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Archive 2008 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

gnassif
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p.1 #1 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

I'm creating my home studio for portrait photography and purchased the following:

- 2 light kit (2 500 w/s strobe monolights, softbox, umbrellas, light stand, sync cord, etc.)
- 1 100 w/s strobe monolight, softbox, light stand, sync cord, same brand/manufacturer as above.

The 3-light kit (1500 total w/s) was too expensive and the two light kit (1000 total w/s) was under five hundred bucks. In fact, I could have purchased two 2-light kits for less than the advertised price for the 3-light kit.

Anyway, I wanted a third light as a background light, but I'm wondering if I purchased an "underperforming light" (i.e., the 100 w/s monolight).

I'll be using my Nikon D200 w/50mm 1.8 (1.5 factor = 75mm), or my 80-200 f/2.8 with my D700.

I'd like to take portraits of family members and possibly engagement photos for my clients.

My question is, should I return the 100 w/s strobe and buy two more 500w/s strobes? I can't buy one separately...the smallest kit is 2, and I'm nervous about buying another name brand/manufacturer. Any advice from anybody?

I'd like to have a softbox 45d from the subject's face, an umbrella in front for fill, and a strobe behind the subject to light up the background. If I do keep the 100 w/s light, where should I use it?

Thanks for any input anyone might have.

Nov 26, 2008 at 02:00 AM

bacilonur
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p.1 #2 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

What price did you pay and what brand were they?

Nov 26, 2008 at 02:25 AM

gnassif
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p.1 #3 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

For $488, I got the following (Impact brand) lights from B&H:

2 x VC-500 Monolights, each with Reflector, Flashtube, Modeling Light, Power Cord
2 x Light Stands with Removable Studs
2 x White Reflective Umbrellas, Permanent Black Backing
24x36" Softbox with Mounting Ring
Mono to PC Sync Cord
Wheeled Kit Case
One Year Manufacturer's Warranty

For $140, I got:
One Monolight Kit - 100 Total Watt/Seconds (120VAC)
Air Cushioned Black Stand
One Year Manufacturer's Warranty

Last week, my wife and I took a day trip to NY. I begged her to let me stop by the B&H Superstore. I've ordered a ton of stuff from them in the past, but never took a step inside! All I can say is...B&H is the Mecca of photography stuff! After speaking with a salesman, he recommended the VC-500 3 light kit (as a starter kit for someone that wanted strobe lights). The price is approx. $1100.

The 2 light kit was $780. But for some odd reason, it appears to be reduced to $488 online. Like I said in my previous post, I could buy two 2-light kits for $976 and have a total of 4 500w/s lights. But I didn't want 4 lights, I only wanted three. So I bought the 1 100w/s light (which arrived to my house today) as the third strobe. I haven't opened it up yet.

The $488 purchase was "pending" for two days...making my stomach churn. I thought I'd get that "sorry, we made a pricing error" phone call, but alas, the item shipped today and according to UPS, the 2 light kit will arrive tomorrow.

If I did but a second kit with 2 500w/s strobes, one could be a hair light and the second could be my backlight. Hmm.

Nov 26, 2008 at 04:52 AM

bacilonur
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p.1 #4 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

If you're gonna use those any more than once or twice a month, I'd return them. Impact stands are junk, and I doubt their umbrellas or SBs are any better. So you're paying roughly $200 per light. I'll admit that the specs are good, but then again, so are Dell's craptastic $600 laptops. From looking at your profile, I'd expect you to outgrow these within a couple months. And if these were on eBay, I wouldn't pay more than $300 for the kit because I wasn't even aware that Impact made lights. Stick to Alien Bees if you want lights that you'll only want to upgrade for cosmetic purposes, not because of bad performance.

Nov 26, 2008 at 05:01 AM

John Power
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p.1 #5 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

I would say that ABs are definitely a good choice for dependable quality lighting on a reasonable budget. Since I go for months and months at a time w/o using my lights if I had to do it all over again I would get ABs myself.

Nov 26, 2008 at 04:03 PM

gnassif
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p.1 #6 · Did I make a bad studio lighting purchase?

Thank you all for your replies.

I'll keep the 100ws light and possibly use it as a hair light. To add to my studio, I'll buy another lightstand that allows me to have it hang above the subject's head, a sekonic light meter, a 5-in-1 reflector, and some barn-doors and honeycomb kit.

The AB's are nice, but I'd want 3 B800's with umbrellas, softboxes, and lightstands...out of my budget. The Impact brand appears to do everything the AB's do. I guess time will tell. I also think the AB's are compatablel with Bowen monolight accessories. Now let me say this, if the Impact 500ws 2 light kit was $780 (as advertised in B&H's catalog and the online price 2 weeks ago), I wouldn't buy it. But for $488, I think it's a bargain. and when I do grow out of them (if ever), there's always eBay and Craigslist.

Thanks everybody. Now the fun begins...mastering the light.

Nov 28, 2008 at 02:10 AM


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