Which Continuous Lighting Kit for Small Room Shoot

[JMASTERJ]

Hey guys, its me again... I need lighting and I have a few options that maybe you can choose for me, or maybe there is another option that you know of that I havent found... I use Amazon mostly because it is a good place to start thanks to the ratings. Other sites like cowboy are nice but have nowhere near the info for me to make a beginner decision. So it would be GREAT if you all just agreed on one of these to recommend so I can just get it and be done, for now, until I am ready for my next step up... Just to review:


• Got my T3i ( will be using the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS... also have the EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II but of course unusable in my space where avg shoot distance will be about 6-7ft)
• Using white sheets as backdrops (got the 9' paper sheet but there is no way its working, too unwieldy in small room... took a couple of test shots with the white sheets and its fine) and need to do some videos as well, so I figured, I'll get some continuous light kits over strobes, combine them with the natural sunlight reflected in from may sliding glass doors, and that should be good
• Subject is a model, main purpose is average product shots for the web (even for zooms, will not exceed ~700px), i.e., no cover of Vogue, no product shot for VictoriaSecret.com or Playboy.com, just enough for the visitors to see a clear image of the apparel and designs. If you want to get into the specific camera settings, on certain shots, I dont mind having to show a nice bokeh
• 12'x12' room (actual shoot area is like 9'x9') where the lights will be less than 7-8 ft away from the subject (need at most ~800 watts, spread over 2 or 3 stands?)
• Travel/portability MAY be an issue, so I rather have something that I dont have to disassemble every but and bolt to fit back in. Honestly, if thats the only thing holding it back from fitting back in its case, I have no problem buying a simple long duffle bag or something and getting some appropriate padding and stuffing the lights in there. I just do not want something that will fall apart when I take it around... I will not be able to leave it up in the shooting room, it will have to be taken down every time.
• For some of these, I can buy just 2 (like the last one on list) and still be under budget, but I really cant fit 4 stands in this room... I would much rather have 2-3 bright ones than need 4-5 stands.
• I dont think having a stand or boom matters, but if you have thoughts on that, I am welcome to listen.
• My budget is under $200 but I can go slightly over (not over $300) IF you know of something that is worth that extra $$$.


Ok here are my options from what I have researched... Please either pick one clear winner or rank them if YOU had to buy them for my purpose, and if any useful comments on why you picked that 1/those 2, then please let me know as well.


Thanks so much!!!


$125 --- LimoStudio Digital Photography Video Continuous Softbox Lighting Light Kit Boom Stand Lighting Kit Carry Bag Photo Lighting Bulb_AGG704 (USED ONLY)


$160 --- Fancierstudio 3000 Watt Digital Video Continuous Softbox Lighting Kit 9026S3 Fancierstudio


$103 --- Cowboystudio 1200 Watt Photography, Video, and Portrait Studio Umbrella Continuous Lighting Kit With Four 85 Watt, 5500K Day Light Balanced CFL bulbs, Black and White Reflective Umbrellas, Stands, and Carrying Case


$90 --- PBL PHOTO STUDIO FLUORESCENT LIGHT KIT VIDEO LIGHTING PHOTOGRAPHY 850 WATTS WITH UMBRELLAS Steve Kaeser Photographic Lighting

 

[MLeeK]

None. Continuous lighting won't be enough unless you have about ten of any one of those. You will have to be at a very high ISO to get to a shutter speed of 1/125 and you won't be able to blow a white sheet out to white unless you have another ten of those on the backdrop only.

 

[MLeeK]

The difference between continuous lights and flash are HUGE.
Continuous lights put out say 3000 watts over one second of time. Flash puts out all of the wattage in the flash. So if you have a 150WPS flash you get all 150WPS in the fraction of a second that the flash fires and the shutter is opened.
The continuous delivers 3000 watts over one second of time. If you're using a shutter of 1/125 of a second you divide that by 125 and you are getting all of 24WPS in a frame. That's not much light. Imagine lighting a room for your eyes with a 24W bulb. NOt much light.
At the 800W you THINK you need, your camera would get 6.4watts of that.

