Not sure what you're talking about - this one's been civil with no name calling, plus plenty of references to actual published specifications, instead of insinuations and insults. This is what a discussion should be like.
I would like to ask for some help here.
I have been shooting with profoto Acutes for about 12 years atleast. I love profoto and have all the accessories for them. BUT. In about the last 2 years I keep getting an art director for a catalogue client of mine who always wants to shoot girls and guys Jumping and dancing etc.. Also we shoot a lot on trampolines. I cannot for the life of me get a SHARP picture. Not focus sharp but sharp from no movement. Yes I have been shooting for about 20 years and know all the techniques such as Blacking out the studio etc. BUT it does not seem to work. I will post some images next week when I get back from another trip.
How the heck can I get a lighting system that will "FREEZE" my subjects??
I have tried everything with the profoto and Bowens heads I have. Always shooting at Minimum power etc... I even shot the other day with 2 sepaerate packs at Minimum and 1 head from each bare bulbed and I still get 1 out of about 20 shots' that are usuable.
This is really fustrating as technically I think I am doing everything correct. The durations for Profoto acute 1200's are at Minimum power 1/3200 is that just not enough to cut it?
I would really appreciate any professional help on this matter as it is a pain in the butt.
I always thought it had to do with the flash duration. That is why I am thinking about getting some Elinchrom 1200RX's as they seem to have the shortest flash duration on most companies besides Broncolor which WAY overpriced in my mind.
CAn some one help out with their opinion please.
Thank you very much
Snook
snook wrote:
I would like to ask for some help here.
I have been shooting with profoto Acutes for about 12 years atleast. I love profoto and have all the accessories for them. BUT. In about the last 2 years I keep getting an art director for a catalogue client of mine who always wants to shoot girls and guys Jumping and dancing etc.. Also we shoot a lot on trampolines. I cannot for the life of me get a SHARP picture. Not focus sharp but sharp from no movement. Yes I have been shooting for about 20 years and know all the techniques such as Blacking out the studio etc. BUT it does not seem to work. I will post some images next week when I get back from another trip.
How the heck can I get a lighting system that will "FREEZE" my subjects??
I have tried everything with the profoto and Bowens heads I have. Always shooting at Minimum power etc... I even shot the other day with 2 sepaerate packs at Minimum and 1 head from each bare bulbed and I still get 1 out of about 20 shots' that are usuable.
This is really fustrating as technically I think I am doing everything correct. The durations for Profoto acute 1200's are at Minimum power 1/3200 is that just not enough to cut it?
I would really appreciate any professional help on this matter as it is a pain in the butt.
I always thought it had to do with the flash duration. That is why I am thinking about getting some Elinchrom 1200RX's as they seem to have the shortest flash duration on most companies besides Broncolor which WAY overpriced in my mind.
CAn some one help out with their opinion please.
Thank you very much
Snook...Show more →
Have you tried a MF digital with a higher flash sync then 250th? like 800th or 1000th?
Also, did you see eric's link to the profoto 7 packs with a 1/12,000th duration?
Paul Buff wrote:
On the chart posted, Grafit A4 achieves 1/1000 t.1 duration at "7.9". 7.9 on an A4 pack is not 1450WS as was stated, it is 740WS.
On the same chart the A2 produces 1/1000 t.1 duration at "8.8". This is 1.2f below 1600WS, or 685WS.
It looks like Kevin picked up this error in his chart. Congrats Kevin - even the users don't seem to be able to figure this out.
Those charts used Zeus bi-tube times, that *you* provided, because *you said* those were the best times the Zeus could achieve.
It *also* uses Broncolor bi-tube times. That is the center line on the chart. I quoted it correctly when I first posted the chart. On my Pulso A4 pack, I have it set right now at 1440Ws - 8.8 - at 1/1000 with two heads. That is a straight up, apples to apples comparison.
No problems, no errors. Kevin is 100% correct. And Kevin had no trouble reading the charts.
By the way, Bron packs are very intuitive to use. Nice, clean clear digital interface with a seperate LCD readout and power control for each head. Digital readout in .1 stop. Full asymmetry - it is like have a seperate pack for each head!! Set it and go.
The best equipment I have ever used, no question. I love them!!!
If you want to publish specs for your competitors, please e-mail them and then quote them correctly!!!! I know all of the SinarBron regional reps. Their e-mail addresses and phone numbers are on the SinarBron web site. Call them and chat!
You want to drift OT and discuss other features? Say, did you know that the Broncolor packs recharges twice as fast on 220 volt power as on 110 volt? They can recycle as fast as .03 seconds. How fast are the Alien Bees or Zeus on 220 volt?
The Broncolor also have a 650 watt modeling light on 220 volt. They can automatically switch between 110 voilt and 220 volt. What was the modelling light for the AB's? A 100 Watt light bulb? Not halogen?
Brent Ward wrote:
Have you tried a MF digital with a higher flash sync then 250th? like 800th or 1000th?
Also, did you see eric's link to the profoto 7 packs with a 1/12,000th duration?
Not sure what the Contax flash sync is but I know you can get a higher sync from Hasselblad . The mamiya 645 afd is stuck at 1/125th but the RZ67 will do 1/400th .
ericevans wrote:
Not sure what the Contax flash sync is but I know you can get a higher sync from Hasselblad . The mamiya 645 afd is stuck at 1/125th but the RZ67 will do 1/400th .
If you can shoot in a dark room, the ambient light should not impact your images. Then the shutter speed is irrelevant - the flash duration controls the freezing of motion, not the shutter speed.
Actually, the fastest units/shortest duration are the small electronic flashes used at low output. Something like a Canon 550EX at 1/64th power, etc.
I don't use those because there is not enough power to use studio-quality modifiers that I like - Octadomes, etc. - for a large scene. But, if you want to get to a base to fugure out what works, try a 550 or similar dialed way down, no light modifiers, etc. Once you stop motion and solve *that* problem you can evaluate what will give you the same look in a higher power strobe.
I really hate to say this, but the Broncolor marketing propaganda has some useful examples. Start reading around page 8, just for the sample photos:
There are some older threads here on all this, but hard to find. You might search photo.net, and then we will leave you alone with all of this quibbling about specs!
Also, have a look at dance photographers to see what they are able to achieve. Lois Greenfield, Parish Kohanim
I don't know where you folks are located. If any of you are around Ann Arbor, MI, I'd be glad to spend some time experimenting to see what we can do with motion.
I have **tons** of equipment - more than 20 packs, heads, monolights, softboxes, dishes, etc. No studio right now unfortunately. I closed it about 1 year ago due to some problems with chronic pain. Probably reopen in March, still trying to resolve health issues.
OK, time to play with pictures inbstead of words! Good luck.
This is just getting to be a shooting match. I don't have any more time to devote to this. This was never intended to be a contest. I hope someone learned something out of all this.
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