Buying my first lighting kit: flash or strobes?

[davisphotos]

Definitely get an umbrella, you can get a 60" convertible for under $30. And definitely get a system with a modifier attachment that you can readily purchase accessories for, like Bowens. Avoid the weird off brand flashes with their own mounting systems that only let you use their crappy modifiers.

 

[Tee]

I'm late to the party but since I love studio lighting chat, I'll add in my two cents worth and it's going to be random.

OP- I don't remember reading what brand of monolights you are getting. There are a few entry level brands that are good but you don't want to get stuck with crap like Cowboy Studios. Triggers are used to wirelessly activate your lights from your camera. You can buy from $15 Chinese knock offs to the reliable Pocket Wizard system. Just make sure your buying a trigger system that is reliable.

Three lights is optimal for starters but you can do a heck of a lot with 2 lights and a reflector. As for me, I'm a soft box guy.

Having a light meter has many advantages. For starters, you'll save a ton of time walking back and forth between your lights and shooting position trying to adjust. Also, you'll learn ratios between lights quicker. Check out Adorama's youtube page for beginner tutorials on how to use a light meter. You'll find them very easy to use and you won't ever want to shoot without one.

 

[klaplante11]

I'm late to the party but since I love studio lighting chat, I'll add in my two cents worth and it's going to be random.

OP- I don't remember reading what brand of monolights you are getting. There are a few entry level brands that are good but you don't want to get stuck with crap like Cowboy Studios. Triggers are used to wirelessly activate your lights from your camera. You can buy from $15 Chinese knock offs to the reliable Pocket Wizard system. Just make sure your buying a trigger system that is reliable.

Three lights is optimal for starters but you can do a heck of a lot with 2 lights and a reflector. As for me, I'm a soft box guy.

Having a light meter has many advantages. For starters, you'll save a ton of time walking back and forth between your lights and shooting position trying to adjust. Also, you'll learn ratios between lights quicker. Check out Adorama's youtube page for beginner tutorials on how to use a light meter. You'll find them very easy to use and you won't ever want to shoot without one.

THANKS!! This was handy info!!!

 

[studio460]

I'm late to the party but since I love studio lighting chat, I'll add in my two cents worth and it's going to be random . . ..

I'm also late to the party, but I also love talking about lighting gear!

This is my first time buying a lighting kit and my budget is at 800$.

For first-time strobe set-ups, I always suggest starting with just a single AC monolight, which you can always augment with any existing Speedlights you may already own [note: you can use your SB-800 by setting it to "SU-4" mode to enable its built-in optical trigger--firing an AC monolight remotely will also then trigger your SB-800]. Owning just one strobe at first, teaches you what you can do with only a single source before you move onto more complex set-ups. This also allows you to concentrate on mastering the applications of a single modifier (e.g., octa-type softbox).

I initially bought a Dynalite Uni400 AC/DC monolight as my first strobe, mainly for its long t.5 value (1/675th @ max power), which makes shooting above x-sync possible (i.e., so-called "HyperSync" applications). But, for your purposes, I would recommend Elinchrom's "budget" line of AC monolights. They have built-in RF triggers, and are directly compatible with Elinchrom's excellent line-up of Rotalux modifiers. In fact, other than the long t.5 value, had I to do it again, I probably would've gone with Elinchrom monolights exclusively. They're lightweight, affordable, and have very fast recycle times.

As I said, I already own a couple of Dynalites, but I've been thinking of replacing them with Elinchroms for portrait work. I've recently been doing a bunch of studio-lit headshots (interiors), and my 400Ws Dynalite Uni400 monolight is simply too powerful to enable shooting at larger apertures (numerically, smaller). Even at minimum power (1/8th), shooting through a double-baffled 3' octa, I'm all the way up to f/9 at ISO 50 at 1/250th.

