Types, Quality of Studio Lights

JohnV73959 · Dec 19, 2001

Hi,

I'm sure there are other people who want to make a home studio set up or have dreams of getting a studio. I'm trying to get information on studio lights, but I don't have local sources to talk to.

So I understand there are 3 big categories of studio lights (by the way, if anything is wrong, please correct it):

1. hot lights
2. monolights
3. strobes

Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However, the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It can't be that simple...

Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

--J

Jay Metz · Dec 19, 2001

JohnV said:
Hi,

I'm sure there are other people who want to make a home studio set
up or have dreams of getting a studio. I'm trying to get
information on studio lights, but I don't have local sources to
talk to.

So I understand there are 3 big categories of studio lights (by the
way, if anything is wrong, please correct it):

1. hot lights
2. monolights
3. strobes

Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you
see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However,
the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How
about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they
still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I
crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have
to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It
can't be that simple...

Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

I went through the same process as you. I finally decided on a kit from novatron. It fits in a suitcase, there is one powerpack but I can set the heads independently for + or - one or two stops to balance everything. I love it.

blang · Dec 19, 2001

I bought a couple of Lowel Rifa Lite's, they are similar to using Photoflex Starlites with softbxes but are one piece and fold up like umbrella's.

They certainly do get warm, but I was told by the salespeople at B&H that the Photoflex Starlites get warm also, and I liked the way the Lowels fold down in seconds for portability and storage.

Rob Patterson · Dec 19, 2001

JohnV said:
Hi,

I'm sure there are other people who want to make a home studio set
up or have dreams of getting a studio. I'm trying to get
information on studio lights, but I don't have local sources to
talk to.

So I understand there are 3 big categories of studio lights (by the
way, if anything is wrong, please correct it):

1. hot lights
2. monolights
3. strobes

Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you
see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However,
the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How
about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they
still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I
crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

To begin with, not all viewfinders in an SLR or rangefinder necessarily display the exposure as will be realized on a calibrated monitor or in print. The LCD is good, but it also is only an approximation of exposure. Adjusting brightness of the LCD if available will get you a bit closer but never the same as seen on a calibrated monitor or profiled print from same.

Hot lights are very hot. You couldn't touch the metal housing on them without suffering a burn unless you touched them very, very briefly. This is after an hour or so of running.

I have a Photoflex medium softbox with a starlite in it. With a 500 watt bulb in that starlite, the heat given off that the subject will feel is far less than other hot lights of comparable wattage. Still, don't touch the metal housing. It get's very hot after extended use. Not nearly as hot as my Lowel hot lights but still hot enough to burn you.

Regarding temperature. I'll only guestimate that now. After about an hour of running, the Lowel Pro lites would easily fry an egg as quickly as a frying pan. I've got a pretty good judge of temperature developed from working as a farrier (blacksmith) for quite a few years. The Starlites would be a slow fry but it'd still fry an egg.

The heat that the subject will feel is overplayed. Far less heat than sitting in the sunshine on a warm day. The brightness is not appreciated by some subjects. Pro actors don't cry about this but Aunt Winnie may really *****. You don't get that with monos. The subject doesn't see the light until the nuclear blast fires and then only for a nano second.

JohnV73959 said:
Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have
to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It
can't be that simple...

I went with hotlights because of their reduced cost. They don't require a meter. Metering can be done with the camera. That'll save you $100 to $300 or more. Monolights are easily about twice the cost of hotlights for equivelant power without figuring the meter. You need to use a meter that is designed for incidence and reflectance for monos. Otherwise you'd burn a lot of film before you got correct exposure. The hotlights are on while composing so the camera meter does the job just fine.

If you buy some starlights and one of their softboxes that hold the hotlights than at a latter date you can easily install a monolight into it.

By the way, monos have modeling lights in them. They're usually quartz halogens or tungsten lights of 150 to 250 Watts. They get hot also. Although, the better ones can use lower wattage bulbs and can be turned off. They don't put fans in those monos because they run cool. How you gonna see what your're doing if you don't have the modeling light on? So, they will generate some heat also.

