Photogenic StudioMAX II - Avoid.

Karl Weckstrom said:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1025&message=3039348

Based on the original thread above, I decided to give a shot to
some Photogenic monolights that were relatively inexpensive. I
found a kit at B&H that included 2 320ws monolights, some stands, a
bag, and a couple of umbrellas.

Now, the package I purchased cost roughly $600. Should I had gone
with the Alien Bees gig, I would have waited for shipping, but paid
only around $100-$150 more. I like buying local whenever possible,
so off to B&H I went.

I assumed they would be of comparable quality based on Paul's
comments in the original thread. What I discovered though, is that
this Photogenic StudioMAX II line is absolute CR@P. Of course, this
isn't Paul's fault, nor is it indicative of Photogenic's entire
product line... but I'm not willing to trust photogenic again after
trying out this cut rate studiomax junk.

First of all, they are very flimsy and not well constructed. They
are not fan cooled. One of the two I received burned through 2
fuses under very light shooting leaving me scratching my head for a
while as to what was wrong. The other went through a flashtube in
no time flat without any kind of "abuse" (and I never touched the
darned thing). Oh, and no one stocks the $39.95 flashtubes.

Of course, I thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong. I
was at B&H for another visit for something unrelated, and I asked a
couple of the guys at the lighting department what they thought of
the units I bought. They said that Photogenic units are typically
"ok" on the higher end, but that particular line was the cheapest
of the cheap, and should not be relied on. Lesson learned.

After doing some more homework, I found that Hensel lights were
relatively highly regarded, and didn't cost a fortune. I went with
those instead. What a difference. The build quality, construction,
not to mention the LIGHT quality was just astounding by comparison.
While I was at B&H the day I was ready to purchase, I looked at
some elinchrom units (wow, THOSE are built like tanks) but I didn't
really want to spend $1300 on a couple of heads after I was in a
hole from the original units.

Guess I have to practice what I preach. You buy cheap, you buy
twice. I've had these Hensel 500ws heads for a little while, and I
can honestly say they are a GREAT set of lights for the money. I
paid under $1000 and i'm completely happy with their performance.

Anyway, beware of photogenic's studioMAX II line. My experience was
not pleasant.

--
-Karl
http://www.photogathering.com
http://www.karlsphotos.com

Click to expand...

Paul Ferrara said:

Really, I'm sorry about your experience. I've only seen pics of
the new II line and they look very similar to the PowerLights that
I own and I understand that they take the same light modifiers. I
did not realize they weren't fan cooled. That's a HUGE negative.
It sounds like the 'bees aren't in any danger of losing out in the
most-bang-for-the-buck category.

I'm not familiar with Hensel but I'm glad you got something you're
happy with.

Paul
http://www.paulsportraits.com

Karl Weckstrom said:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1025&message=3039348

Based on the original thread above, I decided to give a shot to
some Photogenic monolights that were relatively inexpensive. I
found a kit at B&H that included 2 320ws monolights, some stands, a
bag, and a couple of umbrellas.

Now, the package I purchased cost roughly $600. Should I had gone
with the Alien Bees gig, I would have waited for shipping, but paid
only around $100-$150 more. I like buying local whenever possible,
so off to B&H I went.

I assumed they would be of comparable quality based on Paul's
comments in the original thread. What I discovered though, is that
this Photogenic StudioMAX II line is absolute CR@P. Of course, this
isn't Paul's fault, nor is it indicative of Photogenic's entire
product line... but I'm not willing to trust photogenic again after
trying out this cut rate studiomax junk.

First of all, they are very flimsy and not well constructed. They
are not fan cooled. One of the two I received burned through 2
fuses under very light shooting leaving me scratching my head for a
while as to what was wrong. The other went through a flashtube in
no time flat without any kind of "abuse" (and I never touched the
darned thing). Oh, and no one stocks the $39.95 flashtubes.

Of course, I thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong. I
was at B&H for another visit for something unrelated, and I asked a
couple of the guys at the lighting department what they thought of
the units I bought. They said that Photogenic units are typically
"ok" on the higher end, but that particular line was the cheapest
of the cheap, and should not be relied on. Lesson learned.

After doing some more homework, I found that Hensel lights were
relatively highly regarded, and didn't cost a fortune. I went with
those instead. What a difference. The build quality, construction,
not to mention the LIGHT quality was just astounding by comparison.
While I was at B&H the day I was ready to purchase, I looked at
some elinchrom units (wow, THOSE are built like tanks) but I didn't
really want to spend $1300 on a couple of heads after I was in a
hole from the original units.

Guess I have to practice what I preach. You buy cheap, you buy
twice. I've had these Hensel 500ws heads for a little while, and I
can honestly say they are a GREAT set of lights for the money. I
paid under $1000 and i'm completely happy with their performance.

Anyway, beware of photogenic's studioMAX II line. My experience was
not pleasant.

--
-Karl
http://www.photogathering.com
http://www.karlsphotos.com

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Sayhibob said:

Karl:

As another user of the Hensel line of studio lights, I agree with
you. These things are built like tanks, and I have found them to
give very consistent light. I especially like the .1 f-stop click
adjustment and the powerful 300w modeling light. I have found the
accessories somewhat difficult to locate and quite expensive
however. It seems that Hensel is more used in Europe than the US.

It is generally regarded as one of the top of the line units.

Regards,
Bob
--
http://www.pbase.com/sayhibob
[email protected]
E-10 & E-20 w/Lipo's, TCON 300, 14B, WCON, FL40, Digi-slave Pro
(Vivitar 285), Promaster mini-strobe, Hensel Studio lights, Minolta
IV-F Flashmeter

Click to expand...

Karl Weckstrom said:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1025&message=3039348

Based on the original thread above, I decided to give a shot to
some Photogenic monolights that were relatively inexpensive

Click to expand...