So, for interiors, I'm planning to buy Elinchrom D-Lite 200Ws RX strobes which are only $339.99 each (the 400Ws version is only $355). With a five-stop range, it can dial down to 12Ws. My Dynalite can only go as low as 50Ws (the approximate equivalent of a Speedlight at full-power). Plus, since they come with built-in RF triggers, all you need to buy is a single Elinchrom Skyport transmitter ($112) for wireless strobe triggering. Also, this Elinchrom unit is one of the lightest (2.9 lbs.), fastest-recycling (just 0.8 sec. at full-power), 200 Watt-second monolights on the market. But most importantly, you'll be able to directly mount the excellent array of lightweight, Elinchrom Rotalux softboxes (but only up to the 53" octa) without wasting any money on purchasing expensive speedrings and adapters. Here's just a couple of possible ways to go, ranging from about $800 to about $1,000, with an AC inverter added in for the daylight package:

Single-source, interior set-up, example A:

• Elinchrom D-Lite 200Ws RX
• Elinchrom Midi Octa Rotalux
• Elinchrom Skyport Speed transmitter

Single-source, portable daylight-exterior set-up, example B:

• Elinchrom D-Lite 400Ws RX
• Elinchrom Mini Octa Rotalux
• Elinchrom Skyport Speed transmitter
• Vagabond Mini-Lithium AC inverter

Note that for on-location, daylight-exteriors, you'd need to buy the Vagabond Mini-Lithium inverter (or, have access to 120VAC), to power the strobe. Elinchrom also offers portable, battery-powered strobes (Ranger Quadras), but they're extremely expensive (if looking for a less expensive portable strobe system, B+H sells the Impact LiteTrek 4.0 for $649.95). If going with one of the Elinchrom set-ups, you can also substitute an umbrella for any of the Rotalux softboxes to save a bit more money. My favorites are Westcott's soft-silver umbrellas, and the super-big, 7' Westcott parabolics (white, shoot-through, or silver), but most any other brand will do fine.

 

[studio460]

. . . I think a fellow wants THREE lights, not just two, and I would say it's worth it to buy three LOWEWR-powered monolights, rather than have two higher-powered units.

Yes, agreed, especially for interiors. The OP could do this with cheaper, no-name strobes (e.g., Impact), since three Elinchroms would put the OP over-budget. FWIW, I light most of my interior portraits (headshots) using "clam-shell" lighting--that's one source above, and another source from below. I've also been wanting to use a larger source for my backlight, since the 1' x 2' softbox I'm using now sometimes misses part of the subject's shoulder. For this lighting set-up, I'm planning to buy the following:

Elinchrom "clam-shell" studio set-up with large backlight:

• Elinchrom D-Lite 200Ws RX [x3]
• Elinchrom 39" x 39" Rotalux softbox [x3]
• Elinchrom Skyport Speed transmitter [x1]

So, three, identically-sized softboxes, all square (since it's an efficient shape for a small studio, yet still a relatively large source). Two of the softboxes will serve as the under/over keys, and the third softbox will be used as a backlight. I had initially gone with Profoto RFi softboxes specifically because fabric eggcrates (softgrids) are available for the entire product line. Note that since all but one or two of the Elinchrom Rotalux softboxes are flush-front, they cannot accommodate a Velcro-attached fabric eggcrate as Profoto RFis, or other major brands' recessed-front sofboxes can. However, unique to the Elinchrom Rotalux product line is their convenient "umbrella-like" design (Buff modifiers also employ a similar design), making set-up/tear-down super-fast and super-easy. This feature alone is a huge selling point for going with all-Elinchrom strobes.

 

[studio460]

Should I be interested in a [ring flash] as well?

Although there are expensive, specialized ring-flash strobes (Paul C. Buff's ABR800 is likely the least expensive at $399), ExpoImaging's RayFlash Speedlight modifier also produces that signature ring-flash look ("shadowless" lighting, circular catchlight, etc.) for a lot less money. It attaches to most on-camera Speedlights, and uses fiber-optic cables to channel your own Speedlight's light into a ring-shaped light source. I have the original model for my Nikon SB-800, and it works as advertised. There is some light-loss, though I don't recall exactly how much (probably 1-2 stops).

RayFlash 2 "Universal" by ExpoImaging at B+H

Further RayFlash manufacturer information with example photos:

 

[Village Idiot]

You don't need specific brand battery operated strobes if you want power. You can hook a 2400w/s pack up to a Vagabond Lion battery and use it. I use my Dynalite 800w/s pack on a VML when I'm outside and need power.

 

[studio460]

You don't need specific brand battery operated strobes if you want power.

That's true--let me add the Vagabond Mini-Lithium inverter to the post above.

 

[studio460]

I use my Dynalite 800w/s pack on a VML when I'm outside and need power.