JohnV73959 said:
Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

High powered monos (don't get low power) are really the best way to go if you've got the bucks. Depending on the camera, you can shoot at higher shutter speeds. That can be really helpful with fidgity little kids. The best ones run off batteries and require a charger for same. Monolights performance requires very accurate line voltage if running directly from an outlet. That's why batteries are preferable.

You can dim hotlights with a dimmer. The ones I've priced aren't cheap. Don't ask me why they are so expensive. If you find out, let me know. The ones I've seen are $300 bucks on up.

JohnV73959 said:
--J

RolandSC · Dec 19, 2001

Hi John

I personally prefer hotlights for portraits since it makes the skin look much smoother. I have the Photoflex Starlites with the large Softboxes and the results with digital are beautiful. However they get hot, really hot. I feels like sitting under the sun at noon in August in Florida ( get the idea?) The fact that the lights are hot and bright creates redness in the eyes of certain subjects after a while. There are also problems with regular power outlets and you might raise them to at least 40amp. You will need a good Air conditioning system in your studio too.

These problems do not exist with flashes and strobes. The results are less predictable and you really need to learn how to use them. Shooting with strobes is a profession by itself.

Roland
--www.rolandscarpa.com

mstephan · Dec 19, 2001

I was in a similar postition and I went with monolights. I think you should decide between a pack system, or a monolight system -- I am an amateur as well, I did lots of research and chose white lightning monolight strobes, they are very durable, reliable, and relatively inexpensive.

Diffusers and light boxes give you full control over the quality of the light.
http://white-lightning.com

I would invest it a couple of 1,000 W/S monolights, that should give you lots of flexibility in lightning. Even a 600 w/s monolight is good enough for most portrait work.

I also bought a Lumedyne for location, its expensive, but it rocks for location lighting -- battery powered.

You can check my shots at:
http://photoshift.com

JohnV73959 · Dec 19, 2001

You have great pictures on your webpage, thanks for the link. So it seems hot lights are easier to use and the only con would be the heat. So what do your models do? Do you prepare them ahead of time? Limit the shooting to half an hour?

Is the only benefit of flash/strobes less heat?

Thanks,
JohnV

RolandSC said:
Hi John

I personally prefer hotlights for portraits since it makes the skin
look much smoother. I have the Photoflex Starlites with the large
Softboxes and the results with digital are beautiful. However they
get hot, really hot. I feels like sitting under the sun at noon in
August in Florida ( get the idea?) The fact that the lights are hot
and bright creates redness in the eyes of certain subjects after a
while. There are also problems with regular power outlets and you
might raise them to at least 40amp. You will need a good Air
conditioning system in your studio too.
These problems do not exist with flashes and strobes. The results
are less predictable and you really need to learn how to use them.
Shooting with strobes is a profession by itself.

Roland

--
http://www.rolandscarpa.com

Jim Dawson · Dec 19, 2001

I went through the same thing and decided that my lovely wife should get me a set of Novatron Monolights for Christmas. She did, but I haven't got to use them much yet.

Jim

JohnV said:
Hi,

I'm sure there are other people who want to make a home studio set
up or have dreams of getting a studio. I'm trying to get
information on studio lights, but I don't have local sources to
talk to.

So I understand there are 3 big categories of studio lights (by the
way, if anything is wrong, please correct it):

1. hot lights
2. monolights
3. strobes

Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you
see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However,
the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How
about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they
still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I
crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have
to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It
can't be that simple...

Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

--J

Ron Warren · Dec 19, 2001

First off I do not plan on taking my lights with me anywhere. They stay in my studio, er ah, garage. That said, I have two Starlights. 100W and 500W. I love them and would not trade them for any other lights. The housing gets hot. The front end of the box is not to bad. Then again it gets pretty hot here in Alabama. Let's just say that they are low humidity.--Ron Warren

Thom · Dec 19, 2001

Very portable, excellent modeling light system (WYSIWYG), very well built, regulated power supplies for predictable performance, remote control of every light (output, modeling, etc.) from camera location, as good a customer service dept. as I've ever worked with and relatively inexpensive for professional lighting, but not cheap for an amateur on a tight budget. You'll need at least three, preferably four or five, monolights for portraiture. But then many pros started out with just one light!

I've never worked with a complete hot light system, but there are obvious benefits ... and drawbacks.

Best of luck with your decision.

