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Calumet Travelite Vs White Lightning
I'm ready to invest in some new lighting and have narrowed my choices to either White Lightning 1600's or the Calument Travelite 750's. I'm looking to get at least 4 heads and plan on using them for portraiture predominantly in the studio (1500 sq ft) with occasional location work. They will also be used to occasionally photograph large groups of people (20-50) under daylight conditions. I know the Travelites lose out to the WL's in terms of weight (7.5lbs), more expensive replacement lamps and flash tubes and accessories, but I can live with that if they are the better light. What I would like to know is: 1 - Which performs better in terms of color temp consistancy across the various power levels. 2 - Overall reliability during a hard days shoot (esp. in respect of overheating). 3 - Quality of accessories 4 - Which has the better modeling light in terms of flexibility. 5 - Which has the most flexibility as far as overall control and range of output under real world conditions. 6 - If I opt for the Travelites, will they work with a Vagabond 2 power pack? 7 - I know the customer service with the Wl's is legendary, so how does the Calument customer service rate? and finally, if it was your choice, which would you opt for and why (added to gether any points I may not have considered)? Thanks in advance for your input  Jan 07 08 07:55 am Link bump Jan 07 08 08:42 am Link Dreamshot Photography wrote: I use Bowens Esprit II 500ws {now Calumet}. Jan 07 08 09:24 am Link Agree with almost all the above. Have been using Bowens (Calumet) monos for 25 years. Have 5 750s (plus a set of Elites). Only one just quit. Service was good. Jan 07 08 12:31 pm Link Bowens make professional quality equipment. ro level kt is made more robust and therefor often heavier. Jan 07 08 12:36 pm Link I have blown a few with my calumet travelites... but i found a place that has good replacement bulbs for only 8 bucks, instead of the 20-30 you find online elsewhere.. if someone has a cheaper place, let me know!!!! the weight is going to be a huge issue. if WL is lighter, the location work will be better. as far as studio is concern, both might be good. so it all depends on how much you plan on being on location. I actually decided to go back to my flash strobes for quick location work... *edit* in case people want to know.. i am talking about the modeling lamps, not the flash tubes. from calumet's website http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/OL1000/ this is where i ordered mine. http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/la … 250wf.html Jan 07 08 12:39 pm Link Calumet Jan 07 08 03:33 pm Link Thanks to everyone for their input so far, it's much appreciated Jan 07 08 04:13 pm Link Dreamshot Photography wrote: Also see the thread Jan 07 08 05:18 pm Link Kevin Connery wrote: Get the WL. They are nearly bullet proof and the service and support is, in fact, legendary. The build quality of the WL is somewhat better than the AB's and even my AB's have put up with a fair amount of abuse. Jan 07 08 05:21 pm Link I've never used the White Lightning's but I can highly recommend the Travelites. I've used mine for six years without the first problem. Of course, now that I say that... Jan 07 08 05:24 pm Link Travelites are really great lights. Jan 07 08 05:27 pm Link I've had Travelites for a few years. I also buy them for my company -- currently about 16 of the 750s out in the field and 30 or so of the digital 500ws units. Over the last 2 years I've had one totally blow (smoke, leaking/dripping capacitor, etc), 1 go in to a water hazard on a golf course (while ON, of course), and 1 get blown over from wind (back of the case destroyed). Those are the major incidents I can think of off the top of my head - although I think there may have been one other that smoked. Calumet's repair service takes FOREVER, with one strobe being out for 3 months! In their defense, the last one got back in about 3 weeks, but that was a much more minor repair. I've had a number of problems with the release lever that holds the reflector on becoming jammed, and people having to take pliers to move it enough to change the reflector/speedring. Other than that, they've worked fine. Relatively stable and consistent, and my personal lights (which I probably take better care of than my other photographers do theirs) have had no issues. I can't attest to the WL units, as I have no personal experience with them. If you treat the Calumets CAREFULLY, then you're probably going to like them. (FYI, I much prefer the digitals with the remote control - analog units are a PITA if you need to adjust a hairlight.) Just hope you don't ever have to deal with the repair center! Jan 07 08 06:27 pm Link Thanks everyone for your input, it was much appreciated and very informative, special thanks to Kevin as well for digging out and posting the link to the other thread on the subject. I took the plunge and bought 6 x Travelite 750's and am now impatiently awaiting their arrival. Thanks again all Jan 07 08 08:40 pm Link Dreamshot Photography wrote: The Calumet Travelite is design & make by Bowens in UK. Calumet is also the main distributor of Bowens Flash in Europe. www.bowens.co.uk Bowens started way back in the 1923 made the world first