Speedlights vs Strobes

[IronMaskDuval]

It seems that most articles that I read, only a few have limited experience using both. I wanted to see what everyone here preferred. I have a speedlight that I have been using for macro, but in the studio, I use several alienbees. I understand that speedlights take a bit longer to recharge and doesn't meet the same max power output as strobes, but would they be sufficient for studio shoots? The reason why I am asking is because I would like to have my own light kit that I can take to any studio and work with, and speedlights win my favor because of weight and portability, but I have never shot with a full speedlight setup. Would I be able to produce the same kind of lighting or very similar?

 

[Derrel]

Speedlights are light in weight, but pretty low in power compared to various studio lights. Speedlights need special ways to adapt to various light modifiers. With speedlights, you are ,"Shooting blind," with no way to visually confirm light modifier/subject/shadow/highlight relationships, which are the KEY to successful lighting. Studio flashes have modeling lights, which SHOW how the subject and the lights are interacting, at ALL times.

I dunno...speedlights can be "adapted to" various modifiers, but I think in some cases the results are kind of limited, kind of half-assed. For use with umbrellas, sure, speedlights work okay. Speedlights can also be fairly expensive compared against some of the economical monolights available today. A guy CAN make some nice light with speedlights and modifiers and knowledge, but for the beginner, I think studio flash units have a HUGE advantage: being able to literally SEE, with one's own eyes, exactly what the LIGHTS (plural) are doing, and how the subject is being lighted and shaped by the lights.

If you wanna slap up a speedlight + umbrella + single person, a single speedlight in an umbrella is okay, sure. If you want to get ambitious, it's a LOT more skill-dependent with speedlights, because as I said earlier, you are "shooting blind", and even minor posing variations often mean the lights need to be re-positioned. ANd that is simply easier to do, and more time-efficient, with modeling lights to guide the photographer.

ALso, if you want to shoot FAST, or in any volume, speedlights WILL overheat in use at a pace that "real studio flash units" could handle easily...because they are designed with COOLING as a key design factor.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

Speedlights are light in weight, but pretty low in power compared to various studio lights. Speedlights need special ways to adapt to various light modifiers. With speedlights, you are ,"Shooting blind," with no way to visually confirm light/shadow/highlight relationships, which are the KEY to successful lighting. Studio flashes have modeling lights, which SHOW how the subject and the lights are interacting, at ALL times.

I dunno...speedlights can be "adapted to" various modifiers, but I think in some cases the results are kind of limited, kind of half-assed. For use with umbrellas, sure, speedlights work okay.

Thanks, Derrel. I was also assuming that the strobes would cost a bit, but I just priced them and they seem to be priced at a lower cost than a new speelight. At first, I thought about renting them, but it seems that renting lights four to five times would have paid for an alienbees set with stands and soft boxes.

 

[The_Traveler]

and, although the word is in common use, are really 'strobes'.

A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope. The word originated from the Greek strobos, meaning "act of whirling."
A typical commercial strobe light has a flash energy in the region of 10 to 150 joules, and discharge times as short as a few milliseconds, often resulting in a flash power of several kilowatts. Larger strobe lights can be used in “continuous” mode, producing extremely intense illumination.
The light source is commonly a xenon flash lamp, or flashtube, which has a complex spectrum and a color temperature of approximately 5,600 kelvins. To obtain colored light, colored gels may be used.

The key word here is regular - rather than single.

 

[Derrel]

Flashpoint 320M monolight, 24x24 inch softbox, light stand, free shipping, $149.95
http://www.adorama.com/FP320MS1.html

LOWER-cost camera-maker speedlight with TTL capability and 100% Nikon compatibility, $326.95--with NO light stand, NO mounting hardware; NO softbox...

Nikon SB-700 Speedlight Shoe Mount Flash 4808 B&H Photo Video

 

[astroNikon]

I'm inexperienced in this arena but for some of the shoots i've been doing I've had to stack speedlights/umbrellas to reproduce a person-tall softbox. one speedlight/umbrella 3 feet off the ground, the 2nd 7ft off the ground both acting as the key light.

and what Derrel mentions .. a modeling light would be nice to get the shadows correct without having to take a photo, realign lights and redo.
My SB800s do have that annoying modeling illuminator. I've clearly seen the benefit of strobes especially if needing large softboxes, you do alot of work and you have the space for them.

 

[snerd]

Derrel, put an "ml" on the end of your first link.

 

[Awesometographer]

I use both extensively. In studio, I use profoto monolights, as well as alienbees and generic YongNuo speedlites.

I don't find speedlites lacking in power, I am typically using them at 1/4 or lower power, ISO 100-400, f/1.4-8 in a variety of modifiers. Below are some of my recent studio shots with speedlites:

 

[Derrel]

Yeah...a speedlight at maybe, on a good day, 50 Watt-seconds is just as powerful as 1200 Watt-seconds fired through one studio flash head...

And a speedlight can handle a 700-frame session without twenty cool-down breaks....