BabyNSX · Dec 20, 2001

Monolights are strobes which are powered individually, you can get strobe flash in powerpacks too. They are nicer but monolights are better to start with and you cal always mix and match brands with those. I'm not a fan of tungsten (hotlights). Not just the heat, but generally they look a but unprofessional and video orientated, I prefer the 'flash' of a flash. Just my preference.

The exposure reading with studio flash is calculated using a flashmeter. Most decent flashmeters will also be lightmeters and therefore will become one of the most useful and important bits of kit in your photographic arsenal. A camera meter reads reflected light, which obviously depends on the reflective properties of the surface, thats why snow will confuse it. A light meter can read both reflected and ambient light, which is the light that falls on the subject. So useful in everyday photography for meter readings accurate to 1/10 of a stop. I'd recommend Sekonic, they are fantastic value.

Anyway, back to studio flash. The best way to try before you buy is to hire a local photo studio. There you'll have the opportunity for quite small cost to try all types of lighting. Most will provide tungsten and strobes, backgrounds, maybe a meter and some even models. Just bring your camera and a notepad and it will be a fantastic learning experience.

I personally use Elinchrom and Prolinca gear and I would recommend them. If you do buy, try to get the most power you can as the higher power ones don't cost too much more. Prolinca are the Elinchrom budget range and are extremely good value. They do a package with two lights, stands, brollies, etc.

Good luck and please post some examples when you get them.

Asif

JohnV said:
Hi,

I'm sure there are other people who want to make a home studio set
up or have dreams of getting a studio. I'm trying to get
information on studio lights, but I don't have local sources to
talk to.

So I understand there are 3 big categories of studio lights (by the
way, if anything is wrong, please correct it):

1. hot lights
2. monolights
3. strobes

Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you
see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However,
the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How
about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they
still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I
crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have
to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It
can't be that simple...

Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

--J

JohnV73959 · Dec 20, 2001

About the 40amp, would this throw the circuit breaker? What's the problem with regular power outlets? How does one get around this problem?

--John

RolandSC said:
Hi John

I personally prefer hotlights for portraits since it makes the skin
look much smoother. I have the Photoflex Starlites with the large
Softboxes and the results with digital are beautiful. However they
get hot, really hot. I feels like sitting under the sun at noon in
August in Florida ( get the idea?) The fact that the lights are hot
and bright creates redness in the eyes of certain subjects after a
while. There are also problems with regular power outlets and you
might raise them to at least 40amp. You will need a good Air
conditioning system in your studio too.
These problems do not exist with flashes and strobes. The results
are less predictable and you really need to learn how to use them.
Shooting with strobes is a profession by itself.

Roland

--
http://www.rolandscarpa.com

stripes · Dec 20, 2001

Member said:
I went with hotlights because of their reduced cost. They don't require a meter. Metering can be done with the camera. That'll save you $100 to $300 or more.

Actually a cheap flash meter is around $50 (a new WEIN 500 or 1000 from B&H -- they may be a 50's design, or maybe 70s, but they work). A used Minolta IVf is just under $200 at KEH.

Also some monolights can be metered off the modeling lights. The White Lightinings can do this (I didn't know before I bought mine). It's actually pretty simple, you meter something like a 8 or 16 second exposure (the manual has a little chart, it depends on a few things, but once you find out for your light and camera it is a single number you can remember, or at least write down), use the f-stop the camera computes, but change to the flash sync speed.

The flash meter does have some advantages over using the camera meter (with either a mono or a hot light), it is not fooled by the brightness of the subject, or reflectave subjects. It's the same reason people will sometimes use an incident meter for normal shots (and the advantage of the Minolta IVf is it is both a flash meter and an incident meter, unlike the WEIN).

Member said:
Monolights are easily about twice the cost of hotlights for equivelant power without figuring the meter.

What does "for equivelant power" mean here? Does it mean watt seconds, lumenseconds, or that you can take a f/11 shot with a softbox at the same range with both?

Member said:
You need to use a meter that is designed for incidence and reflectance for monos. Otherwise you'd burn a lot of film before you got correct exposure.

Film? Arn't we in a digital group?

Member said:
By the way, monos have modeling lights in them. They're usually quartz halogens or tungsten lights of 150 to 250 Watts.

