I would like opinions on this unit as a monolight, not compared to strobes, but to other monolights. Is it pretty much top of the line (I know it is, but some things are not what they appear to be)? I have never had experience with Profoto. I know their strobes are very popular.
I currently have a Novatron 1500w/s strobe kit, which works well, but I am looking to sell it soon and shift to monolights.
The biggest downsides IMO are the size, weight, narrow reflector angle without the dome, and less zooming control with your modifiers. If you only use softboxes on big stands in your studio, none of those really matter. The consistency and power range and recycle times are excellent. The controls in the back are a bit fiddly, but you'll get used to them. The main spin dial is very nice.
I may just stick with Novatron and get some of their monolights. This way, I can use all the modifiers I already have and utilize their optical slave instead of mixing systems.
Personal opinion, money is better spent on quality light mods than very expensive strobes like Profoto. That's not saying I don't want a complete setup of Profoto . Buy something that goes pop every time with enough power and then make that light beautiful and interesting.
If you're set on monolights, you'd be crazy to go with Novatron's monos. 2 stop range (which is 1/1 or 1/2) is enough on its own to drive you mad. The rest of the specs aren't any better. The Einstein is a great bang for your buck
In the Profoto D1 line I think the 500 is the sweet spot. I used them for about three months while reviewing them and found them to be perfectly fine either with umbrellas, all sizes of softboxes and most of the standard reflectors Profoto makes. I did not use the with the "dome" Balincour mentions and didn't miss it.
If you are shooting sports the flash duration is a little long for my taste.
Great quality light for portraits. That is what Profoto is known for.
I have 2 D1 1000WS, 1 D1 500WS, and 1 AcuteB 600. Very nice, quality lights and I don't think they are all that expensive. Atleast not expensive compared to the high end profoto packs. The modifiers are a bit pricey but also very high quality.
I actually quite like the built in reflector as it works quite nice for travel and for most lighting setups it performs quite fine. I'm starting to light a lot of my work with bounce light and find it quite handy. For omni distribution the frosted glass dome works quite well. I have one of those and use it occasionally.
This photo was lit with 1 D1 1000WS at full power and no modifiers! I bounced the light into a rock wall and color balanced on camera with a gray card.
Ryan, thanks a bunch. I think I will use the Novatron M600 for a while and get used to it being my key light and using the power pack strobes for other lights. I love I can trigger all this with two PWs (one on camera and the other on the power pack since the monolight has an optical slave. Additionally, with working with just the monolight, the PW adapter sync cord fits the monolight as well as the power pack.
Thanks for the example shot and I look forward to eventually moving to the more professional line like Profoto.
If you have a change of heart, give some thought to the older Profoto Compact monolights as an entry point into the Profoto addiction. The Compacts are big and heavy, with no auto-dump, but are built like tanks, fan cooled, have the 'normal' Profoto dome, wicked fast recycle times, lower cost, IR slaves (like most monos) and with the option of units (R versions) with built-in PW receivers. I use AcuteBs and Compact 600s.
The 600 has a stepless drop down to 37.5WS and recycles in 0.8 sec at 600WS. Clean samples of the 600WS non-R version (no PW) are about $500 +/-, the R versions obviously somewhat more. All versions have a normal 1/4" phono jack sync port.
Info on the units is available on the Profoto site under "Generators"
E-Vener wrote:
Great quality light for portraits. That is what Profoto is known for.
Yes, but that's more a result of good marketing than fact.
I have Pro 6 packs with Pro 7 heads in the studio, compact 300s and 600s and D1 Air 500s for the road.
I also have Comet heads with the same white glass dome covering the tube and they create a nice diffuse light, as identical to PF as you can get. Comet isn't supported well in the U.S. but the current Dynalite heads are essentially comet heads since they're the same company. Cover a similar shaped flash tube with a frosted white glass dome and you get the same light as PF. I've shot them side by side for a decade, they look the same.
Having said that, the D1 500s are pretty sweet and leave little to desire.
For architectural shooting I love the air remote. With a light up 12 feet on a stand I can just dial it in with the remote. At the same time I like the older style compacts in a Chimera lantern because the globe covered flash tube gives a more uniform light distribution.
Other than with very wide modifiers I don't think you'll see a difference with the D1 built in reflector. What's nice is when you pop a Zoom reflector on a D1 you gain a full stop.
Ryan Pream wrote:
This photo was lit with 1 D1 1000WS at full power and no modifiers! I bounced the light into a rock wall and color balanced on camera with a gray card.
Bounce damn near any head into a wall and it's going to give you flat and diffuse light.
