What do you think about this lighting kit

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

What do you think about this lighting kit? http://www.adorama.com/FP320MPWK.html

I plan on using it for portrait photography both indoor and outdoor and miscellaneous things just to mess around.

2WheelPhoto · Nov 1, 2011

I'm shopping around for lights too. You mentioned outdoors, i don't think the one you spec'd has a DC option.

I'm liking this one, stronger and onsale: FP1220A Flashpoint II 1220A Monolight, 600 Watt Second Strobe. (Old version)

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

2WheelPhoto said:
I'm shopping around for lights too. You mentioned outdoors, i don't think the one you spec'd has a DC option.

I'm liking this one, stronger and onsale: FP1220A Flashpoint II 1220A Monolight, 600 Watt Second Strobe. (Old version)

They can be powered by battery packs according to the review

Big Mike · Nov 1, 2011

A reviewer said that it can be powered by a battery pack...but I didn't see it in the description/specs.

Technically, anything can be powered by a batter pack...but the catch is, for most appliances, you need AC power. So if you use a battery, you need an inverter (Pure Sine Wave inverter for sensitive electronics like strobes).

It looks like one of the features of the units that 2wheel linked to...is that they can be switched from AC to DC and run off of the accessory battery pack. I couldn't find a link to the battery pack, so I don't know if it would be any better than buying yourself a generic battery & inverter.

Also, something to consider is the power of the units. The kit you linked to, has a couple 150 Ws lights...the other link is for a 600 Ws light. In smaller areas, 150 Ws may be enough, but if you are shooting outdoors, especially if you want the power to shoot at smaller apertures (to help darken the ambient light or get deep DOF) then you will surely want more power than 150 Ws.

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

Big Mike said:
A reviewer said that it can be powered by a battery pack...but I didn't see it in the description/specs.

Technically, anything can be powered by a batter pack...but the catch is, for most appliances, you need AC power. So if you use a battery, you need an inverter (Pure Sine Wave inverter for sensitive electronics like strobes).

It looks like one of the features of the units that 2wheel linked to...is that they can be switched from AC to DC and run off of the accessory battery pack. I couldn't find a link to the battery pack, so I don't know if it would be any better than buying yourself a generic battery & inverter.

Also, something to consider is the power of the units. The kit you linked to, has a couple 150 Ws lights...the other link is for a 600 Ws light. In smaller areas, 150 Ws may be enough, but if you are shooting outdoors, especially if you want the power to shoot at smaller apertures (to help darken the ambient light or get deep DOF) then you will surely want more power than 150 Ws.

Thanks for the info.

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

How about double the power? FP620MPWK Flashpoint II 620M Portrait Wedding Monolight Kit, with Two 620M Monolights, Stands, Umbrellas,Case, Snoot

MLeeK · Nov 1, 2011

It can be powered by the battery pack and you can buy the kit with the battery packs FP320MPPWK Flashpoint 320M Portable Pack, Portrait Wedding Monolight Kit, with Two 320 Monolights, Portable Battery Packs, 9.5'Stands, Umbrellas, Snoot and Carrying Case
Or the battery pack separate. FP2PPN Flashpoint II D/C Battery Power Pack with Replaceable Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries, for use with the M Series Monolights
I have a couple of these and they have been pretty awesome. I don't have the battery pack compatible units-the older ones. They have worked seamlessly with my White Lightning setup as well as my speedlights.

they are an awesome budget option. WELL reviewed. They will last you for a very long time and be a heck of a work horse for you.

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

What does it mean when it says it has a built in slave unit

Noxire · Nov 1, 2011

Ballistics said:
What does it mean when it says it has a built in slave unit

That it has a built in optical slave i.e. you can trigger the light with another light.

Ballistics · Nov 1, 2011

Noxire said:
Ballistics said:

What does it mean when it says it has a built in slave unit

Click to expand...

That it has a built in optical slave i.e. you can trigger the light with another light.

Oh ok. Now here's another question... How would one 300w monolight along with a speedlight fair for indoor portraiture?

MLeeK · Nov 1, 2011

You'd be reducing the power on it most of the time. If you are trying to shoot more than a few people and use broad lighting with it then you may use the full power. Having too much power is never a bad thing. You can always reduce power, but you can't squeeze more out of a light that is too weak.

Derrel · Nov 1, 2011

The 320M is a "M"ulti-Power source light: it CAN BE used with the 15-ounce DC battery pack, sold for $124, right there on the first page. Be advised, Adorama sells the battery pack at a pretty substantial discount when it is bought paired with a 320M. The 320M is convection-cooled, i.e., it uses no cooling fan, which makes it easy to run off of a battery pack, while not requiring the monolight to have an on/off switch for the fan....since there is no fan. While the $333 price with free shipping is pretty good, if you do want the battery packs, that is not the lowest-cost way to buy the kit. The kit's inducement seems to be the carry case and the snoot; I have found snoots to be almost useless.

Look very carefully at the various ways Adorama has the 320M's for sale. The accessories that would give the most bang for buck are not the snoot, but the DC battery, and the 9.5 foot light stands instead of the low, 7-foot stands. The next accessory I would actually want is the 2-way barndoors on sale for $17, and the 40 degree grid for barndoors, for $9.95.

The carrying case is $69 on its own...kinda' expensive if you ask me, but some people are attracted by cases. They have a HUGE dealer markup on them...Adorama probably pays $9.95 for those $69 cases.

Look very carefully at how Adorama prices the 320M series items...As far as how ONE, 300-watt-second monolight is....I have mostly Speedotron box-and-cable systems,but I do happen to have a JTL 300 watt-second monolight--it is too powerful for use indoors at Full power, for pairing with a speedlight, or on its own...it's almost always at 1/4 power...so the thing is overkill. I would rather have two, 150-watt-second units rather than one 300.

Noxire · Nov 1, 2011

Ballistics said:
Noxire said:

Ballistics said:

What does it mean when it says it has a built in slave unit

Click to expand...

That it has a built in optical slave i.e. you can trigger the light with another light.

Click to expand...

Oh ok. Now here's another question... How would one 300w monolight along with a speedlight fair for indoor portraiture?

I'm pretty sure that it works fine, however the only reference I have is my former schools kit which worked fine with speedlights. *shrugs*

It would depend on how low you can go with the monolight's power I presume, if you want to use the speedlight for anything else than fill.

Village Idiot · Nov 2, 2011

There's a lighting forum on here BTB.

Someone on another forum figured that at about 10' with a modifier, it would take a 2000w/s dynalite pack on one head to overpower the sun in bright sunny conditions. Take that as you will, but depending on the outside conditions, the modifiers used, and the distance of the flash to subject, power can be a big issue as Mike pointed out. On the flip side, you want to make sure you can turn a powerful flash down enough for it to be effective enough when inside.

The hardest thing to do is to assess what you will be shooting and what you'll need for that.