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Archive 2015 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees

  
 
fstopperdown
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


I knock around with old shoemount flash units, which are good in a pinch, but would like to invest into something for a small studio.

I shoot 50/50 B+W film/digital and much of my gear is older than me with no sync options wired or wireless.

Research led me to other LED Continuous Lighting alternatives... Lupolux to Prophoto in addition to Westcott TD6

I was wondering how many of you use or have experience with continuous lighting.

I know it comes with tradeoffs.

One photographer which led me to believe that ISO400 and F4 is about all I can expect on a good day with the Westcott TD5, though she had some gorgeous portraits and boudoir images.

I have an opportunity to get her Westcott TD5 two light/three box setup for a decent price.

Longterm goal would be to moonlight shooting headshot, studio portraits, possibly babies, and I could envision food/products.

My current budget is $1000. Not a financial strain if it never goes past the hobby stage, but good enough to get me started.

The other side of the coin is $1000 goes a long way for Alien Bees.

Any advice appreciated.



Mar 07, 2015 at 11:41 AM
sherijohnson
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


I have no experience with continuous lighting, but I did consider it before purchasing lights. I did go with the alien bees and you are right, they give you a lot of bang for your buck and I think they work great.


Mar 07, 2015 at 12:10 PM
rondphoto
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Will you be shooting outdoors? If it's even a remote possibility, get the Alien Bees


Mar 07, 2015 at 12:19 PM
Mark_L
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


The shoemount flashes you already own would be an upgrade on cheap continuous lighting in power and colour consistency. Good LED lighting in particular is very pricey.


Mar 07, 2015 at 12:49 PM
SloPhoto
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


What gear do you have without a sync port?

Those things have been around for quite some time.



Mar 07, 2015 at 01:19 PM
FLSTCSAM
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


If the older film camera has a hot shoe, you can use this the fire the Alien Bees via the Alien Bees built in optical trigger.

I have and still use both continuous and strobe lighting.

While the continuous lighting is compelling. You can see it, no real settings to use, just move the lights around until you like what you see and shoot. Almost like shooting in natural light. They are however much more limiting.

Buy the Alien Bees, you will be happy.

Sam



Mar 07, 2015 at 01:50 PM
jefferies1
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Your information about 400ISO and F5 is really close. I have the TD5 units with CFL bulbs and they are nice. But NOT worth the price. What I would do and have done myself is go on Amazon and purchase some of the low cost continuous units. Cowboy studio has them as well as many others. The actual unit holding the lights is well made. The so called soft box is cheap almost junk but with CFL lights they are naturally soft so any diffusion works great.
Price is around $139.00 for 2-3 units. Well worth that amount of money. I also prefer 5000K bulbs. Still okay with 5600 but I hate the 6000K range some use. Just too on the blue side. With that investment you can add a strobe or two to your list with good soft boxes. Strobes require a higher quality diffusion.

I have not wanted to spend for good LED. No advantage to me at this time.



Mar 07, 2015 at 02:28 PM
joelconner
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Just bought a 2-set of the TD6 while at WPPI. Have not tested them yet since they have not arrived, but I have heard great things about them. There is a great sale on them right now.


Mar 07, 2015 at 02:38 PM
fstopperdown
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


SloPhoto wrote:
What gear do you have without a sync port?

Those things have been around for quite some time.


I quit weddings a few years ago and now mostly shoot landscapes, traditional darkroom, etc... Leica M2 and M3 bodies.

Shot a friends wedding a few months ago, Posted a few images on FB, and now I get a steady supply of portrait inquiries.

Most of them freebies, most I turn away, but my wife has two of her clients daughters which should be fun and challenging.

I might as well do something with them, even if I go so far as to shoot them on B+W film, develop them, print them myself. This was the reason I was looking at continuous lighting.

Film is kinda cheap in many ways

I rented a Fuji XT1 for a headshot in the morning. Really like it so far.




Mar 07, 2015 at 03:31 PM
hardlyboring
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


If I was going to get into continuous lighting for wedding work (mainly receptions) I would be getting HMI Par video lights. They are hella expensive but they have a HUGE output and can be controlled via barn doors and snoots for spotlighting etc.
When I shoot film at receptions the biggest challenge is just getting enough light to make it look natural, dynamic and also shooting at a low enough ISO 1600 or below so that I do not have super grainy images. A little grain is fine but with 35mm you have to watch out and honestly not everyone is into the delta 3200 look.

I do not care for Ed Sheeran's music but this video is a great example of the kind of lighting I am talking about.


From what I can gather from video pros like Jim Coleman the lights are of this variety
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/HMI_Par_Light/Ntt/HMI+Par+Light/N/0


I also have a full AB setup and regular flash setup. Unless the venue is MASSIVE I never use the AB's because they are just way to powerful. With the advent of Lithium Ion flashes from Cheetah or Godox batteries are not an issue anymore for me.
My M2 doesn't sync all that well so mostly i just shoot digital in super dark situations or the digital M bodies.



Mar 07, 2015 at 04:40 PM
FrancisK7
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


I used AB800 for 4 years and got Einsteins last Summer with the CyberCommander.

I am very satisfied with performance.



Mar 08, 2015 at 10:54 PM
truittmedia
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Continuous lighting is nice to play with for portraiture, but in my experience as both a photographer and guest...they are REALLY obnoxious during most wedding moments. As a guest I'm often 'that couple' that gets lots of dance shots but when there is a photographer with an LED panel I just want to stop and glare at them because it is almost painful to look at usually.

For videography it's almost unavoidable, but even then we try to take pains to use as low and diffuse a setting as possible. We actually have a clip of someone saying 'oh god, the sun, it's so bright' before recording a clip for the couple.



Mar 10, 2015 at 07:35 PM
form
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Studio stuff = you can get away with continuous lighting. It's convenient WYSIWYG, but there are CRI and color cast issues with some light sources. I especially don't like LEDs for the color cast, maybe some of the very expensive ones have better CRI but many of the cheap things seem to tint green with no chance of natural skin tones (even with pink gels it comes out unnatural because the LEDs simply aren't THROWING the colors of light required). I think it's easier to find higher CRI with flashes than with continuous lights, not sure about incandescent lighting or those daylight/incandescent fluorescent bulbs. After my own brief stint with LEDs (and hating them), I would try regular bulbs/halogen if I was doing continuous lighting. However, flash really does everything I need more conveniently.

I don't recommend alienbees for color accuracy either, people have noted magenta casts and changes in color temp and I have seen it with my own b1600. Being a little more picky about color casts now than when I started, if I was buying again I would either go with a different brand or try the Einstein. Same size, just heavier and somewhat more expensive.



Mar 11, 2015 at 10:12 AM
IrishDino
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


I only use my LED for quick portraits and details. Lighting a reception with continuous lighting? lol, no.


Mar 11, 2015 at 02:19 PM
fstopperdown
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Continuous Lighting vs Alien Bees


Thank you for the replies...

The Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and my Leica 90mm Elmarit worked well, but the rented Fuji XT1 wouldn't sync either with Youngnu's or the damn physical sync cord itself.

My portrait session turned out better than expected, thanks to lots of ambient light and a reflector.

Within a week, I should have access to about 12x25ft of space. Lots of ambient and a blank wall.

It's easy to find clients when the sessions are free...

Been pricing everything from the Westcott's TD6, AB's right on up thru Profoto D1.... not so free...

I have my shopping list and will like rent some lights in the future until there are actual paying customers.




Mar 11, 2015 at 04:00 PM





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