Photographer
Craiger
Posts: 572
Lakeland, Florida, US
AB's are great. It seems that a lot of folks who use them have their own way of dealing with the modeling lights though. Other than that - no problems...
There's a big difference between inexpensive and cheap!
Photographer
studionewmarket
Posts: 78
Youngs Point, Ontario, Canada
all my stuff is shot with alien bees.
Good value, they have a stupid name and look like they were made in 80s, had one sent for repairs because it wouldn't fire, it was less than 1 year old. Other than that they do a good job for me.
Peter
Photographer
Longwatcher
Posts: 3664
Newport News, Virginia, US
Had 4 of my 6 AB's for over 4 years, the other two approaching 2 years now. Black (800 & 1600) and yellow (400's). The sync cords I got with my 400's, which are a newer design have held up well, but 2 of the 4 I got with the first batch are unreliable at best. Although I went with Black initially, I have found it doesn't really matter (although neon green or hot pink, might be a bit too much). I know of a couple of high-school photographers that use the hot pink color and it works well for them.
I have had no problem with the flash tubes or softboxes (other then I had to resow one softbox). The set goes up and down about once per month on average. And I kit it for travel/location about once a quarter on average (more in the Summer).
I do have to ask, how hard are you treating them to consider them fragile, unless you are setting them up bare bulb in high winds frequently?
As to putting on Softboxes, I always start from the bottom two hooks and then slide the softbox back onto the light and release the clamp thing, it is pretty easy to tell that way if you missed one and lowers the chance of hitting the flash tube.
Just my experience,
Photographer
Matt Blais Photography
Posts: 1954
Riverside, California, US
Had mine for 3+ years and all is well. Use the 150 halogen for modelling light and keep in the case with protective cap when transporting.
The zipper on two of my four cases has torn, but still protects. AB offers a five year warranty and have been around for long enough to ease my mind.
Get more power than you think you'll need too.
Bogen stands are better, but the heavy duty AB stands aren't bad.
For location, I use grocery store bags filled with stuff...
Photographer
Chris Addams
Posts: 1242
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
I own the Busy Bee package and can say it's the best to go with. I'm not sure what others' experiences are, but I actually had a model knock a 1600 over on a 13' light stand and the thing didn't even crack. Tough as bricks. The lights function flawlessly for me and provide more than enough light. It's all a matter of knowing how to work with the equipment. There's a lot of gear to work with, so experimentation really pays off. But I have nothing bad to say.
Photographer
Free at last
Posts: 1472
Fresno, California, US
Everything in my port was done with A/B. I love 'em.
Photographer
MN photo
Posts: 114
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Everything in my port was shot with Ab or White lightning. Have been using them for 9 years now. Still have my first set of lights and they work fine. My stuido averages 50,000 shots per year, so they see heavy use. Went through two other more expensive lighting systems and they are both junk now.
Photographer
Don Cortex AlineStudios
Posts: 329
Wilmington, Delaware, US
Spain Portraits wrote:
Everything in my port was shot with Ab or White lightning. Have been using them for 9 years now. Still have my first set of lights and they work fine. My stuido averages 50,000 shots per year, so they see heavy use. Went through two other more expensive lighting systems and they are both junk now. do you know if they work with pockwiz or do you have to buy thier t/r
Photographer
steve prue
Posts: 785
Brooklyn, New York, US
sai wrote:
Another photographer in the same building swears by his profoto, but i can't justify the $7000 initial investment for a decent pack and pro series head. (i remember the acute heads being similar in design to the AB's. err..i owned AB's for 2 years and switched to profoto acutes and the design/build is not even close.
the AB's were good - loved them, used the shit out of them, sold them. but they are not what i want right now - the modifier mounts are weak and clumsy, esp with large mods, i really don't like the design regarding the huge household bulb as modeling light in the MIDDLE of flash tube, the reflectors are cheap and flimsy, 3 broken mounts (2 during paid shoots!)...but what do you expect for the cost?
once you use profoto with the zoomable mod mounts, the frosted glass covers and (to my eyes) quality of light...it's tough to go back. also, one of the main reasons i switched - i can rent profoto in pretty much every major market when i need to fill out my kit.
Photographer
Paul Brecht
Posts: 12232
Colton, California, US
Don Cortex wrote:
do you know if they work with pockwiz or do you have to buy thier t/r I already answered you on page 1...