 

[Scatterbrained]

My personal opinion, studio strobe over speedlights every time. Beyond that, I would say that you should have at least one good speedlight in your kit, but I wouldn't recommend building a kit around speedlights (barring certain situations of course). You can buy bags that will carry a three light kit (monolights, lightstands, umbrellas/softboxes, cables, etc) for traveling if that's something you need.

 

[Awesometographer]

Yeah...a speedlight at maybe, on a good day, 50 Watt-seconds is just as powerful as 1200 Watt-seconds fired through one studio flash head...

And a speedlight can handle a 700-frame session without twenty cool-down breaks....

Not saying they are. Just saying that this power isn't always needed. I typically use 4-6 speedlites during a studio shoot, 5-600 shots without any issues. Your requirements may be different... but for me, and many others, they work well.

 

[IronMaskDuval]

My personal opinion, studio strobe over speedlights every time. Beyond that, I would say that you should have at least one good speedlight in your kit, but I wouldn't recommend building a kit around speedlights (barring certain situations of course). You can buy bags that will carry a three light kit (monolights, lightstands, umbrellas/softboxes, cables, etc) for traveling if that's something you need.

I have an sb800, which I'm really happy with. I've been renting lights at the studio and just wondering if it's time to buy some lights so I can have more time to mess with them.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Yeah...a speedlight at maybe, on a good day, 50 Watt-seconds is just as powerful as 1200 Watt-seconds fired through one studio flash head...

And a speedlight can handle a 700-frame session without twenty cool-down breaks....

Not saying they are. Just saying that this power isn't always needed. I typically use 4-6 speedlites during a studio shoot, 5-600 shots without any issues. Your requirements may be different... but for me, and many others, they work well.

and in your previous post you pointed out that you have a Profoto kit. Which brings me to another point; I often see people saying "speedlights are just fine" yet they have a full compliment of studio lights at their disposal. Yes, speedlights will do the job, but if you're working on a budget I think studio strobes are the smarter way to go. I've seen people get so hung up on using speedlights that they end up with half a dozen pro speedlights, modifiers, stands, etc, before realizing that there are times when the speedlights just aren't getting them where they want to go. Now they have a ton of money sunk into speedlights and modifiers, special brackets and stands, and they're looking to sell it off to get strobes; seems wasteful to me. I mean really, when people are ganging 3 speedlights on a bracket and stuffing it into a light modifier, where's the benefit of speedlights then?
Yes they do their job, but for off camera work they are a compromise.

 

[Scatterbrained]

My personal opinion, studio strobe over speedlights every time. Beyond that, I would say that you should have at least one good speedlight in your kit, but I wouldn't recommend building a kit around speedlights (barring certain situations of course). You can buy bags that will carry a three light kit (monolights, lightstands, umbrellas/softboxes, cables, etc) for traveling if that's something you need.

I have an sb800, which I'm really happy with. I've been renting lights at the studio and just wondering if it's time to buy some lights so I can have more time to mess with them.

Are you renting lights and a studio space, or renting lights from a studio? Just curious as the sentence can be read either way; or do you have a studio and you're renting lights?

 

[Awesometographer]

Yeah...a speedlight at maybe, on a good day, 50 Watt-seconds is just as powerful as 1200 Watt-seconds fired through one studio flash head...

And a speedlight can handle a 700-frame session without twenty cool-down breaks....

Not saying they are. Just saying that this power isn't always needed. I typically use 4-6 speedlites during a studio shoot, 5-600 shots without any issues. Your requirements may be different... but for me, and many others, they work well.

and in your previous post you pointed out that you have a Profoto kit. Which brings me to another point; I often see people saying "speedlights are just fine" yet they have a full compliment of studio lights at their disposal. Yes, speedlights will do the job, but if you're working on a budget I think studio strobes are the smarter way to go. I've seen people get so hung up on using speedlights that they end up with half a dozen pro speedlights, modifiers, stands, etc, before realizing that there are times when the speedlights just aren't getting them where they want to go. Now they have a ton of money sunk into speedlights and modifiers, special brackets and stands, and they're looking to sell it off to get strobes; seems wasteful to me. I mean really, when people are ganging 3 speedlights on a bracket and stuffing it into a light modifier, where's the benefit of speedlights then?
Yes they do their job, but for off camera work they are a compromise.

Personally, I use YongNuo YN560II speedlites. I have 12 of them (at a cost of about $600) and their versatility really works in my favor sometimes. I shoot a lot outdoors, many times in locations that take 30-60 minutes of hiking. I can fit all the speedlites in my backpack, and gang 4 together in a way that gives me similar power to my 600ws profotos, and still maintain a 3 light setup. Taking out the studio lights, plus battery packs, larger clunkier modifiers is just not a good option in those situations.

My new toys, the cheap Neewer V850s give me wireless power adjustment and HSS (something my profotos cannot) and affordable at $100/ea - having the wireless adjustment is very useful no matter what the situation, location or studio.

Alternative tools can still be very useful tools.