Many of the less expensave ones use household bulbs, some of the mid-range ones at least can use household bulbs in a pinch, but are designed for the quartz.

stripes · Dec 20, 2001

BabyNSX said:
I'd recommend Sekonic, they are fantastic value.

So what does it do that the Minolta doesn't? (or if you don't know what the Minolta does, what does the Sekonic do that you like?)

Rob Patterson · Dec 20, 2001

JohnV said:
About the 40amp, would this throw the circuit breaker? What's the
problem with regular power outlets? How does one get around this
problem?

I run three hot lights on a 20 amp circuit. Ask yourself this: Can you plug a 1000 watt electric space heater into the outlet you wish to use? If so, you'll have no problem unless your running other items that require high amperage from that same outlet.

Regarding your other post about other problems with hotlights. There is one I failed to mention in my first post. Because the hotlights are constantly on, they will dialate the pupils more than monos with lower wattage modeling lights. Tiny little pupils can be avoided if you're setting up your hotlights for an 11 o'clock catchlight. Set up that way, the light is not directly striking the subjects pupils. Have the subject look at a darker spot rather than the lights. This is normal proceedure with either light. Even so, there will be smaller pupils with a 500 to 1000 watt hotlight(s) as opposed to a mono with a 150 watt modeling light.

Here's an example of the smaller pupils that result with hotlights. I feel it works to an advantage for people with dark eyes such as this subject. It works as a disadvantage for people with lighter colored eyes.

stripes · Dec 20, 2001

JohnV73959 said:
Pros/Cons of hot lights - Since the light is always on, what you see in the viewfinder is what you get. No need to guess. However, the lights get hot, hence the name... My question is how hot? How about photoflex starlites which claim they run cool. Are they still too hot? What temperature are we talking about? What if I crank the AC down like David Letterman in Ed Sullivan Theater?

I thought that for a given amount of power/money that a monolight would produce more effectave light since you get a single large spike of light over a very very short time. That means if you need f/16 you can have it. Of corse if you don't need f/16 I think the hot lights are cheaper.

Hot lights are also useful for shooting video, and some people would rather be under bright lights then have an occasional very bright flash.

Heat from the hot lights may also encurage you models to wear less clothing, that could be a plus

JohnV73959 said:
Pros/Cons of monolights - Well they don't get as hot but you have to guess about how much light you are getting... Is that it? It can't be that simple...

You tend to use a flash meter ($50 to $400 depending on what you want) so you don't need to guess, but you do have to meter when you move the lights, or if the model moves a lot.

Some monolights (the white lighting for example) lets you meter off the modeling light, but you need to fiddle with the reading a bit. Of corse some modeling lights don't have modeling lights at all, which for a film camera is something to avoid at all costs. For a digital it may not be so bad, but modeling lights would be better.

Because monolights need to recycle it is nice to have ones that do that quickly enough if you are working with live models that you don't miss good poses. It is also nice if you can tell when they are ready to fire again. Most have a tone or turn the modeling light off during charging. I like the modeling light off during charging more since you don't need to count beeps in multi light setups.

JohnV73959 said:
Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

Studio strobes are a lot like monolights except the power pack and the light are diffrent parts connected with a cable. One power pack can drive multiple lights.

Strobe and monolight makers talk a lot of trash at each other, the real picture between them is unclear. I could repeat the trash, but that doesn't seem productave

Note: I'm not a real expert, I just did the research recently, and got my monolights three weeks ago. I may be missing something, but I did do my best since it was my money on the line...

Rob Patterson · Dec 20, 2001

stripes said:
Member said:

I went with hotlights because of their reduced cost. They don't require a meter. Metering can be done with the camera. That'll save you $100 to $300 or more.

Click to expand...

Actually a cheap flash meter is around $50 (a new WEIN 500 or 1000
from B&H -- they may be a 50's design, or maybe 70s, but they
work). A used Minolta IVf is just under $200 at KEH.

You get what you pay for. A meter for less than $100 bucks is a pretty sorry excuse for a meter. That's why I said $100 to $300. Some meters go beyond $300.