Paul
Photographer
Corey Ward
Posts: 2479
Austin, Texas, US
Pros
Cheap
Small
Lightweight
Cheap Flash-Tubes
Great Customer Service
Compact
Straightforward Operation
Easy Setup (monolights in general)
Fairly Decent Quality
Excellent Return Policy
Lots of Modifiers to Choose From
Work with most standard lighting equipment
Cons
No separate modeling & flash control adjustment
~1/500s flash duration won't stop fast movement
Easier to break
Lower quality light modifiers (PCB Softboxes)
No WB control
Not WB-Accurate throughout shoot
Less-precise output control
No Flash-Duration Control
Lower power than Pro equipment
May need multiple wireless receivers
Lower quality construction
Can't rent at most pro shops.
Direct-from-vendor ordering ONLY (not much of a con for most people)
For a beginner or intermediate-level photographer the Paul C. Buff products are a dream. Cheap, dispensable, and fair quality with a good deal of control. They come nowhere close to something like Profoto or Broncolor in the way of features and reliability, but you probably don't need those features either. You certainly don't need to pay for them either ($30,000 studio vs $3,000 studio).
Photographer
sai sivanesan
Posts: 119
Chicago, Illinois, US
steve prue wrote:
err..i owned AB's for 2 years and switched to profoto acutes and the design/build is not even close. Steve - i don't know, don't own profoto's - i saw this somewhere -
![https://www.pictureline.com/images/large/PF0303_acuteB_head.jpg]()
vs. the pro 7 head:
![https://www.vistek.ca/prodimg/158132.jpg]()
Iona Lynn - i don;t have examples its all theory and supposition.
Paul Brecht -
1. glass cover as in the example in the pro 7 head image above.
2. aren't the Halogena's 2900K ish?
3. for most of the stuff i shoot, the shutter speed is sufficiently fast enough that the modeling lamp has no effect on the image. most times, the windows are open in the studio, and as long as there is not direct sunlight, its all good.
Photographer
steve prue
Posts: 785
Brooklyn, New York, US
^^yep - that acute head is missing the frosted glass cover. the acute head looks like the pro head (mostly) ![https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/239611.jpg]()
Photographer
KANE SURSHOTA
Posts: 101
Dallas, Texas, US
AB's are great I have 4 would not change for the world would not buy the ass. ie softbox stands unless it's the 10ft stand but the lights are great
Photographer
MSFG Photography
Posts: 159
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
a friend of mine say they are amazing ! i can link you a potcast where he talks about them but it's in spanish.
Photographer
DiamondCreek
Posts: 27294
Parkton, North Carolina, US
Don Cortex wrote:
thanks paul ...so the regular buld purpose is what though dosnt the tube deliver the flash Yes, the tube delivers the flash. The regular bulb is a modeling light used to aim / balance the lights by sight before checking flash output with your meter.
Photographer
DiamondCreek
Posts: 27294
Parkton, North Carolina, US
Corey Ward wrote:
Cons
No separate modeling & flash control adjustment Actually, you can set the modeling light to track with flash control adjustments or not, so I don't think this statement is entirely accurate.
Photographer
Darren Wellhoefer
Posts: 992
Newport Beach, California, US
Don Cortex wrote:
okay alienbees seem to be the ticket for me now but what are the pros and cons to them apart from the look....im thinking of getting the busy bee package but I need to hear your thoughts pros-cheap. great power. light. feels flimsy but is going strong
cons- people say construction. but i treat my equipment well, so its not a con for me.
works great. i have the ringflash.
Photographer
oscar rabeiro
Posts: 670
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
just ordered three ab1600 and a vagabond for the road. only drawback...no audible beep. on the road with vagabiond, tough to see/tell when recycled. other than that...great lights....
Photographer
Rob Domaschuk
Posts: 5715
Naperville, Illinois, US
KB9NDF wrote:
About the biggest drawback to the Bees is that nasty pink version. But, on the other hand, about the only people willing to steal them would be pre-teen girls that wouldn't be inclined to steal them anyway. ;-) I just got one of the "Limited Edition" Fire Orange B800s a couple of days ago.
My wife's response? "Wow, doesn't look bad at all - I was expecting ot hate it." 
Oh yeah, works great - as do the transmitter and reciever.
Photographer
A_Nova_Photography
Posts: 8652
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US
I have 2 400's, 2 800's and 2 1600's and for my personal use they are outstanding for the money... Yea, they tend to color shift, I notice it when doing high key, but I'm shooting in raw so it's a 2 second fix... I don't have a permanent studio, so when i rent, I use what the studio has anyway. But for my location work, I would dream of bringing out an expensive set of lights...
Photographer
nwprophoto
Posts: 15005
Tonasket, Washington, US
Some things to consider when shopping:
Exposure consistency
Color consistency
Recycle time
Flash duration
Ease of renting similar equipment
Digital controls
Integrated wireless
Remote exposure control
Modeling lights you can actually see with
High end modifiers
If you don't need any of these things the AB is a good choice.