monolight. Jan 08 08 09:55 am Link Just a brief follow up for those that might read this thread in the future. I've been using the Travelites for nearly five months now and I am extremely pleased with the results. The color output has been consistent across the power range with no discernible drop off at the lower power settings and the lights have proved to be robust and very reliable. The accessory range (Calumet/Bowens) is also far wider than that offered by AB, in fact it's too damn wide, there's way too many toys for you to spend your money on. In short I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to invest in strobes that fall within this price bracket. I also ended up buying the Alien Bee ringflash and a Vagabond II to go with it, and yes, I have ended up using the Vagabond II with the Travelites lol, the temptation was too strong to resist. So far, the most I've have had hooked up to the Vagabond II has comprised of three Travelite's (750) one at 3/4 power, the other two at half and I took roughly 100 shots with no problems or running down the battery. The only downside, is not being able to use the modeling lamps continuously as it drains the Vagabond rather quickly. You might also be interested to know that the AB beauty dish is easily adapted to fit the Travelite with the aid of some JB Weld and a Calumet Adapter Ring insert (http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/RD6210/). It's not all sweetness and light however, and there are three minor drawbacks I've come across with the Travelites. Firstly, the recycle time to full power (1.2 seconds) can be a little frustrating at first, but you quickly adapt to it. Secondly, they are a little on the heavy side at 7lbs per unit, so using cheap lightweight light-stands is not recommended. Last but not least, the photocell for the slave trigger is mounted on top of the unit and off to one side. This can make some lighting setups awkward to create, so radio triggers are a must if you want to avoid a wired setup. All in all though, I really can't complain, these lights have turned out to be an excellent buy and I am already looking at adding four more to my setup. If you find yourself in the position I was of trying to decide between the White Lightnings or the Calumet Travelites, I recommend you go Travelite. Jun 04 08 09:04 am Link Jun 04 08 09:21 am Link - Phil H - wrote: I've yet to find any portable/location lighting that has a decent modeling light that *doesn't* chew through battery life. Jun 04 08 10:04 am Link Caradoc wrote: I don't doubt it, but no harm in mentioning it for the benefit of those who might be considering a battery pack type mobile solution and have yet to come across this downside Jun 04 08 12:54 pm Link I have one 3200 White Lightning, 3 1600's and 2 800's, all great and rugged. No problems with any of them in 3 yrs. Also have a Vagabond and Vagabond II, both shoot all day with multiple lights if you don't use the modeling lights much. Jun 04 08 01:35 pm Link Personality Imaging wrote: I agree.............. Roger That! Oct 07 08 02:20 am Link 1 vote for the calumets. i have had them for years with no problems whatsoever. the modifiers are more expensive though  Oct 07 08 02:31 am Link theres no comaprison between white lightning and calumets. Calumets are bowens but not bowens if you catch (its like how honda an acura are related..there the same but different) dont mind me-_-. I have calumets and i love mine, for the price, i really cant complain. Fan cooled, all digital, air stands are good, umbrellas are a bit fragile (couple of my rods dented but i just undented it in couple seconds). Calumets CS is extremely friendly, fast serving and know what there talking about. One of my reflectors that came with my genesis kit was a bit loose, they sent me a whole new unit for free and gave me the return label to send bak the defective one (most people would just send you a new reflector but not calumet) Ive never had whitelightning but i know there good (from what i hear and see). Dave hill uses about what... 6-7-8 of um?! IDK. If you got the money then go with what you feel is good, i mean for 1,000 you can probably get 3 WL's but you can get a bunch of 200watt calumet genesis o a travelite plus an 200watt i think (i didnt do the exact total and what not) You can get more of the cheaper stuff or less of the expensive stuff. Pros: cheap wont last centuries (they could but who knows) Save money, get more lights in the long run the claumet modeling light is 150watts, unlike some 50 MORE LIGHTS Cons: Not the BEST out there Alot of plastic, strong plastic but plastic none the less The calumet modeling lights claim to only last 6 hours on prop thats about it for me..... Modeling light: 150 watt, burns out after awhile but i buy replacments from wallmart. over heating: my calumets dont over heat, i shot for 5 hours in a warehouse...there fan cooled Durability: There strong, mines dropped when i had my stand up 9 feet....the reflector got a booboo though;] Customer servie for calumet: A++++ Air cushioned stands are included with the kit, very strong As for portable power i dont use the vagabond, i use the honda gen. Oct 07 08 02:35 am Link In a nutshell, I've worked the living hell out of my WL lights.. tens of thousands of shots with them and I still haven't even had to replace