I have two dead VML batteries that are only about two years old. How long are yours lasting? The first thing I look at when considering any battery-powered lighting system is the cost of replacement batteries (though sometimes the OEM battery is difficult to identify/source). I also look at the total amp-hour rating as a rough estimate of capacity. The Impact LiteTrek 4.0 is a 400Ws portable strobe system which currently sells for $649, and uses a 7.2 amp-hour battery (but, I can't identify an OEM replacement battery for it). Although, the new Godox Xenergizer portable 600Ws unit (poor man's Ranger Quadra) looks like the better buy, and may be worth looking into. Note that certain OEM replacements can often be significantly less expensive than buying the flash manufacturer's re-branded battery. Here's some battery replacement costs for some common portable strobe inverter/battery packs:

• Vagabond Mini-Lithium VMB8.8A: 14.8V; 8.8 amp-hours; 130 Watt-hours $89.
• Vagabond Lithium Extreme VLX: 25.6V; 6.2 amp-hours; 158.7 Watt-hours: $159.
• Godox Xenergizer: 12.8V; 8 amp-hours: $179.
• Quantum Turbo high-voltage DC power pack (SLA-based): Power-Sonic PS-832 [OEM replacement]; 8V; 3.2 amp-hours: $20.
• Impact LiteTrek: 12V; 7.2 amp-hours: $174.95.
• Bowens TravelPak: Yuasa (or OEM equivalent) NP7-12; 12V; 7.2 amp-hours: $15 (unconfirmed).
• Dynalite XP-1100 AC inverter (SLA-based): Enersys PC-680 [OEM replacement]; 12V; 16 amp-hours: $120.

 

[studio460]

My favorites are Westcott's soft-silver umbrellas, and the super-big, 7' Westcott parabolics (white, shoot-through, or silver), but most any other brand will do fine.

I just found one of my Westcott 7' silver parabolic umbrella test shots--shot with a single strobe:

 

[studio460]

Hey, thanks for the two thumbs-up, Derrel!

 

[studio460]

Should I go with Flash or Strobes?

First of all, I didn't realize until now that this thread is nearly two months old! But, just in case the OP is still around (and, for other readers' benefit), I wanted to better answer the original question: i.e., Speedlights vs. AC monolights, since I'm actually a huge proponent of hybrid Speedlight/monolight set-ups.

Speedlight pros:

• TTL-compatible.
• Built-in remote control via proprietary systems (e.g., Nikon, Canon, Sony).
• Very compact.
• Very lightweight.
• Extremely portable.
• Doesn't require AC power.

Speedlight cons:

• Expensive (when compared Watt-for-Watt to AC monolights).
• Long recycle times at higher power settings (e.g., 8 sec. at max power).
• Requires batteries.
• More limited selection of modifiers.
• Unable to power via 120VAC [possible with a Tronix SpeedFire].


AC monolight pros:

• Very high light output (e.g., up to 12x the output of a typical Speedlight).
• Fast recycle time (1-2 seconds).
• Large selection of available modifiers.

AC monolight cons:

• No TTL--full-manual operation only [except for the ultra-pricey, DC-powered, Profoto B1].
• Remote triggering capability requires additonal purchase(s).
• Requires 120VAC or AC inverter.
• Heavy (e.g., 3-8 lbs.).
• Bulky.

 

[studio460]

Hybrid Speedlight/AC monolight approach:

So here's the part about my "hybrid" Speedlight/monolight approach. Now, I just said that I was planning to buy three Elinchrom D-Lite 200Ws strobes for my clamshell portraiture set-up. But, I just realized that my current set-up works fine--I just didn't like constantly having to replace the batteries powering my Speedlights during long shoots.

Then I remembered hearing about the Tronix SpeedFire power supplies I mentioned above, which would completely eliminate the Quantum Turbos. Yet, I would still retain Turbo-like recycle times from the high-voltage Tronix power supplies. The reason I want to keep using Speedlights instead of monolights is that they're much lighter. Everything's mounted on booms, so it's hard enough to raise these into position with just the weight of the boom and modifiers, let alone adding a heavy monolight.

Also, recycle time isn't an issue (the reason I was using the Turbos), because the Tronix units plug into the same high-voltage input on my SB-800s, supplying the same power, and my Speedlights' output is fine for these types of ancillary applications. So, I didn't realize this at first, but the Tronix units are a really simple solution (albeit, a bit pricey) which enables me to use Speedlights like studio strobes. Here's my current clamshell lighting set-up [all triggered by PocketWizard TT5/PlusX transceivers]:

• Nikon SB-800 + Quantum Turbo + Nikon dome diffuser [background light].
• Nikon SB-800 + Quantum Turbo + Profoto RFi 1' x 1.3' gridded softbox [backlight].
• Quantum Qflash Model T + Quantum Turbo + 39" x 39" Westcott 1.25-stop diffusion panel [lower clamshell key].
• Dynalite Uni400 400Ws AC monolight + Profoto RFi 3' octa [upper clamshell key].

