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Archive 2013 · Quality of Light with better strobes

  
 
jamesbibow
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Quality of Light with better strobes




Hello all- Im not really a newbie, but I have a newbie ish question..

Ive been shooting for many years, both in film and digital. Ive stocked up, sold all my gear and then did it all over again many times many times. Ive always been a fan of off camera lighting with strobes on location. I started out with cheap flashpoint brand, then alien bees and ended up with Elinchrom. I feel I have a very good handle on the tech side of things and I know how to light..


...my question is about light quality.


Im getting back 'into it' and re buying my gear again, and for cost reasons Ive started with the ol' "speed light in a wescott soft box thing" and while theres plenty of light for what I was going for (just a self portrait), Ive found the QUALITY of lighting to be very very different than say a elincrhom head and a octal (specifically the deep octa). Now, I understand about size of the box and distance and all that, but its not that the light was just softer...the subject just looked DIFFERENT.. better, more 3d with the El. I have no prob getting a good even, soft exposure using the speed light in a softbox thing, but the quality is VERY different.

So heres my question: Is it the strobe or the modifier that does this? or is it a combo? Im in the market to get some modifiers and a new strobe, but Im not sure if I want to spring for the whole set...because if its just the head, I can get an off brand SB or if its the modifier, then getting some Alienbees with a deep throat octa would do the trick.

I understand that this is subjective, and some of you might not even know what Im referring to with this 'look' but maybe some of you higher end strobe users might and shed some light (pun intended) on my question...



Sep 03, 2013 at 08:47 AM
Sheldon N
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Quality of Light with better strobes


I think it's mainly the modifier that makes the difference, and to a secondary degree having a strobe where the bulb is well positioned in the modifier to properly illuminate it.

I've put crappy 3rd party modifiers on my Elinchroms and the light didn't look that great. I've also put a speedlight in the 74" EL Octa indirect lightbank and the light looked great (shallow depth of field shooting). I think the EL Octa worked okay with a speedlight due to the indirect nature of the modifier. I don't think I'd want to shoot speedlights in their regular Rotalux softboxes.




Sep 03, 2013 at 10:11 AM
jasoncallen
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Quality of Light with better strobes


It's largely the modifier. Bigger, softer light looks a lot different than direct flash from the small, point-light source of a speedlight, even if modified by a 2x2' softbox.

Also, the overkill output power from AC strobes vs the "just enough to do damage" output from speedlights makes a big difference if you're fighting ambient light. You have much more headroom on the AC strobes to nuke the sun if you need to.

Inexpensive AC strobes with good modifiers will give you better results than Elinchrom strobes with poor modifiers (unless you like direct flash), and speedlights afford you portability at the expense of power.



Sep 03, 2013 at 10:12 AM
alohadave
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Quality of Light with better strobes


Softboxes and deep octas have different light shaping properties, and they will look different, that's why they are used for different looks.


Sep 03, 2013 at 10:13 AM
jamesbibow
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Quality of Light with better strobes


So would you all consider there to be a perceivable difference in quality of light between a Elinchrom strobe in an Octa verses a Alien bee in the same Octa?

The reason im asking is that Im planning a trip abroad and im taking one strobe.. I ADORE the portable stuff offered by elincrhom, but I just cant afford the cost ..so Im looking at alternatives that would provide the same quality of light. Im working in film, with lens shutters so synch speed isnt a worry. ...I dont really need to overpower the sun.. 200-400 ws is plenty. Im just looking for portable (ill be using the smaller vagabond) and that I can mount to either the octa or the deep octal...



Sep 03, 2013 at 11:59 AM
MaunaKea7007
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Quality of Light with better strobes


I guess, "no", except, perhaps, color. And that would be a small difference.

Although the head design might cause a different depth of the tube inside the box, and that could make a small difference. Controlled for tube position... no.



Sep 03, 2013 at 01:04 PM
kenyee
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Quality of Light with better strobes


jamesbibow wrote:
So would you all consider there to be a perceivable difference in quality of light between a Elinchrom strobe in an Octa verses a Alien bee in the same Octa?


Find someone who has both (or rent them) and do the test yourself...make sure you match distance/angle/power on the octa and take two photos of the subject and see if you can tell the difference....my guess is you won't




Sep 03, 2013 at 02:52 PM
Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Quality of Light with better strobes


A lot of it does have to do with the modifier. However, some of it has to do with being able to "fill" up the modifier with a larger strobe, more power for smaller apertures, and consistent color temps. Not to mention ease of use like having modeling lamps and fast recycling times. However, Elinchrom modifiers do make life good.


Sep 03, 2013 at 09:05 PM





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