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Elinchrom vs. alienbees?
Ok here's the age old question. Which should I get? I know Elinchrom is top notch stuff, but I am on a budget, hence the reason for me considering Alienbees. But i am also very picky on the quality of the product. specially when Elinchrom has some badass knicknacks for there strobes. I need help... Honestly im 18 years old, and i want something worth my time. Jan 05 10 11:56 pm Link A lot depends on what and where you plan on shooting. The only advice I would give without know what and where is for you to buy the best you can afford. I started with a 30 year old Speedotron brown line pack and three M90 heads and did studio shooting for the first year. I sold the speedotron kit for a little more then I paid for it ad bought Calumet Travelites and still have them. Jan 06 10 12:04 am Link I can't speak for Elinchrom... never used any of their systems (dabbled in Dynalite, Speedotrons, Calumets, etc) but I shoot with a pair of Alienbee 800's and I've never had a problem. I do know quite a few professional photographers in their 20's, myself included, that shoot with Alienbees because they're cheap and reliable. Paul C. Buff runs a solid company and repairs or replacements are done in a timely manner. I've known people who've smashed their ring lights, dropped their monolight in the ocean, smashed them down stairs... they all needed repair but came back like new. Sure, any of the Elinchrom lights have more bells and whistles beyond technical concerns (pack & head vs mono, overall output, scalable systems) but if worst came to worse and you bought Alienbees because they were cheaper, you could survive a few years before affording a full blown Elinchrom set. You could always just sell your AB's to some kid starting out once you out grew them. Jan 06 10 12:04 am Link Angelo Lorenzo Photo wrote: hahahaha, I broke a modeling bulb on my Travelite once. Jan 06 10 12:07 am Link Angelo Lorenzo Photo wrote: Thank you. i figured as much im just not fully sure. i heard that the 800's are plenty, almost to much? like most people dont use on full power? how are the softboxes? should i buy some chimira? are they compatible? Jan 06 10 12:08 am Link Rossman photography wrote: I think the ab800 is like 320ws with a low (170) GN. Jan 06 10 12:16 am Link Rossman photography wrote: If you want to shoot outdoors with a modifier for the underexposed sky look, I'd get a 1600 for your key light. Indoors the 800's are more than fine, I shoot around f/8 and I'm usually shooting at 1/4 power. Jan 06 10 12:16 am Link I bit the bullet and bought the Elinchroms - I started with two 300RX and a 600RX. Not cheap. But I've been using them three years and they never miss a beat. They recharge fast. They are extremely consistent shot to shot. They hold colour temperature across their entire range of intensity. No regrets. The radio triggers are excellent (and cheap!). oh, and lots and lots of choices in modifiers. Jan 06 10 12:21 am Link As far as I'm concered I love my ECs. 1 Elinchrome 600RX was expensive but for studio it was all I needed to get great shots (with a big white foam core sheet for reflector). As I made cash I eventually bought 2 more - but i rarely use all at once. Honestly, they are so superior just save the hassle of having to upgrade bees later. ...they recharge SUPERFAST. more like 1 second than the 3 they are rated at. Jan 06 10 12:23 am Link Angelo Lorenzo Photo wrote: ha you read me right. i love those shots. yea im thinking about getting a 1600 with a battery pack. thanks for your help Jan 06 10 12:26 am Link Rossman photography wrote: I would definitely recommend 1600 for outdoors. I own both 800s and 1600s but with 800s I sometimes feel short on power even in studios. Jan 06 10 03:04 am Link I picked up a elinchrom dlite 4 kit from b&h a few weeks ago. They are very portable ( reason why I got them) and quite affordable. I payed about 750 for the kit came with carry cases, tripods, soft boxes and a dvd. So far so good the light quality from what I can see is very good. Jan 06 10 03:16 am Link As with most things in life, it's all about tradeoffs. With Elinchrom you'll get a pop-to-pop reliability and consistency which PCB hasn't achieved (yet) in his line, world class accessories, more power than is available in the AB line (WL does go higher), and a W*s / lb ratio which I don't think you can match for less than 2x Elinchrom prices (!!). From PCB, you get a lot of exceptional modifiers at much lower prices, a CS team which will allow you to make stupid mistakes with your gear but still have it replaced, and a much lower price / W*s. Myself, I absolutely love by Elinchrom gear and have 0 regrets about purchasing it or any of the addons. I also tend to push its output capacity quite hard. But neither I nor anyone else here are you, and you have to make your own choice about what matters most. Jan 06 10 03:16 am Link If you had asked me this question 5 years ago I would have said get the Elincas - no question. I have used and still use the Elincas, Balcars, Brons, Dynas and other brands I wont go into here (the latter 2 being my favorite). But today? The Buff lights are compact light inexpensive to repair can be used with an inverter/generator powerful (640 Ws) inexpensive If you are traveling, get the Buffs. If you lose one or two in transit, or you have to replace the flashtube, you won't cry. They are excellent value for what they can do - and I have seen magazine shoots where Buff strobes were used from Miami to Minato - and the people involved didn't care one bit. If you are in the studio 99% of the time, get the Elincas - no actually don't - get some Brons or Dynalites. Elincas are nice, have great mods, and the D Lites are small, light and inexpensive, but for the dollars, take a look at Dynalite or Brons if you want to buy something for the next 30 years. It is possible to take great photos with either brand - that's the point. Jan 06 10 04:49 am Link I have used Elinchrom for many