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Archive 2012 · what watt/second recommendation

  
 
robby521
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · what watt/second recommendation


i am looking at some lighting and need a little help please.will be doing team pictures in gyms and portraits and things like this.today the man shared his set up and it was 3 white lighting 1600 with white umbrella and the kids are standing in front of a green screen.i have used a friends soft boxes doing some pictures and trying things before i get anything.i know its a wide open selection but would like a little help.i use nikon,dont think i need battery pack but not sure.have about 2000.00 to put into them.thank you.


Dec 02, 2012 at 11:48 PM
Justin Huffman
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · what watt/second recommendation


2K goes a LOOONG way over at alienbees.com I think if your just starting out the alien bee lights will do fine. If your sure you'll have a career in studio work then just go for elinchrom or white lightning or better... seriously though paul buff company is second to none, excellent products reasonably priced and awesome customer care.




Dec 03, 2012 at 07:44 AM
PeterBerressem
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · what watt/second recommendation


Justin Huffman wrote:
I think if your just starting out the alien bee lights will do fine. If your sure you'll have a career in studio work then just go for elinchrom or white lightning or better...
seriously though paul buff company is second to none, excellent products reasonably priced and awesome customer care.


That's puzzling... I often read advices in a sense as above though it doesn't make sense to me.
Why aren't ABs or PCBuff's accessories just good for getting your feet wet? not up to snuff for professional work? What is better in using Elinchrom? Absolutely nothing in my regard.
And then always the addendum in praise of the company, what contradicts the first sentence. In my book customer service plays a very big role in supplying professional tools, be it in lighting or camera.
As far as I know there's a huge number of American professional photographers using ABs. I don't imagine that they are dreaming of Elinchrom et al.



Dec 03, 2012 at 08:21 AM
RustyBug
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · what watt/second recommendation


Here's a link that PCB has for comparing WS with various modifiers. It doesn't list an umbrella, but does a softbox. It can give you a bit of an idea relative to shooting distance, f-stop, ISO, WS, etc. to give you some idea of what the diff WS will deliver.

BTW ... the ref to White Lightning, got me to look at it (previously dismissed as an "old dog") ... it has an interesting aspect to it relative to the flash duration getting quicker when the 1/4 power mode is selected (X1600, X3200 models only) ... similar to the Einstein's IGBT circuitry (kinda sorta, only in a cruder manner). White Lightning is also an aluminum housing whereas the AB's & Einstein are ABS.

http://www.paulcbuff.com/output.php

Take note of the "notes" at the bottom, where you'll see these were in a smaller room than a gymnasium, so it is possible the readings might be a touch higher from the walls/ceiling (although painted grey) retuning some of the light, but it should still be helpful to give you a "gist" at what the WS diff's will give you.



Dec 03, 2012 at 08:51 AM
John Skinner
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · what watt/second recommendation


PeterBerressem wrote:
That's puzzling... I often read advices in a sense as above though it doesn't make sense to me.
Why aren't ABs or PCBuff's accessories just good for getting your feet wet? not up to snuff for professional work? What is better in using Elinchrom? Absolutely nothing in my regard.
And then always the addendum in praise of the company, what contradicts the first sentence. In my book customer service plays a very big role in supplying professional tools, be it in lighting or camera.
As far as I know there's a huge number of American professional photographers using ABs. I don't
...Show more

I can't agree more with this assessment.

With a set of 8a airs here, they see little, or hardly any more work at all. Do I need them to shoot huge venues or places that require massive amounts of light? Yea, sometimes. But for the majority of work, the E640's work better of the investment than any of the Eli or ProFoto stuff here.

I ALWAYS look down the road after this many years of doing this and investing in kit. After 4 sets of Eli lights, 2 ProFotos, 1 set of Einsteins.I can assure you without question that after that honeymoon period is over... your warranty is merely filler for a file folder, for the money, you won't be disappointed with a $499.00 head with a MAXIMUM repair bill of $60.-- no matter what the issue.

People buy lemons all the time from these companies. But it's you that will carry that load for months on end with failures and profit loss during those down times.