any flash bulbs!! amazingly durable for the money and as others have mentioned, their customer service is second to none. Oct 07 08 02:41 am Link As far as modeling lights, and their use while using a battery system on-location, I have yet to hear anyone, ever, mention any alternatives to standard modeling lamps. Yet, many options exist, and nearly all of them seem like great options when taking portable battery systems into consideration. There are tons of LED and FL bulbs that are so efficient you could actually leave them on while shooting with a battery like the Vagabond II. Hasent anyone attempted this? Of course, you'll have to disable proportional modeling, since I'm fairly certain it will destroy FL bulbs, which dont take kindly to dimming. But they put out something like 4 times the luminance at 1/4th the wattage. Lets do some research: Found one: http://www.amazon.com/ALZO-45-Watt-Phot … =pd_cp_p_4 45 watts, yet puts out the equivalent to a 150w tungsten bulb. Seems like it might work, as long as it fit, which does appear to be a problem. Dont think it's wide base will allow it to be placed into a Travelite. But, there are some called Compacts which have much smaller bases. After just a bit more looking around, there is a huge variety of sizes and wattages, all the way up to FL bulbs that put out the same light output as a 1,000w+ tungsten. Worth investigating? I looked into the even more outrageously wattage-efficient LED in a standard bulb-type form factor, but nearly every comment from buyers stated that they do indeed draw nearly no wattage, but the light output is utterly pathetic. Still though, might be enough to at least focus with? Anyone have any experience with either? Jul 19 11 10:16 pm Link RE: modeling lamp http://www.paulcbuff.com/manuals/vagabondii.pdf Paul C Buff wrote: Jul 19 11 11:38 pm Link Have owned both Bowens and White lightning. not much difference (I have had more issues with Bowens) Buy Bowens since you are in England (is that politically correct (is England still correct)) If in the states, I would recommend Einstiens, white-lighning or Alienbees. Here my Bowens went down and it was more money to replace the flash tube than get a new Whitelightning ($180) vs $225 as I remember. and I forgot the awful service on the Bowens from Calumet - seemed like forever. (and would not replace a bad flash tube only used for 200 flashes before it failed) WL on the other hand replaced a five year old one. Jul 20 11 03:56 am Link First of all I wouldn't get either for Portrait work. You can't get your f-stop low enough. I have owned both, in fact I have owned the Calumet travlites twice, but didn't keep them for more then 6 months each time. If I was going to shoot portrait in a 1500 sq foot (assume not in 1 room). I would get the Einsteins with their little control unit. Once u get use to it and if it doesn't break u will fall in love with how easy they are too use and that little diffuser is also sweet. Jul 20 11 03:37 pm Link CCME wrote: Every portrait in my portfolio here, and otherwise, has been shot with the Travelites. Maybe it's just a matter of how you use them. Jul 20 11 04:19 pm Link Looks like you perhaps have your answer by now. I have 2 calumet travel kits 6 (750 ws mono lights) I LOVE THEM! I can not say enough good things about them. Infact I bought my first kit new and my second kit used off craigslist and have had absolutely no issues with any of them ever! I say go with the travel kits and watch for a good used kit also at a reduced price good luck Jul 20 11 04:27 pm Link I have 10 Ultra 1800's and bought them back in the 90's... over the years they have been sent back to buff and they have replaced components, lamps, snap fuzes, etc... My buffs have traveled around the country, been dropped, got wet(water and electricity don't mix -FYI), left on over the weekend, been outside in the snow and at 100degrees on the roof.... a few months ago 1 of then took a shit and melted a circuit board Buff gave me an X3200 for $275.00 for me its all about customer service and Buff has my back!!! Jul 20 11 04:32 pm Link Paul Brecht wrote: I doubt anyone is foolish enough to consider running a hot, bright, and energy-consuming 250w modeling light for more than a few seconds when using a Vagabond, even if they hadn't read the instructions. Feb 05 14 08:17 am Link The Travelites are made in China now, but they're still built better than the Paul Buff lights. Feb 05 14 08:45 am Link GK photo wrote: The Bowens S-mount is the most common mount for all the Chinese modifiers on Ebay, and most of them are fairly well made. Feb 05 14 08:47 am Link I have an old WL Ultrazap 1600 that I still use regularly. It's a solid light. VERY tough. Should it quit one day I believe PCB offers a 50% discount on newer models if you turn in the old one. I would certainly buy another WL product. Feb 05 14 09:59 am Link Tim Foster wrote: I wouldn't agree with that statement at all. Built as well maybe but you don't hear much about quality issues when it comes to the White Lightning line of Buff products. They are built like tanks. I use the Bowen equals a lot through another studio I work with. No problem with them. But I also used the White Lightnings with a former studio. Liked them just as much and those guys took a beating over the years. Feb 05 14 05:44 pm Link |
