Best studio-lighting set

fotolover1 · Apr 8, 2017

Hey guys
I've been renting photo studios for some time and I'm finally ready to build my own. I've saved enough so I can afford the high-end equipment. I always believe in second opinions and people's thoughts on certain brands. My studio will be 17 feet x 34 feet with a height of 19 feet.

What is the best high-end studio-lighting/flash kit I can buy and why? I do not have a budget but I also do not always believe the most expensive is automatically the best choice.

photo1x1.com · Apr 8, 2017

Welcome to the forum!
That sounds really cool, congrats. What are you going to shoot in the studio, and what kind of background do you use? For me it´s more about the light formers than the lights so it depends a lot what you are going to shoot.

fotolover1 · Apr 8, 2017

Thank you for the warm welcome. I'd like to use it for portraits, product and editorials since there is so much space. I'd also like to rent it out so I'd really like to offer a nice setup that can please most directions in photography..

photo1x1.com said:
Welcome to the forum!
That sounds really cool, congrats. What are you going to shoot in the studio, and what kind of background do you use? For me it´s more about the light formers than the lights so it depends a lot what you are going to shoot.

photo1x1.com · Apr 8, 2017

I once also had a big studio before the landlord kicked me out after just three years.
What I totally love is the Hensel Autolight in regard to light formers (the big one on the ceiling) - and the rail system I had set up on the ceiling. That gave me quite some opportunities and kept the floor free from tripods.

What I would have a close look when buying a new system is flash duration t0.5 and t0.1 if you plan to freeze some action. Plus you need to know if you can make you studio dark, or if the sun can shine in. If the latter, you may rather invest into a system that allows for high flash sync times than short flash duration to freeze action.

Broncolor has awesome lights and formers - but the price is outrageous. Similar story with Briese.
A little better is Profoto in regard to price.
I have worked with some broncolor stuff, and with Profoto. Mostly I use Elinchrom though - they offer very good value for money in my opinion.

Another thing to consider: do you want to go battery-powered or cable-powered. If cable - how are you going to route the cables. And how much power do you actually need (Wattsecond wise). The Profoto B1 is awesome if you want to go with batteries.

The question you have to ask yourself is: are my clients/photographers that rent/... willing to pay the difference and do they see the difference top of the line equipment makes? If not, I´d rather go with cheaper stuff like Elinchrom, etc..

tirediron · Apr 8, 2017

17x34 is a nice space; I'm not sure I would call it "so much" space, 'though a 19' ceiling is fantastic! If this is going to be permanent/long-term, the two systems I would look at are Speedotron Blackline and and Dynalite. These are both relatively inexpensive systems that are among the best built and most reliable of any lighting gear on the market. No, you won't get TTL, HSS, or nano-second flash duration, but do you need any of those? Unlikely. A lot of lighting companies try and convince us that we need all these features... granted they're cool, and every now and then they can be useful, but do they justify paying $2500 for a single head when you can get one for $500?

fotolover1 · Apr 8, 2017

Hey Tirediron , can you pass me a link to a full studio-set that I can buy from both Speedotrone Blackline and Dynalite? There are many different options so I'd like to know if you could
share a link of the exact sets you're talking about. I totally agree with you on the overpriced features...

fotolover1 · Apr 8, 2017

but flash duration is an important option I believe. Is there a possibility to buy an extra feature with those brands?

fotolover1 · Apr 8, 2017

Thank you for your answer. I hear many great things about Broncolor. I've never worked with Broncolor. Is it worth the money? Can you see an obvious difference with Broncolor?
Also, what brand comes the closest to Broncolor?

tirediron · Apr 8, 2017

Most high end companies don't offer a 'studio in a box' solution. They do offer a few kits of 2, 3 and even 4 lights, but the assumption is that if you're buying gear at this level, you' know what you want and you're going to pick and choose. Dynalite. Speedotron Black

photo1x1.com · Apr 8, 2017

fotolover1 said:
Thank you for your answer. I hear many great things about Broncolor. I've never worked with Broncolor. Is it worth the money? Can you see an obvious difference with Broncolor?
Also, what brand comes the closest to Broncolor?