Photographer
Blaneyphoto
Posts: 548
New York, New York, US
I can't think of a single con, but plenty of pros. I've used the same set of 4 AB 800s for a few years now and rely on them to earn my living. I'd never use anything else.
Photographer
LANMAN
Posts: 1016
New York, New York, US
nwprophoto wrote:
Some things to consider when shopping:
Exposure consistency
Color consistency
Recycle time
Flash duration
Ease of renting similar equipment
Digital controls
Integrated wireless
Remote exposure control
Modeling lights you can actually see with
High end modifiers
If you don't need any of these things the AB is a good choice. I'm going to have to agree with a bunch of these. I prefer Elinchrom for the cheaper stuff and Calumet Genesis. They have a similar mounts.
Photographer
Paul Brecht
Posts: 12232
Colton, California, US
Jeff Wayne wrote:
Like the previous post said just be gentle with them. Dont over tighten the clamp things. I busted my ringflash mount doing that but luckily they replaced it for free. Great great great customer service over at AB. They just came out with grids for their softboxes, so i think ill pick a few of those up. One thing id like to see in the future is some way to use gels with the softboxes. Use velcro...
Put a small piece on each corner & attach some in the appropriate spot inside the box liner. (think like how the inner baffle attaches)...
Paul
Photographer
sublime LightWorks
Posts: 6074
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Entire port done with WL's and AB's. I own 5 of them, plus the Cybersyncs and the LX remote. I have a Ringflash on the "to get" list, as well as a Vagabond II.
I mated the WL1600XL with a 72x54 Photflex softbox, awesome move, and I use the Paul Bluff 60x30 softbox with a grid for controlled work (as well as the beauty dish and 20 deg grid).
You cannot go wrong.
-R
Photographer
Good Egg Productions
Posts: 16713
Orlando, Florida, US
ei Total Productions wrote:
There are a variety of pros and cons for the Bees. Most pros don't use them but I happen to agree that they represent great value for the money. For the most part, they are great lights.
I have one big complaint about them though and you can see it in the picture Paul posted. There is no guard of any kind around the accessory mount. Particularly since I run a rental studio, I can't tell you how many times I have seen somebody miss the ring with a softbox and break the flash tube. There is nothing to prevent the softbox from moving sideways as you install it if you miss the mounting point.
If you don't change reflectors or softboxes, it is no big deal, but if you aren't careful, you will break tubes. Really??!? What gorillas are swapping out your boxes and dishes? I've had 4 AB800s for about 3 years and the ring flash for over a year, and I am forever swapping out the 7" dish for a softbox, the giant beautydish, and even the 5' softbox and I've never smacked the tube so hard as to break it. I'm also taking them out of the studio about twice a month for the last 2 years.
So, unless you're drunk while changing them out (and I'm not saying that I am not) or you're just VERY careless, I don't see how putting a box on the floor to attach the strobe to it is more careful.
My biggest complaint with Alien Bees is their very cheap stands. Both my 13' stands are broken, the knob on my boom arm is broken, and more than one of the knobs have been twisted off.
Beyond that, the softbox velcro CAN become detached over time if you break down the softboxes often.
I'm a VERY happy Alien Bees user though. Anything that required light in my portfolio has been done with one or more of them.
Maybe I'm due to break them ALL this week.
Photographer
Eduardo Frances
Posts: 3227
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
steve prue wrote:
err..i owned AB's for 2 years and switched to profoto acutes and the design/build is not even close.
the AB's were good - loved them, used the shit out of them, sold them. but they are not what i want right now - the modifier mounts are weak and clumsy, esp with large mods, i really don't like the design regarding the huge household bulb as modeling light in the MIDDLE of flash tube, the reflectors are cheap and flimsy, 3 broken mounts (2 during paid shoots!)...but what do you expect for the cost?
once you use profoto with the zoomable mod mounts, the frosted glass covers and (to my eyes) quality of light...it's tough to go back. also, one of the main reasons i switched - i can rent profoto in pretty much every major market when i need to fill out my kit. While I agree that profoto are "better" lighting -and they should be for the thousands of bucks you pay extra for them- profoto reflectors are specially easy to bend, malleable and flimsy... for the price they could be sturdier, I worked as an assistant and I was surprised on how easy you can bend them, and how much time you have to spend fixing them.
