|
Forums >
Photography Talk >
Alein Bee Lights
Does anyone have or have used Alien Bee strobes and what do you think about them? I am looking to purchase a set of strobes and am still researching which ones to purchase. Thanks Feb 18 07 02:20 pm Link omg go with alienbees!!! ^_^ i mean they are amazing... Feb 18 07 02:22 pm Link Feb 18 07 02:22 pm Link Jonathan R Miller wrote: Not really.... Feb 18 07 02:24 pm Link tomsuarez wrote: Their customer service is without challenge. I've had a problem and was able to communicate DIRECTLY with the owner/CEO/main engineer--Paul Buff himself and got immediate resolution. Inexpensive stuff that works well!! Feb 18 07 02:27 pm Link Paramour Productions wrote: lol not really ............... really funny Feb 18 07 02:28 pm Link I have three of the AB 800's and love them... easy to travel with. I also have the AB medium softbox I use with the main light. Feb 18 07 02:31 pm Link This is almost like bringing up a thread about escorts or flaky models...or even Canon vs Nikon!  Alien Bees have their detractors who will run them down until the cows come home and go out again tomorrow. The truth is, they have tens of thousands of very satisfied customers. Ebay provides a good clue. The Alien Bee flash units you see offered on Ebay almost always sell for a significant portion of their new price. In other words, excellent resale value. A few full time professionals use AB flash. Not many, but a few. AB flashes are primarily used by part time photographers and serious amateurs. The truth is, $10,000 worth of Broncolor lights will not make you a better photographer than $1,200.00 worth of Alien Bees will - and you won't get much more Broncolor equipment for $10K than you will for $1,200 from AB. Get the AB's and invest the difference in a better camera and lenses. When you are a better photographer than the AB's will let you be, then sell them and invest in the high-end stuff. Note: It may be quite a while before you have to sell the AB's.  (A reflection on how good the AB's are & not your skills)Feb 18 07 02:39 pm Link They're great lights. Buy them, you won't be dissapointed. Feb 18 07 02:43 pm Link You can't go wrong. Best buy for the money and great support! Feb 18 07 02:46 pm Link Paramour Productions wrote: Well it so seems u know what ur talking about... if its not really there must be a reason... i can back it up because i use alienbees and the customer service is amazing and the lights are built very durable especially for location shots and wont let yo down in heat or freezing cold temperatures... and their batteries for location are great and id recommend one... it lasts hundreds of shots and i can easily do one entire session on the battery and have juice left to do more... go with them.... and if for some reason you dont like it i think you have 60 or 90 days to return it or something like that.... Feb 18 07 02:47 pm Link Mine are fine. Feb 18 07 02:48 pm Link Annivo wrote: Good point, hmmmm. Feb 18 07 02:49 pm Link People who stopped taking photos or who need money?  If they are selling for close to their original price I would think that is more of an indicator. Amateur question: Other than price and weight, why get different strength lights? Feb 18 07 02:51 pm Link Have you even looked on Ebay? So many? There are 10 items total in the Lighting & Studio Equipment category. Search for some of the more "expensive" brands and look at the count. Feb 18 07 02:54 pm Link im pretty sure i'll stick with alienbees for my lights no matter my level... and if i compared some of my pics with people who did the same thing with another mroe expensive light... doubt itd scream omg that was alienbees.... especially since im always asked what i use for lighting... who cares what lights people use as long as it delivers results... this is like arguing the more expensive camera and the more expensive all over equipment you get will make you an all star photographer... if you dont know how to photograph to begin with or control light then it wont matter what equipment you have... Feb 18 07 02:54 pm Link Also consider the White Lightning brand also sold buy Buff. WLs are more ruggedly built and have a few better features (bigger ML, separate slider for ML, 1/4 power mode, easier method to attach modifiers). They are also quieter. I have both WLs and ABs ....... I love them both but, when I need to add a light, I will add a WL. Feb 18 07 02:55 pm Link It's just ordered AB800. I should get it this week. I will let you know. Feb 18 07 02:55 pm Link I just bought a set of four B800's myself. I used the for the first time last fri night. I love them they are very user friendly. Awesome quality for the money. You cant go wrong with them. They have great customer service too. That is rare today! Jim Feb 18 07 02:55 pm Link Jonathan R Miller wrote: You are so right! You nailed it! Feb 18 07 02:57 pm Link Just about everything in my port that's studio was shot using my B800's, including the 4 newest ones shot Thursday with Ania K. I also have their power pak that I use for location shooting. I have 4 B800s and love them. Feb 18 07 02:59 pm Link Annivo wrote: Because there's a LOT of them out there. For better or worse, Paul Buff sells a lot of lights, and some of