Very nice shot, but I'm just saying you could have done that with the Novatron head.
williamcarter wrote:
Here's my (and others') thoughts about the D1 Airs from a while back:
Your comments on the umbrellas and stands are accurate. But I've never understood why anyone would buy PF stand and umbrellas when Manfrotto and Calumet offer much better value and quality. That's the one irony of the PF, they don't maintain their product strategy with the stuff in their kits.
Dynalite has owned Comet for several years now. And having used both Comet and Dynalite the two heads you compare are not the same. Having said that Comet makes a great light for portraits very similar in quality to Profoto. Dynalite also makes terrific lights and the 4040 is a very fine head. For pack and head systems I like them very much and use them regularly. One really nice outstanding feature is that if you use 2000 w-s Dynalite heads you can mix and match dynalite heads and packs with Paul C Buff Zeus heads and packs. For mid range price/ feature mix you can pay more but won't find better value for money than the current Dynalites and Zeus systems.
For monolights it is pretty clear that the best at any price right now is the Einstein 640.
K.C. wrote:
Very nice shot, but I'm just saying you could have done that with the Novatron head.
I agree with you that for the most part a light is a light. Point I was trying to make is that the internal reflector can be convenient and allow the light to work more like a huge speed light with a semi directional bounce. I also needed all the power I could get to bounce into a dingy redish rock wall and complete with a sunset. In this case I still only managed f5.6 with 1000ws of power a few feet away.
Ryan, I imagine that the f/5.6 limit was a cause of two main things...spread from the rock likely just being like a wall with nothing else to bounce the light back toward the subject laterally; AND, the dark wall absorbs more light than a white wall, so the 1000w/s likely was your only option at that point.
I was reading about the Einsteins and they seem pretty much a frugal studio's dream. I am not sure if I could pick one up used or not as they seem to be so backordered.
E-Vener wrote:
Dynalite has owned Comet for several years now. And having used both Comet and Dynalite the two heads you compare are not the same. Having said that Comet makes a great light for portraits very similar in quality to Profoto. Dynalite also makes terrific lights and the 4040 is a very fine head. For pack and head systems I like them very much and use them regularly. One really nice outstanding feature is that if you use 2000 w-s Dynalite heads you can mix and match dynalite heads and packs with Paul C Buff Zeus heads and packs. For mid range price/ feature mix you can pay more but won't find better value for money than the current Dynalites and Zeus systems.
For monolights it is pretty clear that the best at any price right now is the Einstein 640. ...Show more →
Like everything, it's a matter of opinion. You're a reviewer so you're used to stating your opinion as fact, I understand that. What kind of deals, if any, you get on gear as a reviewer is something I hope you disclose.
As I said in my post, Dynalite and Comet are the same company. Who owns who is immaterial. The point is that they share technology and in this case the Dynalite head was significantly improved with Comet technology and made essentially the same as the Comet.
With PCB promoting himself and his gear all over this forum I can understand the bias here towards his products. Best is a highly subjective term. I would differ and suggest that there are many, many good products on the market and the PCB stuff seems to have come up in quality from the early days.
Any time you want to shoot a blind test comparing the Comet, Dynalite and a Profoto head I'm game. I have all three available.
Ryan Pream wrote:
I agree with you that for the most part a light is a light. Point I was trying to make is that the internal reflector can be convenient and allow the light to work more like a huge speed light with a semi directional bounce. I also needed all the power I could get to bounce into a dingy redish rock wall and complete with a sunset. In this case I still only managed f5.6 with 1000ws of power a few feet away.
Ryan
Got it. That's a very valid point. The ease of use of the built in reflector is a nice feature, one I enjoy daily when I walk out the door with my D1 Air kit.
I used to have four Alienbees and all the modifiers, and about six months ago I sold it all to go for two D1 500 Airs and two D1 1,000 Airs along with Profoto modifiers... I'm very happy with my decision. I'm not sure if I really needed to get the 1,000Ws units, and maybe should have gone with four 500Ws units instead, but if I need the power, I've got it... So that's comforting.
The Air system is great and very reliable, and easy to use with the Air Remote. The color and power consistency is AMAZING. The flash duration is good, though it's not as good as with the Pro heads and power packs. Build quality and portability are great for on-location work, though at this point I've had to use a Paul Buff Vagabond II for portable power... I think they're supposed to have a Profoto battery for the D1 units in the next month or so, but no idea what sort of power / price / battery.
TTL - I'd heard the chatter about a Profoto pack and would love to see one. LOVE my AcuteBs, but a (probably Lithium from the looks of where they've headed with the new systems) built-like a tank Profoto battery option with a fast charger... most excellent. While the price will be stunning, for my Compact 600s (and likely D1s) it would be a nice option - even with a slower recycle time (the 600s cycle in 0.8 sec at max power).
. Buy something that goes pop every time with enough power and then make that light beautiful and interesting.