Please help? Would this kit be good to start with?

[Aakajx]

Bowens Gemini 500R (x2) Tx/Rx Kit

Our most popular kit configurations are the two-head kits. These appeal to photographers buying studio lighting for the first time as well as photographers looking for exceptional value for money. Typical two head kits include two Gemini monolights with two Bowens lighting support stands. To control the light we include a Softbox and a silver/white umbrella, together with a wide-angle umbrella reflectors. The kit now also includes a Pulsar Tx Radio Trigger and a Pulsar Rx Radio Receiver Card for syncing your camera wirelessly with your lights. In our experience, this creates a very easy-to-use and effective two-light setup. The umbrellas are perfect for portraiture and many still-life applications - the black cover can be removed allowing you to fire the light through the umbrella like a softbox. The kits include a sync lead for camera connection and all the power cables, modelling lamps and flash tubes. Everything is then packed into a single lightweight yet sturdy carrying case, with casters, for easy transportation.

Kit Includes: 2 x Gemini 500R, 1 x Pulsar Tx Radio Trigger, 1 Pulsar Rx Radio Receiver Card, 1 x 90cm Umbrella, 1 x 60x8-cm Softbox, 1 x Wide-Angle Reflector, 2 x Lighting Support Stand, 1 x Trolley Case. Plus, Lamps, Cables and Sync Cord.

 

[Overread]

If the kit is any good or not depends totally upon what you want to do with the kit and the cost of the kit itself as well as your total overall budget and what equipment you have currently.

You've got to answer those questions first before anyone can say if the kit is any good for you or not.

 

[Derrel]

I personally think it is too expensive, and has too much power per light unit for a beginning kit. With a good brand, which Bowens **is**, a 500 Watt-second monobloc is a powerful light; in fact, in many indoor situations in average rooms, 500 Watt-seconds of flash power will be far too much power for ISO 100 at apertures like f/8, and you'll need to dial the flash power down significantly, perhaps even almost to minimum power, and then you lose the ability to "ratio" against a second light with any degree of range of power levels.

For a person who needs two lights to be used in larger venues, or outdoors where overpowering the sunlight is the goal, then 500 Watt-second monoblocs make sense. But in general, I think most people over-buy. I think 200 Watt-second monos, or even 150 W-s models, three, or four of them, is vastly preferrable to buying two 500's.

These are GOOD, high-grade lights, and I would expect 30-year life expectancy, or more from them, but again...I think they will be over-powered unless using them in big areas, or outdoors at longer distances or to overpower sunlight.

 

[Village Idiot]

I agree with Derrel. The thing about 500w/s is that it's an in between range that's too powerful for indoors and too little power if you're shooting anything more than one person outside. Even then, depending on your modifiers it might not get you the light you need when shooting under sun.

 

[tirediron]

Agree; this kit would be much more appropriate IMO.

 

[Derrel]

The Lencarta 2-light kits look like good basic kits, and are priced MUCH more-affordably, and would in fact, be about what I would myself buy; two, 200 Watt-second monolights in a kit, with either two umbrellas and two light stands for 299 Pounds, or with 1 umbrella and 1 softbox for 319 Pounds. (provided these are indeed offered for sale in Australia.)

SmartFlash 2 400Ws Lighting kit with twin umbrellas

Again, I like more light units, not "more power", so even two of these kits, for a total of four light units and four stands would be about 300 cheaper than just the two 500 Watt-second Bowens lights.