those get sold on the used market. There's a lot of Canon and Nikon cameras on ebay too, but that doesn't mean they're a bad product. Feb 18 07 02:59 pm Link LarryB wrote: Actually for the number sold there are hardly any for sale on Ebay. This should tell you something. Feb 18 07 03:00 pm Link the big question here is does anybody have the ringflash by alienbees... im thinking of getting that and would love to know how it performs... or should i wait till the zeus... oh and how are their softboxes ^_^? Feb 18 07 03:02 pm Link LarryB wrote: What planet are they from and do they mean us harm? ;-) Feb 18 07 03:14 pm Link Annivo wrote: So everything sold on ebay must be crap according to your theory? Feb 18 07 03:18 pm Link The studio that I shoot at has Alien Bees and I love them. I plan to purchase a couple myself in the near future. Feb 18 07 03:21 pm Link My port is all Alien Bee shoots (except for the two outside shots). They're reasonably priced and you can do pro work with them. Be prepared to eventually invest in the barndoor, snoot and gels. They really make a significant difference. Excellent Value, excellent product, excellent service. Best of luck! Feb 18 07 03:28 pm Link I enjoy mine. ALOT! Feb 18 07 03:31 pm Link tomsuarez wrote: I have been using White Lightning products sine 1993 and when the alien bees came out I bought three to travel with. The AB's are great, well made, light and you can't beat the price. I live in Nashville now and have been to their headquarters a couple of times and they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The WL's are better for studio, because they put out more light and if you want to use a beauty dish or heavy softbox they work better. My alien bees strain under the weight of a beauty dish, I worry they might break where the light attaches to the stand (plastic vs metal for WL's). Feb 18 07 03:33 pm Link Alien Bees sponsors me and Bikini USA International. I went to Nashville and met everyone and their customer service is beyond anyone else. I have 3 of the AB 800 strobes and the big Vagabond portable battery and they are simply amazing. I shot in 100 degree temps in south Fl and south Texas ALL day and they perform consistant and without any probs so far. For the price they are unbeatable!!! E-mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions and I'll get you in touch with smoeone at Alien Bees who can answer any question you have. Thanks! Brent Feb 18 07 03:35 pm Link Jonathan R Miller wrote: Depends on how much power you need. I really like my ABR800, and for $400 it's hard to beat it. It won't turn noon into night though. If you need a few more stops of power, wait for the Zeus. Feb 18 07 03:36 pm Link Maybe so many are being sold on ebay because the photographers have advanced to pro levels using their ABs. Maybe the photogs are upgrading to WLs. I will be selling my ABs in a few months so I can upgrade to WLs. BTW, if Nikons or Canons are so good, why are they being sold on ebay. Easy, they are always in play. People selling up or down. As others have proclaimed, their customer service is second to none. The products are a great deal for the $$ and there is an obvious resale market if you outgrow them. If you don't like them AB has one of the most liberal return policies in the business (I think it's either 60 or 90 days) Good products, great people. Feb 18 07 03:45 pm Link We have 2, 400's, 1, 800, 1 ABR 800 (Ring Flash) and 1 1600. Love them all and had great support on getting the 800 fixed. Could not ask for better service. DeAnn Feb 18 07 03:48 pm Link Awesome lights - when they failed, only once, they took care of me. Feb 18 07 03:52 pm Link Some AB haters in here so I thought I would post some images, 2 different styles of shoots, using the same lights and shot on the same day and using canon 5D this one was brighter because the model skin allowed it http://www.hopeparr.com/christina/IMG_7266.JPG and this one with same lights, but lower power setting http://www.hopeparr.com/michelle/IMG_0775.JPG Feb 18 07 03:53 pm Link For the money, AB's are very nice as are the WL series of lights. And has been stated, they truly do have the best customer service.. Not to mention a loaner program for when you do need to send in equipment.. THAT is very sweet.. The only thing I don't like about the AB's, they use a mini jack.. Most transmitter/receivers don't.. So if you use them, make certain you can get an adapter to use them with AB's.. Feb 18 07 03:54 pm Link I love my AB lighting, great investment on my part! Feb 18 07 03:55 pm Link I use em- everything you see that was lit by a strobe in my port- was ab. Feb 18 07 03:59 pm Link Rarely if you search Alien Bee on Ebay do you find more than 4 or 5 auctions at a time. That's pretty few considering the billions of items out there for auction. Another telltale sign that its a decent product is that the ebay auctions for used Bees usually fetch 75% or more of the original purchase price. I have 3 bees here and have never had an issue. They are inexpensive, ruged, very easy to use, and as everyone says the customer service is excellent. For those of us that can't afford to drop $3000 on studio lights they are one of the best options out there. Feb 18 07 04:01 pm Link |
