Monolight Suggestions

[mwilson263]

Hi all,

I have a couple speedlights (Canon 600ex-rt & 430ex-ii), and have been contemplating getting a strobe to give me a little more power & versatility mostly for outdoor shoots, but probably some indoor as well. I had always leaned toward Alien Bees, mainly because that's all I ever heard people around me talk about, but the more I look at Flashpoint & read reviews the more it seems that's a good way to go. I've heard a couple specifically mentioned, and am wondering what the difference(s) between them are - XPLOR 600 & Rovelight 600. Is it strictly output, or are there other features (remote-ability, battery pack, etc)? I'm not exactly sure what features I should be looking at in a monolight.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Derrel]

Seems like the Rovelight HAD problems... Rovelight - Adorama's Russian Roulette Transmitter

The Xplor600 seems to be well-reviewed.

Alien Bees are designed for AC wall-current and for use with an inverter/battery setup for mobile usesl the Xplor600 is battery-powered from the get-go...

Xplor600 is also HSS compatible...

What features to look for depends on intended uses...HSS? Battery-powered outdoor use?

More, lower-powered units vs one or two larger, more-expensive units?

I dunno...I like MORE, lower-powered units, but that is me; others like one, or two, higher-powered units.

 

[mwilson263]

Seems like the Rovelight HAD problems... Rovelight - Adorama's Russian Roulette Transmitter

The Xplor600 seems to be well-reviewed.

Alien Bees are designed for AC wall-current and for use with an inverter/battery setup for mobile usesl the Xplor600 is battery-powered from the get-go...

Xplor600 is also HSS compatible...

What features to look for depends on intended uses...HSS? Battery-powered outdoor use?

More, lower-powered units vs one or two larger, more-expensive units?

I dunno...I like MORE, lower-powered units, but that is me; others like one, or two, higher-powered units.

Thanks Derrel, appreciate the input. I have a bit of homework ahead of me to determine exactly how I envision using them. HSS would be a big thing for me as I would want to use them outdoors in brighter light.

I'm not in a huge hurry, I'm still working to master the speedlights I have; so I'll continue to research & learn with them. I'm a firm believer in "get all you can out of what you've already got" before just purchasing more gear.