel Integras. Awesome Monos, big friggin things, but damn are they nice. I will likely add a pack system next time I expand my lighting, but until that time. Monos work really well, biggest downside is really weight and size more than anything, and generally, monos dont pack the juice that packs can. As far as quality/price. A lot of people will tell you that ABs are a great beginners way to get into things. I have a White-Lightning monolight, and it works flawlessly, but with the prices on the integra kits, good lord are they worth it. 2100 for a 3 light setup with 2 softboxes, 2 umbrellas, reflector, stands, and remote control. Plus Hensel (or any big brand) will give you lots of options for your modifiers. Hell yeah! Jul 13 07 10:52 am Link fStopstudios wrote: I concur...I have both a distributed flash pack/heads system (DynaLite) and a few monolights. For my particular style of shooting, they're equally valuable for different applications. If I could only have one though, it would be a pack/head system hands down. Jul 13 07 10:56 am Link |