And although I have showed for jobs where some idiot has chuckled about using a Buff lamp.. It's me getting the work and the dosh...not him. I could care less. Pound for pound, buck for buck. All the technology built into a Buff's head.. You'll not find better in the working class area of lights.



Dec 03, 2012 at 04:28 PM
RDKirk
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · what watt/second recommendation


PeterBerressem wrote:
That's puzzling... I often read advices in a sense as above though it doesn't make sense to me.
Why aren't ABs or PCBuff's accessories just good for getting your feet wet? not up to snuff for professional work? What is better in using Elinchrom? Absolutely nothing in my regard.
And then always the addendum in praise of the company, what contradicts the first sentence. In my book customer service plays a very big role in supplying professional tools, be it in lighting or camera.
As far as I know there's a huge number of American professional photographers using ABs. I don't
...Show more

I used frequently to post a list of the differences between ABs and WLs. Most people don't realize that the AB is actually the earlier design--WL came a bit later and has technological as well as physical improvements.

I think ABs are highly desirable for their compactness and light weight on location (both are also important factors on a boom). But WL was/is a better value in the long run for professional uses. I don't know how well WL stacks up to Einstein in the long term...my WLs show no sign of needing replacement any time soon. Nor for that matter do my ABs.

Interestingly, too, in this forum the "lighting discussion" tends to go toward the commercial model of operations. However, there is a huge world of US portrait photographers who seldom use either Elinchrom or Profoto. That's a world where Photogenic reigns supreme even among the very best, with Norman also putting in a strong showing...and Buff lights duking it out with Photogenic.

To the topic:

I used to say that outside a commercial studio that 300 watt seconds per head seems to be a sweet spot--a good combination of power, price, and features. But these days 600 watt seconds seems to be it...but 300 watt seconds is still pretty good. I don't think anything less than 300 watt seconds has a very good price/power/features ratio.



Dec 04, 2012 at 09:43 AM
robby521
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · what watt/second recommendation


thank you all very much.this will be a something for long term.at the first of the year will be moving studio out of the house into a shop in town.thank you all again.


Dec 04, 2012 at 01:40 PM
BrianO
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · what watt/second recommendation


RDKirk wrote:
...Most people don't realize that the AB is actually the earlier design--WL came a bit later and has technological as well as physical improvements.


Alien Bees was introduced in 2001. White Lighting came out in 1981!

I know, I know...the current WL X-series is only 10 years old, not 30. I'm just sayin'.

Anyone remember these?







Dec 04, 2012 at 05:12 PM
RDKirk
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · what watt/second recommendation


Actually, I was thinking the tin cans came out in the late 70s. I'm sure I saw them advertised in Peterson's Photographic when it was still a quarterly.


Dec 04, 2012 at 07:24 PM
BrianO
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · what watt/second recommendation


RDKirk wrote:
Actually, I was thinking the tin cans came out in the late 70s. I'm sure I saw them advertised in Peterson's Photographic when it was still a quarterly.


I seem to recall seeing them in Shutterbug when that was an oversized rag -- and I would have thought late '70s as well -- but the PCB History page says they came to market in 1981, with the WL Ultra following in 1986.



Dec 04, 2012 at 07:45 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · what watt/second recommendation


I remember first renting a pair of Ultra's around '88, but the tin cans were still alive and well. The Ultra's were still kinda "new" ... the rental house was pretty "excited" to have added some to their offering.


Dec 04, 2012 at 08:00 PM
TTee
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · what watt/second recommendation


Keep in mind the upper echelon lighting brands are designed for arduous use day in and day out.


Dec 09, 2012 at 01:50 AM
ravisrajan
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · what watt/second recommendation


Here is nice video by adoramaTV Understanding Watt Seconds: Ep239: Digital Photography 1 on 1





Dec 09, 2012 at 08:59 PM
Brit-007
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · what watt/second recommendation


I still use my Multiblitz units that are 30 years old. There are some shoots I do with Sorority houses where I need 5 shots per girl and say 100 girls in a sitting. I am shooting at the rate of a girl a minute to give some indication. The color of the last shot is identical to the first. That is what I think you get with more expensive lights.

I have heard that the newer models of the AB range are a lot better in consistency between shots.



Dec 11, 2012 at 03:44 PM





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