Is it worth the money? Probably not for the vast majority of photographers, me being one of them. Thats what I meant with whether your clients will pay for or even see the difference. It is there, but it is subtle. Especially their striplite and boxlite for shooting stuff with reflective surface are better than softboxes. But you'd have to charge your clients more money and they might not be willing to pay.
Hard to tell what comes closest. I have yet to see a company with the same variety of light shaping tools.

Derrel · Apr 8, 2017

OP_not sure if you are in N. America or in Europe? BEst might depend on local support/rental/repair.

I live in N. America. I have Speedotron Black Line and Brown Line systems. Way too much of both for what I shoot these days. I like Speedotron for the simplicity of the system. They have enough types of light units that you can find a flash head for any budget, and any use. Durability and longevity are **the** hallmarks of the Speedotron brand. VERY "tough" equipment.

In Black Line, I like the 102A flashhead for long sessions: fan-cooled, big flashtube, 250 Watt quartz modeling lamp. For sine wave inverter use, I use their 103 flash heads (no longer made) which have no cooling fans, 150 Watt quartz lamp maximum, CAN use a low-Wattage 2-pin base incandescent lamp is desired to keep current drain LOW when running off the inverter. I have a couple 6-outlet, 2,400 W-s identical packs...NICE to be able to run 6 flashes off of ONE, single electrical outlet! I also have an 800 and a 400 W-s Black Line pack.

I like the Black Line model 202VF Variable Focusing flash heads. 250 Watt modeling lights, and a flood/narrow range of beam spread from any reflector. LOVE the Speedo mylar diffusers and grids. Steel reflectors, very solid.

For location work, the Black Line 805 power pack is nice, and FAST-recycle too. Has 4 outlets. For portable set-ups the little 405 is a great 3-head power pack. Very small and light, and useful on-location. The newer 4-outlet 1005 (1,000 Watt-sec) pack looks great, have used one once, liked it! SMALL! Black Line has 1/3-stop dial-click Up and Down fine adjustment,over a two-f/stop range or so, plus LOTS of power distribution options.

In Brown Line, the stuff is sooooo inexpensive, you can buy whatever you want for little money. Lighter cords, makes em easier to pack. I like the D1602 and D402 packs in Brown, the D604 is powerful and cheap. Flash durations are adequate, but NOT super-short. What I like are the light-shaping tools available in Speedotron Universal Mount; this is a system that has been around since 1939, and is American-built in Chicago. They do have 220 volt packs for customers outside North America. Brown Line reflectors and accessories in the Speedotron Universal Mount will work with Black Line, and vice-versa. Brown Line has limited, simple power distubution options.
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Dynalite is another USA brand of pack-and-head systems. I PREFER the power distruibution of pack and head systems AND the consistent color temp they have across the power levels. WHy pack and head? What is you NEED ONE flash that is a 2,400 W-s light? or you NEED 1600 W-s and then 800 W-s/ Or you NEED six, 400 W-s flash units. Or you NEED a 1200 and then an 800 and then a 400? If you own a Speedotron 2400 W-s pack with six outlets, you "already own" every single W-s power from 2,400 down to 100 W-s...no need to buy expensive monolights that have 1,600 Watt-second capacitors in them, no need for multiple powered monolights; with a pack and head system, you SAVE a huge amount of money by not "pigeonholing" a light to a specific Watt-second output level.

Dynalite has some very exciting smallish heads and smaller packs for location lighting. Dynalite and Speedotron are the two leading "arena systems" for large arena NBA and indoor sports events, and have been for decades.

Speedotron sells Universal Mounting brackets that can be bolted or screwed or epoxied on to light-shaping tools from almost any manufacturer. So, convert a beauty dish or light box to Speedo by bolting on a Universal Mounting collar.
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There is no one "best" system, and for "some" tasks, flash duration might be the key. For "some jobs", the ability to fire 1,000 full-power flash pops in 2 hours and NEVER have an overheated flash is a criterion. That's what Black Line does. Last major-major job I shot with Blackline was 104 corporate mugshots, all morning, one after another after another, in on-site makeshift studio with three 102A flash heads and a 2403B pack...did not miss a beat.