Now, since my biggest remaining issue is that my Dynalite puts out too much light, I may now go with a Paul C. Buff, Einstein E640 AC monolight instead, to replace it, primarily due to the E640's unique ability to dial its power all the way down to just 2.5Ws. Plus, the E640s accept PocketWizard's PowerMC2 receiver, so I'll be able to trigger it with the on-camera PocketWizard TT1 transmitters I already own. So here's what I'm thinking now:

• Nikon SB-800 + Tronix Speedfire + Nikon dome diffuser [background light].
• Nikon SB-800 + Tronix Speedfire + Profoto RFi 1' x 1.3' gridded softbox [backlight].
• Quantum Qflash Model T + TurboAC + 39" x 39" Westcott 1.25-stop diffusion panel [lower clamshell key].
• Einstein E640 + PowerMC2 + Kacey Eli adapter + 39" x 39" Elinchrom Rotalux softbox [upper clamshell key].

 

[studio460]

• Einstein E640 + PowerMC2 + Kacey Eli adapter + 39" x 39" Elinchrom Rotalux softbox [upper clamshell key].

Nevermind! I think I'm going with the Bowens Gemini 250R now instead. Why? Mainly because of Bowens' unique yoke design, making boom-mounting a breeze. All of my boom-mounted Dynalites have to be hung upside-down. A real usability-killer. I also wanted to reduce the number of variables in my system, and have decided to only buy monolights with integrated PocketWizard receivers from now on--there's just too many things to check on shoots--this eliminates one more variable.

Bowens Gemini 250R; $499.95:

• Unique side-yoke mount easily accommodates inverted attachment to a boom, maintaining correct orientation of all the unit's controls.
• Available PocketWizard receiver port for the BowensGEM.
• 7.5-250Ws power range.
• 1.0-second recycle at full-power.
• Large, easily-readable LED power-level display.
• Dual-knob power-level controls, settable in both full-stops, and tenths-of-a-stop.

The Einstein E640, while feature-rich, with excellent specs, I think has a few too many idiosyncracies. Although true of most other monolights as well, boom-mounting an E640 would render all of its controls upside-down, which would be particularly user-unfriendly since all the E640's info is displayed on its LCD screen. Solving this problem requires a special project requiring some drilling, and a special speedring (one only available from OEC Camera on eBay). Also, the E640's touch-screen interface has been reported to be a bit touchy. Bowens' large, mechanical rotary knobs, plus its large LED power-level display makes power-level adjustments quick and easy (the thing you change the most on a monolight).

However, unlike the PocketWizard PowerMC2 receiver for the E640, full-HyperSync benefits are not supported by the PocketWizard BowensGEM receiver. Also, the Bowens, while very sturdily built, weighs in a bit heavy at 6.4 lbs., about twice the weight of my Dynalite strobes. It seems that every system has its trade-offs (some of them, significant). So, choosing the "best" monolight for your particular needs isn't necessarily a cut-and-dried process. Here's my revised set of criteria for purchasing a new monolight for my main portrait key:

• Integrated PocketWizard-support.
• Wide-ranging power control.
• Ease of operation.
• Inter-operability of preferred modifiers (e.g., Elinchrom Rotalux).
• Ability to top-mount from a boom.
• Lightweight.

Looks like I lose on the weight issue with the Bowens unit, but get almost everything else.

 

[Derrel]

I've been enjoying your posts lately. I think maybe I will tackle re-celling my Quantum Turbo, based on info I gleaned from your post above. ABout the Uni Jr 400...it it's too powerful, why not fit it with some neutral density material, rather than buy a whole new $499 monolight? And speaking of which...the new light is listed as 250 Watt-seconds, the Uni-Jr is 320 I read on their site, so, that's really NOT than much lower in power, although I see the new Bowens does dial all the way down to 7.5 Watt-seconds, which is a very nice, tiny amount of light. And it does have the integrated PW, so that's anoher plus. Anyway, just wanted to say I love to read peoples' "thinking out loud" kind of posts!