Member said:
Also some monolights can be metered off the modeling lights. The
White Lightinings can do this (I didn't know before I bought mine).
It's actually pretty simple, you meter something like a 8 or 16
second exposure (the manual has a little chart, it depends on a few
things, but once you find out for your light and camera it is a
single number you can remember, or at least write down), use the
f-stop the camera computes, but change to the flash sync speed.

The flash meter does have some advantages over using the camera
meter (with either a mono or a hot light), it is not fooled by the
brightness of the subject, or reflectave subjects. It's the same
reason people will sometimes use an incident meter for normal shots
(and the advantage of the Minolta IVf is it is both a flash meter
and an incident meter, unlike the WEIN).

Member said:

Monolights are easily about twice the cost of hotlights for equivelant power without figuring the meter.

Click to expand...

What does "for equivelant power" mean here? Does it mean watt
seconds, lumenseconds, or that you can take a f/11 shot with a
softbox at the same range with both?

The manufacturers of monos and strobes "fudge" a lot on the actual power output of their lights. That's why I didn't get into lumens or watt seconds. Most specs are off by a good margin.

As far as equivelant power goes, I'd need to use a 1000 watt bulb in my softbox and a 500 watt bulb in my key and fill light to obtain 1/60 second at f/5.6. Takes a lot of wattage from a bulb to get the faster shutter speeds readily obtainable with a 600 watt second set of monos.

Member said:
Member said:

You need to use a meter that is designed for incidence and reflectance for monos. Otherwise you'd burn a lot of film before you got correct exposure.

Click to expand...

Film? Arn't we in a digital group?

We are both. Film and digital have always been a part of the forums. I've left out the adjective digital in front of film. It's a generic term that applies to both these days.

Member said:
Member said:

By the way, monos have modeling lights in them. They're usually quartz halogens or tungsten lights of 150 to 250 Watts.

Click to expand...

Many of the less expensave ones use household bulbs, some of the
mid-range ones at least can use household bulbs in a pinch, but are
designed for the quartz.

BabyNSX · Dec 20, 2001

I rented the Minolta flashmeter V a couple of times, and it is a great unit. The industry standard I think.

I needed to buy a meter and the Sekonic L-308B is about 1/3 of the price, and does all I need it to do as good as the Minolta.

Here are the specs for the Sekonic

Film speed ISO 3 ~ 8000 in 1/3 increments
f/stop display range f/0.5 ~ f/90+0.9
Shutter speed 1 sec. ~ 1/500 sec. for flash light
60 sec. ~ 1/8000 sec. for ambient light
Movie scale 8 fps. ~ 128 fps.
Exposure value EV(-) 5 ~ EV 26.2
Repeat accuracy ± 0.1 EV

I presume the Minolta does more, but I don't think I need whatever else it does. I tried them both in the shop and they gave identical readings, so it's not accuracy.

http://www.sekonic.com/Products/L-308B.html

stripes said:
Member said:

I'd recommend Sekonic, they are fantastic value.

Click to expand...

So what does it do that the Minolta doesn't? (or if you don't know
what the Minolta does, what does the Sekonic do that you like?)

JohnV73959 · Dec 20, 2001

Thanks for the heads up about the tone to let the models know it's ready. I didn't think of that.

So interesting, originally before posting and getting more information, I was thinking about the Photoflex Starlite 4K. It's four 1,000 watt bulbs in 1 softbox... This might not be enough for f16? So hotlights are less efficient in other words? Oh, I just realized now that 4,000 in 1 softbox will get white hot...

Someone mentioned hotlights are cheaper than monolights or strobes/powerpacks. That Photoflex kit is $1,200, so if I'm spending that much for 1 light, it would it be better to go with strobes because of less heat?

So a summary of what I understand about monolights or strobes/powerpacks versus hotlights:

1. They are cooler.
2. Lower temperature comes at a price premium.

3. Are there other benefits I'm overlooking? I don't mind getting Paul Buff's White Lightning that people are recommending, but I want to know what else the money is getting and if there are something better than Paul Buff's White Lightning.

Thanks for the help,
John

stripes said:
Some monolights (the white lighting for example) lets you meter off
the modeling light, but you need to fiddle with the reading a bit.
Of corse some modeling lights don't have modeling lights at all,
which for a film camera is something to avoid at all costs. For a
digital it may not be so bad, but modeling lights would be better.

