Alien Bee Pro Worthy...

[mooney101]

OK i'll be moving soon, been working at a studio for 10 years and i'm moving and starting my own business so money will be tight for awhile. I Will be dealing with seniors and Pets and some family's. Will be on location at first then in studio as I settle in. I'm use to using Photogenic and White lighting lights and I've heard good things about alien bees. I just want to no can they give Pro results. I'd imagine yes but I like to hear form those who use these in a business not just in a hobby situation. Feedback please, before I go and make a big alien bee purchase.

Thanks...

 

[Big Mike]

I use them and like them but I haven't used other brands for comparison.
I have seen several pros using them...and I've heard a few gear snobs poo-poo them.

I would recommend them.

 

[mooney101]

Thanks for the reply. One thing that i'm very curious about is that even though you buy light modifiers for them like umbrellas and soft boxes for example and one have trouble butting other light modifiers on them and finding modifiers that fit alien be for example larson soft boxes.

 

[Big Mike]

Not having used other lights, I'm unfamiliar with the different speed rings...but from what I understand...there are several different styles of speed rings for different brands of lights & accesories.

I know that you can buy speed rings from AB, and maybe you can adapt other modifiers to use that ring.

 

[notelliot]

alien bees has a whole line of modifiers that i have no complaints about. they also sell the mounting "speed-ring" separately, i imagine this is for other brands of modifiers.

the lights themselves are great. no complaints about them.

customer service is also excellent.. i think i posted a big thing about my experience with AB a couple days ago..

 

[JIP]

If you read The Strobist you will see you can get professional results from just a couple of Vivitar flashes . some cardboard and, some Duct tape. While I am a big advocate of the right gear when it comes to cameras if you can produce with something that is what you should use.

 

[nicfargo]

I have alien bees. They are not what I'd consider "pro" grade, but that does not mean I can't get professional looking shots with them. You can get professional looking shots from any light source if you know your stuff. The reason why I don't consider them "pro" grade is because they are plastic. If you drop these, chances are they will break. I do love my alien bees though despite that I wouldn't consider them "pro" grade. To me, pro means they can take a beating. I think of the difference between the Canon 1D and the 30D. Both can pretty much produce the same image, but the 1D is a little more rugged.

 

[Big Mike]

If you read The Strobist you will see you can get professional results from just a couple of Vivitar flashes . some cardboard and, some Duct tape. While I am a big advocate of the right gear when it comes to cameras if you can produce with something that is what you should use.

Using hot-shoe flashes is certainly an option...especially if portability is an issue. Also, if you are going to be needing dedicated flash units anyway, they can do double duty.
It should be noted that while the power of a bare hot-shoe flash can come close to an AB light...once you start using modifiers like umbrellas or softboxes...the power of the hot-shoe units fall quite a bit short of the studio strobes...that's what I've heard from those who have measured it.

 

[Nimitz]

Hi - I have 3 AB 800s plus softboxs, umbrellas, barn doors, grids, gels - all from Alien Bee.

I do professional in-home pet portriats so I shoot 'on-location' all the time. I also use them in my home studio.

I love them and have had no issue with them. The collection of light modifiers available for them from AB is substantial as well.

IMHO you can't go wrong here with ABs ...

 

[mooney101]

thanks guys I feel allot more comfortable in investing in AB's now.

 

[guitarkid]

i use nothing but AB's and love them. won't use anything else. price is right and our photos are great. it is pro series to us, and also very user friendly. also, customer service is some of the best ever!

 

[Phranquey]

I have to agree with nicfargo. I have a pair of 800's, and I usually use an SB-800 for background/hair, etc. The AB's are fantastic lights, are comparitively lightweight, and produce professional "results" for the money, but do be careful with them. These are not to be "tossed" into the trunk. If you trip over a cord or lightstand and send one for a tumble, you can likely kiss the whole unit goodbye, not just the bulb.

Otherwise, if you're on a budget, and as long as you are careful with them, I think you will be happy.

