Please help suggest studio strobes for me

[KENTGA]

I am an older, advanced amateur and do not ownany studio strobes and I am setting up a 14' x 28' room with 9' ceilings that I can use partially as a "studio". It won't get a heck of a lot of use and I'd appreciate suggestions or links for which brands to consider or not. I'd like three strobe lights and the various boxes and stands. I'll do some portraits (head shots and maybe 2 or 3 people in full shots) and "other" work. I see several kits offered from Adorama, B&H, Interfit, etc and wold like to spend $500 (Interfit has a 150ws 3 light kit for $500) to $1500 total, but would like to stay around $1000 or under simply because it won't get used that much.

I don't need battery power or portability and would appreciate any suggestions for accessories not included in the kit. I have Canon 7D & 6D and 580EX flash and ST-2 and older Pocket Wizards if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance,

Kent

 

[PenFan2011]

Considering what you plan to do, those kits may be the way to go, but examine their core components (the monolight itself) to make sure they are what you need. I can't deny the Alienbees and their mounts are popular for third party accessories. You may want to consider looking for a couple of bees from someone selling off theirs (I see those a lot on craigslist, usually casually used by folks similar to yourself).

I'd also suggest looking at modifiers (soft boxes, grids, beauty dish), see which ones you want and the mounts they require or support, and use that to help make your decision.

 

[Luke Kaven]

Beware of a few things with the Chinese-sourced studio strobe kits. First, the color temperature can vary a lot over the range of power settings. Second, they don't sync very well sometimes. With the ones I had I could shoot at 1/160th and no faster, and that's with a hard PC sync cable. Third, and most important for your purposes, the softboxes are ridiculous, with diffusion fabric that is treated with some kind of florescent bleach, which resists all attempts at white balance. But the light itself without the modifiers is just fine. And so's the snoot.

That being said, the Flashpoints were sturdy reliable units that took a lot of abuse on location and never gave up. But all Chinese strobes do not get equal quality control, and the end products of different supplies (interfit, calumet, etc) are said to be varied. Some are enthusiastic about the PCB Einsteins. But one thing I can tell you that will save you a lot of headaches is to buy modifiers from a reliable maker ONLY. The Photek umbrellas are very nice and the Softlighter II is a great modifier. There are a number of good softbox makers, but you will have to be sure that there is a speedring that will attach to your strobes.

One more thing, food for thought. Consider buying a used high end setup. After five years, it will have cost you at most $1000 in depreciation. Compare this with a $1000 new Chinese setup. In five years, after many headaches, they will be almost worthless, and possibly unrepairable. I chose Profoto in the end.

 

[Sailor Blue]

My first suggestion is that you read my article of equipment for a small studio. I wrote it to help others avoid my expensive mistake of buying the wrong and low quality equipment, equipment that quickly wound up in the trash.


Sailorblue - Digital Photography Review - Equipment Guide for Setting up a Small Home Portrait/Glamor Studio

You can buy everything from Paul C. Buff. AllienBee lights and modifiers are good quality at hard to beat prices and PCB has the best reputation in the industry. You should also consider Flashpoint from Adorama.

Paul C. Buff

Adorama Flashpoint DG600 300 w/s Monolight, Blue FP600DG

 

[KENTGA]

Thanks, Luke and Sailor. I've heard a lot of good about PCB. If I wanted to buy used, how or where is the best way?

Kent

 

[pursang]

My first studio lights were Photoflex Starflash lights and they served my initial entry into studio lighting. I thought I needed four lights to start, but after assisting commercial photographers I discovered the best way to learn was through a "less is more" attitude.

I rented several studio lights when I became a full time commercial photographer to determine what best suited my needs. Because I shoot people for performance advertising getting authentic expressions is key. And since the nuances of expression change in an instant fast recycle times was a big consideration. After renting and using most of the major brands I selected Einsteins by Paul Buff. Excellent color control and his CyberCommand system allows me to control the lights from a single controller. My clients appreciate taking less time because futzing with gear is not what they're paying me for.

You may be thinking that you're not a pro, but in reality you will face the same frustrations as those of us who earn our livelihood shooting. If I had it to do all over I would buy a single Einstein and controller, practice developing your skills and THEN purchase more gear.