That's all assuming that you can hand hold your camera at 1/125 and your model holds REALLY still, because 1/125 is too slow to stop any motion. If you are using a more prudent speed like 1/250 you would be getting 3.2watts of light in your camera. That's like a christmas tree bulb. ONE of them.

 

[JMASTERJ]

Thats not enough added to the reflected midday sunlight from one side?
Then what is the minimum total wattage I need to make a difference, and then what kind of budget am I looking at?
I dont understand then how so many people on the reviews doing portraits were totally satisfied with their results from these lights ALONE, with no added sunlight.

10

Thanks.

 

[MLeeK]

Strobes. Not continuous. Flashpoint II FP320SB1 Monolight Kit, 150 Watt Second FP320SB1

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Strobes. Not continuous. Flashpoint II FP320SB1 Monolight Kit, 150 Watt Second FP320SB1

^^^^^^that!

 

[JMASTERJ]

I thought all strobes were flashes... How does that help me for the video part?

 

[tirediron]

I thought all strobes were flashes... How does that help me for the video part?

It doesn't. You need a bigger budget. Good-quality, useful continuous lighting is VERY expensive. Perhaps just go with the stills for now and save up enough to buy/rent a good-quality continuous kit later on?

 

[KmH]

It doesn't. Strobes can't flash at anywhere near full power the 24 or more times per second that video makes still images, which is why constant lighting has to be used for shooting video
Just a note, strobes are rated in watt-seconds, not watts-per-seconds. Constant lights are rated in just watts, though the per-second part is implied by the definition of a watt which = 1 joule of energy per second. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watt_second
Hot shoe flash output power is stated as a Guide Number - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_number

Strobe light flash duration is pretty short. Studio strobes at full power deliver it all in about 1/500 of a second. But, then it takes from a couple of to a few seconds for the main capacitors to recharge so the strobe can again fire at full power.

 

[JMASTERJ]

Ya unfortunately I cannot neg on the video, we need it.
So you are saying that even the 3000W kit is not enough with daylight reflected in to shoot decent stills of someone holding a position for web product shots off a tripod with remote trigger? I know this is all great stuff I am getting advice on, and we hold high standards, but arent we are getting off track with what I really need this for. I understand you can always make things better and nicer, but for 350-700px web photos? And some PS touchup after?

Although I was thinking of getting like a YN-560 II for $70, or something similar with a remote trigger so I can also use the on-camera flash with the detachable, would that make a big difference over the aforementioned setup for fairly ok cost?

 

[MLeeK]

No, not really. You'd need to use a VERY high ISO or use a mannequin in order for the subject to be still enough.

A YN 560 or a couple of the cheaper one would definitely help with the people shots, but blowing that white backdrop to white you'd need 2 on the backdrop at full power and at least one on the subject.

 

[JMASTERJ]

No, not really. You'd need to use a VERY high ISO or use a mannequin in order for the subject to be still enough.

A YN 560 or a couple of the cheaper one would definitely help with the people shots, but blowing that white backdrop to white you'd need 2 on the backdrop at full power and at least one on the subject.

If this is as much about lighting the backdrop as it is about the subject, I dont need to make the backdrop white... I want to use it as a plain off-white background, and not concerned with cropping it out. So lighting the background is not even on my radar, and my test shots with sunlight only still stood out fine enough from the background.

In this case can I just get a 560 and call it a day?

 

[MLeeK]

That would work. A reflector will probably be needed at the very least, but that can be as simple as a piece of white foam core poster board. I might consider going with two of the cheaper YN's just to be able to have a more even key and fill light, but one 560 would definitely work.

 

[JMASTERJ]

So this YN-560 should work, I think it has the remote trigger option too that I should be able to use with my T3i... I wonder if that is wireless or do I need to buy another cable for that?

And so is the on-camera flash useless? Or can I combine that with the 560 and that should be adequate for now? If the on-camera flash is really useless, I can maybe get two of these 560's...

Also (sorry) what is the best way to mount/prop the 560 at a location?