Cheap Strobe Light?

[shelby16]

I'm looking for just one cheap "constant lighting" for indoor photography. I read about strobes in my photography book, but then I heard that strobes are flash? I'm so confused. I just need a good constant light.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Big Mike]

The terms 'strobe' and 'flash' are pretty much interchangeable.
Typically, when we say 'Flash', we mean a built-in camera flash, or a 'hot shoe' flash that can be mounted onto a camera and uses batteries (usually AA). A flash can be used off-camera, but you need a way to trigger it.
Typically when we say 'strobe', we mean a studio light (basically a big flash) but they usually run on AC power (you plug them in).
But either way, the concept is the same. They give you light in a short burst (flash).


Constant lighting can be a 'lamp'...with a bulb that give you light constantly, not in a flash.

There are pros and cons to each. For example, flash is harder to learn/use, because you don't see the scene as it will look in the photo. But flash/strobe will help to freeze motion and it usually give you a lot of light, so you can get sharper photos and shoot at lower ISO levels.

Constant lighting is nice because 'what you see is what you get'...but on the down side, constant lighting takes more time to get the exposure that you need...so you may have to use slower shutter speeds, which means that anything moving (camera in your hands, or people as your subject) may cause blurry photos.

If you are just shooting 'still life' type shots, and if you can use a tripod, then constant lighting is perfectly fine.
But if you are going to be shooting people, flash/strobe really is a better choice....but you will have to learn how to use it.

 

[Mach0]

Flashpoint 320m's. 100 bucks a piece with a modeling lamp. You can see what you get for the most part and you get the beauty of flash.

 

[Derrel]

One of the TPF sponsors, LinkDelight, sells a number of cheap strobes. Here's just ONE model. Blazzeo 180W Studio Photo Flash Strobe Light Lamp [110V] | Monolights & Strobe Lighting | Lighting & Studio | Linkdelight.com

There are also some 110-volt "slave" flashes sold by the various China- and Hong Kong-based vendors in the $10-$20 range. These thread into standard, 110 volt household lightbulb sockets (really!), and fire whenever another flash goes off. Slaves of this type have been made and sold by the Morris COmpany for decades, literally. This allows a person to put an electronic flash unit into any standard light fixture, table lamp, floor lamp, overhead lightbulb socket, shop light, desk light, etc.etc. very easily and cheaply. Last week, on TPF< I saw a vendor advertising the most basic 110volt,household slave flashes for $10.36 each. Ten bucks!