Stradawhovious
Been spending a lot of time on here!
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 3,241
- Reaction score
- 911
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
I just picked up a Paul C. Buff Softbox (gigantic) and an Alien Bee B800 strobe from a buddy of mine for a SCREAMING deal. At least I think it was...
I haven't used either yet for actual photos, but I can update this post if there is an interest in knowing what I think of them.
First impressions on the Alien Bee B800...
I LOVE the fact that I now have a powerful strobe capable of a 6 stop power difference. It's nice to have more strobes (always) but now I have more versatility as well. It is really quite straightforward to use, and seems to be quite robust. It's not a digital readout, but the slider on the back is clearly marked, and seems to do it's job. I will have to set it up with a flash meter to see how accurate the slider is. It only came with the included cover and basic reflector, but for the price I'm not going to complain.
The softbox..
Wow. This thing is a dream compared to my smaller boxes. For storage it's kind of large, even folded up, but that's not surprising since this thing is 30"x60" in size assembled. collapsed, it slides into a bag and turns into a 4' tube with a 10" circumference. Pretty easily tucks into the corner in the closet, but still pretty large.
For assembly, it pops open like an umbrella, and one simple thumb set screw holds it open. No messing with trying to assemble with rods and the like, just pops open and ready to use. It's a dream.
The box is lined with shiny silver fabric, and comes with two translucent white modifiers. One snaps into the middle of the box, while the other velcros along the inside of the box opening. This will allow for a bunch of versatility in the quality of light.
I'm really looking forward to putting these through their paces!
I haven't used either yet for actual photos, but I can update this post if there is an interest in knowing what I think of them.
First impressions on the Alien Bee B800...
I LOVE the fact that I now have a powerful strobe capable of a 6 stop power difference. It's nice to have more strobes (always) but now I have more versatility as well. It is really quite straightforward to use, and seems to be quite robust. It's not a digital readout, but the slider on the back is clearly marked, and seems to do it's job. I will have to set it up with a flash meter to see how accurate the slider is. It only came with the included cover and basic reflector, but for the price I'm not going to complain.
The softbox..
Wow. This thing is a dream compared to my smaller boxes. For storage it's kind of large, even folded up, but that's not surprising since this thing is 30"x60" in size assembled. collapsed, it slides into a bag and turns into a 4' tube with a 10" circumference. Pretty easily tucks into the corner in the closet, but still pretty large.
For assembly, it pops open like an umbrella, and one simple thumb set screw holds it open. No messing with trying to assemble with rods and the like, just pops open and ready to use. It's a dream.
The box is lined with shiny silver fabric, and comes with two translucent white modifiers. One snaps into the middle of the box, while the other velcros along the inside of the box opening. This will allow for a bunch of versatility in the quality of light.
I'm really looking forward to putting these through their paces!