 

[JodieO]

I have four AB 800s. I originally purchased three of them because they were cheap but had a "decent" rep. I didn't expect to use them much.... I wanted to stay natural light but use studio every now and then.

Fast forward, 4 or 5 years later, I am STILL using them and have ZERO problems with them... they are just fine. I would purchase something different since I am full time and have a studio, but they won't break! lolololol!!!! When they break, I will invest in something else....

 

[Alpha]

The question of whether they're "pro-grade" boils down to two things.

First is color. I can tell you because I've tested it myself with a meter that the color changes significantly across their output range (i.e. it's different at lower power and high power and in-between). This may or may not be a problem for you, and it depends on how precise you need your light temp to be. For example, let's say you have two AB's setup. One you're using as your primary, and at full power. Another you're using at low power as a hair light. They're putting out different light temps.

The other thing to consider is modifiers. You basically have to buy all your modifiers from AB. That may or may not be a problem for you. They have a decent selection. But there are some modifiers that other companies make that are not available from Buff. Some of these are specialized or over-the-top. You won't find, for example, a parabolic umbrella, or a particularly great spot attachment. Some modifiers or lack thereof are more problematic. I don't think they have a very good lineup of reflectors. In fact, I think they flat-out suck. They're made out of cheap semi-matte brushed metal crap...like they were salvaged off of a 1980's Bowens monolight. They also only come in two diameters. I find that quite limiting. Further, while you may pay a premium for premium reflectors from other companies, I find they're vastly superior. While the reflectors for my own Broncolor strobes are becoming too rich for my blood, anyone who's used the Profoto adjustable reflectors will attest that they are the smoothest, most precise, and sexiest reflectors ever. And for everything they're capable of, they're not that expensive. So if you're only going to be using a softbox, and/or don't care about light fall-off from your reflector, then AB's will probably suffice.

I also will throw in something I add to every AB thread. No matter how many positive reviews they get from semi-pros, I do not trust a company that uses such shady marketing terms as "effective watt-seconds" which trivialize the validity of their stated power specs.

 

[mooney101]

The question of whether they're "pro-grade" boils down to two things.

First is color. I can tell you because I've tested it myself with a meter that the color changes significantly across their output range (i.e. it's different at lower power and high power and in-between). This may or may not be a problem for you, and it depends on how precise you need your light temp to be. For example, let's say you have two AB's setup. One you're using as your primary, and at full power. Another you're using at low power as a hair light. They're putting out different light temps.

The other thing to consider is modifiers. You basically have to buy all your modifiers from AB. That may or may not be a problem for you. They have a decent selection. But there are some modifiers that other companies make that are not available from Buff. Some of these are specialized or over-the-top. You won't find, for example, a parabolic umbrella, or a particularly great spot attachment. Some modifiers or lack thereof are more problematic. I don't think they have a very good lineup of reflectors. In fact, I think they flat-out suck. They're made out of cheap semi-matte brushed metal crap...like they were salvaged off of a 1980's Bowens monolight. They also only come in two diameters. I find that quite limiting. Further, while you may pay a premium for premium reflectors from other companies, I find they're vastly superior. While the reflectors for my own Broncolor strobes are becoming too rich for my blood, anyone who's used the Profoto adjustable reflectors will attest that they are the smoothest, most precise, and sexiest reflectors ever. And for everything they're capable of, they're not that expensive. So if you're only going to be using a softbox, and/or don't care about light fall-off from your reflector, then AB's will probably suffice.

I also will throw in something I add to every AB thread. No matter how many positive reviews they get from semi-pros, I do not trust a company that uses such shady marketing terms as "effective watt-seconds" which trivialize the validity of their stated power specs.

Thankyou for that information. Actually color and accuracy is very important to me. Even now with our lights in my current studio I run into that problem because we have a mixture of light manufactures. I'm a perfectionist and I want it to show in my work. I hate spending extra time in Raw processing because I have to look at almost every image because of a color shift or somthing.