years, and is 100 % satisfied with their system. Calling Elin for "top notch" might be slightly exagurated: If you ask me, "top notch" gear is Broncolor, Profoto, Hensel and Briese, but you get a lot for your money with systems like Elin and Bowens. Most new Elin heads are dual voltage and will operate in Europe as well as in the US. As far as I know ABs are only available as 110VAC / 60 hz ? Jan 06 10 05:03 am Link Elincas are top notch, in my view. They are a pro brand, and a lot of fashion and product guys like them. They have excellent pack and head systems, modifiers and support, and would be equivalent to Profoto. The Ranger system is second to none and the Quadra is a nice idea (its about time the Swiss copied the Lumedyne concept). You do pay for what you get. Briese, Bron, Balcar - yes these are all on another level - focusable strobe lamps within the reflector is what sets these apart, also the color temp and the modifiers. I dont believe Elincas have any focusable heads, but their octabanks were world class on arrival (and still are). Jan 06 10 05:07 am Link Aliens VS Ellenchrom - I've used both and now use only Aliens. Reason being, I had some Ellenchrome heads fall and break (very fragile construction) and had to call the company for customer services. I got treated like crap and put on hold for most of my adult life. Customer services people view their customers as sub-human and really don't give a damn about you once you have purchase that junk. My experience with PC and Alien Bees was and is entirely different they are freindly and very very service and customer oriented. From a customer service stand point the people at Alien Bees get my vote and endorsment everytime. By providing their products and very affordable pricing points they have brought the joy of photographic creativity to alot of people who otherwise would have found this passion out of reach finacially. Let's face it, most of photographic equipment out that can and should be sold at much lower pricing points and the customer services should be much better. I'm not a bottomless pit of money as most camera store sales people view you. I think equipment that Ellenchrom sells could go for much less and their customer services needs some drastic rethinking and overhauling. don't believe me, call them with a problem and time how long you are put on hold and transferred before actually talking to someone who eventually won't help with your problem. Count the number of times you are treated rudely. Jan 06 10 05:14 am Link Rossman photography wrote: A bee with a softbox is better than a barebulb elinchrome. So if you're buying elinchromes, figure out how much the softboxes for them are and see if you can afford all of it. Jan 06 10 06:40 am Link I have an B800 with softbox and its easy enough to underexpose shooting straight into the sun by at least a stop and a half i tend think i have done two stops pretty regularly and mind you i wasnt shooting in shade haha can't imagine what you would be able to do with a B1600 haha. Apr 15 10 06:55 pm Link RossJohnson imaging wrote: I think that the BIG question Now is, Elinchrom vs. Einstein. Apr 15 10 07:03 pm Link I have an AB800 and 2 White Lightning 1600s all made by Paul C. Buff. I haven't tried the other brands, so I can't speak for them. But what I do know is when I was looking for lights to purchase initially I was sold by the high satisfaction rating of other photographers who I spoke to about Paul C. Buff's products, the wonderful customer service, and the low prices. I have never thought about what I am missing with other's products after using my Paul C. Buff's products. Btw. If you plan on shooting outside, consider getting a WL 1600. You can adjust the power to full mode, or a quarter mode. Quarter mode is great for inside, while full mode is great for outside. And it is only a little more than an Alien Bees 1600. Apr 15 10 07:17 pm Link So why not split the difference and go for the White Lightnings? Apr 15 10 07:20 pm Link I have both and prefer Alien Bee ....Service, stability, warranty, parts, etc. Elinchrom hard to get parts for the Dlites, they overheat and shut down regularly. I can say I have not had any problems with AB other than those I created for myself. lol Apr 15 10 07:22 pm Link If you care about consistant and accurate color, get Elinchrom. Apr 15 10 07:30 pm Link One word man... EINSTIEN! Look at that BEFORE you invest!!!! Apr 15 10 07:37 pm Link I have used both and currently use a combination of Alien Bees and White Lightning. I can attest to the consistency of the Elinchrom lights from shot to shot and I enjoy working with them when I get a chance. The reason I use the Alien Bee products for my personal work is that they are affordable to own. A new flash tube is $30 USD versus $150 for an Elinchrom. In theory they should not fail often, but when it does you will feel it in your pocket. With photoshop and raw editors you can usually correct any minor variations in color anyway. It is not like in the days of film where you had limited post production techniques. For important jobs, I suggest you rent as good as equipment as you can get. Most of the cost is going to be passed on to your client anyway once you reach that level and to be honest the cost of rental is probably going to a small part of the budget for the production anyway. Another thing to remember, Alien Bees hold their price. I have seen them go on ebay for more than they cost new direct from Paul Buff. Go figure! Even if you out grow then and move on to Elinchrom or Profoto you are going to get most of your money back. Here is a review by the strobist blogger about Alien Bees and choosing a lighting kit: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/11/ch … nbees.html Elinchrom http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/11/ch … chrom.html Profoto: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/11/ch … ofoto.html Apr 15 10 08:36 pm Link AndrewV wrote: Elinchrom speed rings are widely available. Apr 15 10 11:33 pm Link |