Because monolights need to recycle it is nice to have ones that do
that quickly enough if you are working with live models that you
don't miss good poses. It is also nice if you can tell when they
are ready to fire again. Most have a tone or turn the modeling
light off during charging. I like the modeling light off during
charging more since you don't need to count beeps in multi light
setups.

Member said:

Pros/Cons of strobes - beats me...

Click to expand...

Studio strobes are a lot like monolights except the power pack and
the light are diffrent parts connected with a cable. One power
pack can drive multiple lights.

Strobe and monolight makers talk a lot of trash at each other, the
real picture between them is unclear. I could repeat the trash,
but that doesn't seem productave

Note: I'm not a real expert, I just did the research recently, and
got my monolights three weeks ago. I may be missing something, but
I did do my best since it was my money on the line...

stripes · Dec 20, 2001

JohnV73959 said:
So interesting, originally before posting and getting more information, I was thinking about the Photoflex Starlite 4K. It's four 1,000 watt bulbs in 1 softbox... This might not be enough for f16? So hotlights are less efficient in other words? Oh, I just realized now that 4,000 in 1 softbox will get white hot...

I don't have enough experiance with hotlights to tell you what that will get you, but the stat sheet on the UZ800 says you can get f/16 to f/22 with a double diffused softbox at 4 to 6 feet, the UZ800 is like $300 or $400. The X1600 lists f/22 to f/32 which is about what I got with my X1600 (and then I amped it down a lot because I didn't want f/22!), I don't know for sure the range I was shooting at, but 5 or six feet seems reasonable, it was a smallish room.

Note: those prices do not include the softbox ($200), or adaptor (under $50). The $200 softbox is the "medimum", not large, and just barely fits through doors without dissassembly. It also has gold and silver inserts which I have yet to fiddle with.

It is possable that the 4,000 total watt hot lights may put out as much light, or more then the white lightinings. It surely sounds more impressave.

JohnV73959 said:
Someone mentioned hotlights are cheaper than monolights or strobes/powerpacks. That Photoflex kit is $1,200, so if I'm spending that much for 1 light, it would it be better to go with strobes because of less heat?

Well, $1,200 sounds like a lot for one light. I got two of the more costly WL units (the X1600 is the smallest unit in their more expensave line) and stands and a softbox and carraying crud and all for that (I also bought at the very tail end of their sale, but I think I only "saved" $300 total, and really I didn't save at all since it just made me go for the bigger light).

JohnV73959 said:
3. Are there other benefits I'm overlooking? I don't mind getting Paul Buff's White Lightning that people are recommending, but I want to know what else the money is getting and if there are something better than Paul Buff's White Lightning.

I can't really think of any other benifits. As far as other lights go, the WLs seemed really nice for the money, some people like Elechroms, other like other things. About the only lights that seemed cost competitave and feature competitave with the less costly UZ800 were the SP systems lights. There were in fact the ones I started researching, but there were a bunch of people who had SP's that failed, and other complaints. There were lots of people recomending the WLs so I started looking at them.

The two bad things people had to say about WLs are:

only sold direct, not through dealers, so you get no local support, and no chance to play with the lights (the upside is WL apparently hads great warranty support, and a good return policy)

some years ago they got into a wattsecond war and boasted inflated numbers which some people (myself included) think is slimey. They seem to have settled down a whole lot and now display the true wattsecond number, the inflated "effective" number, and tipical f-stops for a few ranges and light modifyers. In fact that large array of real-ish wold data is what swayed me to them. I don't really care how many watts the light throws off. I care what f-stop I can shoot using a softbox or umbrella. Oh, and the power range in case I need less light from the thing (f/45 is great if you need it, but if you want f/8 I wouldn't want to have to shoot at f/45!).

When you price things out don't forget the softboxes, unbrellas, and lightstands. Sync cords if you need them (WLs come with a sync cord, but if you use > 1 light you either need a sync distributor, or to have them shoot as slaves), mounting hardware (WLs come ready to mount on a lightstand, and ready to take an umbrella, and a counterweight).

They also have honeycomb grids which I have not bought, and other stuff.

Types, Quality of Studio Lights

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