I use Buff lights exclusively and I could not be more pleased. And my clients love the light. One of my clients had an "emergency" needing an unscheduled publicity session for a production of CATS. Here is. bts video of the session. Even though I used three lights for several of the shots, in the end the client and I selected the single light shot for the final press and publicity images.

Have fun in studio, it can be both satisfying and frustrating. My saying, the less room, the more cussing!

Loading…

vimeo.com

 

[shooter2]

Just get Buff stuff. This has been beat to death. I hate the marketing angle too. If you do not like them or want higher end gear, you can sell on e bay or craigs list. I see it going for almost new prices. Buff will stand behind it. You can even upgrade a light to more power if you need it. I have older Hensels and love them for what I do. But, if I was starting now it would be a no brainer, Einstein.

 

[Nikonparrothead]

For used Buff gear, eBay or craigslist are pretty much it. And between those two, I'd probably opt for craigslist locally.

That being said, Einsteins are such a significant evolution that you may be best buying one light new -- as other posters have suggested. I'm not sure how available they'll be on the used market.

 

[breamer]

I'm going through the exact same process now. Like other posters have mentioned, I've decided to go with the PCB Einsteins. Here's a rough outline of what I've decided


Einsteins x 3

Radio controllers

2 strip boxes

1 octabox

1 beauty dish

Light stands

This will give me a very versatile setup and should hold it's value well if I grow out of it. Additionally because I'm buying 3 lights, I get 15% off everything else.




Hope that helps.

BR

Derrick

 

[PenguinPhotoCo]

interfit stellar lights from BH.

300ws will do whatever you need. the kits include light stands, but you'll appreciate bigger better ones sooner rather htan later just for peace of mind.

full range of features, great customer service, realibale an affordable.

 

[Brooke Meyer]

KEH.com in Atlanta, where I got my AB 800's. KEH is very honest and they offer a 6 month warranty. No showroom but I bet you get a good UPS rate.

They have some now : Monolights , including a 3 light White Lightning Kit.

 

[Lawrence Keeney]

I haven't read any of the responses to this thread, but I have been using 8 different Alien Bees lights over the past 12 years, and have been very satisfied with them.

 

[ryan2007]

Elinchrome or Profoto are excellent choices. You can buy them in kits that include stands, softboxes etc.. Or individually.

 

[KENTGA]

Thanks for all of the responses. It seems like PBC and Alien Bees gets the nod from the replies. I'm 71 years old and, as I said, they won't be used that much. I wouldn't spend the extra money for Einstiens. I'm surprised that nobody mentioned B&H (Impact) or Adorama's brand.

To reply to a couple af threads, I live in metro ATL and KEH is here and the home office for Interfit is about 15 miles from where I live. I've read mixed reviews about Interfit, but they're less expensive than PCB. Guess I'll have to ponder my choice.

Thanks again,

Kent

 

[Luke Kaven]

KENTGA wrote:

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned B&H (Impact) or Adorama's brand.

I did mention Flashpoint, which is Adorama's brand, as did Sailor Blue.

 

[Sailor Blue]

KENTGA wrote:

Thanks for all of the responses. It seems like PBC and Alien Bees gets the nod from the replies. I'm 71 years old and, as I said, they won't be used that much. I wouldn't spend the extra money for Einstiens. I'm surprised that nobody mentioned B&H (Impact) or Adorama's brand.

To reply to a couple af threads, I live in metro ATL and KEH is here and the home office for Interfit is about 15 miles from where I live. I've read mixed reviews about Interfit, but they're less expensive than PCB. Guess I'll have to ponder my choice.

Thanks again,

Kent

I no longer give Impact from B&H a recommendation because of the limited power control range. I consider a power range 5 stops to be the minimum I would buy. The 300 Ws Flashpoint digital studio strobe offers 5 stops and is less expensive than the 300 Ws digital 4 stop strobe.

Impact Digital Monolight 300W/s (120VAC) VSD-300 B&H Photo Video

Adorama Flashpoint DG600 300 w/s Monolight, Blue FP600DG

Interfit gets some good reviews so you might want to look at them since they are so close to you. The 300 Ws digital Interfit strobe does offer 5 stops of adjustment.

Interfit Stellar X Monolight - 300 Watt/Seconds (120VAC) INT421