I think that also there is the consideration that not every photographer has the budget for profoto lights -their new 250 ws monolights price is $1050.00, not an accessible light at all- "
Also one has to at least compare two brands that are in the same budget bracket too, if the OP doesn't has a budget for Profoto -Elinchrom, Hensel, etc- then the advice isn't of much use.
FWIW I don't own AB's or WL's.
Photographer
Big Foto
Posts: 8
BOISE, Idaho, US
Don Cortex AlineStudios wrote:
how long do u think they will last providing I handle with care Using the same ones (5 1600W units, 2 800W) since 2003, have not even changed a flash bulb yet. In fact they outlasted my first 1Ds!
cons
people who bought expensive systems put them down all the time 
Photographer
Bryan Scott Photography
Posts: 256
Grand Rapids, Michigan, US
Don Cortex AlineStudios wrote:
okay alienbees seem to be the ticket for me now but what are the pros and cons to them apart from the look....im thinking of getting the busy bee package but I need to hear your thoughts Mine are awesome - whenever I had trouble, the company took great care of me
Photographer
Cuervo79
Posts: 1059
Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala
Eduardo Frances wrote:
FWIW I don't own AB's or WL's. LOL Yet....
I have to agree that they are the best bang for the buck. I have 2 800 in in flourecent pink and one in green hahaha. I haven't had a problem with them yet all of my port with artificial light is with the ab. I got one wet with light rain and 2 days after I tried it again and to this day it still works.
Regarding the modifiers and the stands I have 13' stands and have had no problem with them (the only thing is that the rubber caps that the legs have come off once in a while. I have 2 large softboxes (the old design with the thinner fabric) and although there are parts that are kind of translucent they have worked fine.
I do agree though as with everything you have to take care of them.
Photographer
MC 2
Posts: 2531
New York, New York, US
Pros are that they're cheap. Cons, they're simply not pro gear.
You could certainly use them on pro shoots, but you really need backups. I've burnt out four flash tubes and two AB800s in a year. That's probably 40 shoots.
They're not crap and they're all I use, but they're not pro.
Photographer
aop
Posts: 1082
Los Angeles, California, US
KB9NDF wrote:
About the biggest drawback to the Bees is that nasty pink version. But, on the other hand, about the only people willing to steal them would be pre-teen girls that wouldn't be inclined to steal them anyway. ;-) NO WAY!!! i love the pink ones haha my company colors are black and pink so they work perfect for me!!
Photographer
Corwin Prescott II
Posts: 7933
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
until i can afford them profoto's they will have to do for me.
cheap efficient lighting
Photographer
John Fisher
Posts: 2165
Miami Beach, Florida, US
![https://www.johnfisher.com/images/1sasha9384fgs.jpg]() Tiffany Sasha photographed with the ABR800 Ringlight modified by the 30" Moon Unit Don Cortex AlineStudios wrote:
okay alienbees seem to be the ticket for me now but what are the pros and cons to them apart from the look....im thinking of getting the busy bee package but I need to hear your thoughts First, a lot of interesting people use Alien Bees so don't let the "Pro's don't use them" argument spoil your fun. Alien Bees are excellent starter lights for most photographers, well made, reliable, excellent customer service if there is a problem or you just need information, and let's face it, very affordable (you can buy two AB400 lights for about the cost of one Canon/Nikon speedlight - 580EX/SB900).
One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet (haven't read all the posts) is the extensive line of Alien Bees light modifiers which are available for very affordable prices. You have access to everything from a beauty dish (22" dish - $120) to portable location power (Vagabond II - $300), and foldable Softboxes and Octaboxes, focusing grids for your softboxes and reflectors, gel holders, and even an inexpensive speedring which allows you to mount almost any other manufacturers' softboxes and octaboxes. And of course, there is the amazing $400 Alien Bees ABR Ringlight. This is the one line of starter lights that will allow you to become more sophisticated with your lighting as you gain experience in the studio.
Finally (and rarely discussed for some reason), the Paul Buff Companies offer a full line of more professional grade monolights (White Lightning) and the Zeus studio pack and head system. When you need the durability and sophistication of pro level lighting you have an upgrade path which allows you to take advantage of every piece of accessory equipment you bought for your original Alien Bees. All the softboxes, beauty dishes, and even the portable location power source (the Vagabond II) will work as before on your new White Lightning and/or Zeus lighting equipment. If you do eventually chose to move on to a different studio lighting solution, Alien Bees lights retain a substantial level of their original cost when you sell them on Craig's List or eBay.
Are they perfect? No, but an excellent value for the money? Absolutely.
John
Sponsored Photographer, Paul Buff Companies
--
John Fisher
900 West Avenue, Suite 633
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
305 534-9322
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