New to Studio Photography...looking for New Strobes

[madprinter]

I am relatively new to studio photography. I have a cheap Britek strobe, a few reflectors and a nice Sekonic meter. These items have allowed me to take some nice headshots. I was able to learn the basics with some practice. However, I am looking to upgrade to some better equipment in the near future. I would like to get 2 more medium / High quality moonlights. I was hoping that someone could help me out with the following questions:

1. How many Watt/seconds should my new setup use to get full body shots? This would be with individual moonlights and their total power combined.

2. What kind of moonlights would you recommend? I have a budget of around $1200. I have seen several kits available through Adroma and B&H in this price range. I am not looking for the BEST equipment. I just want to take my photography to the next level with something better than a 120 Watt/second Britek.

3. I just purchased an EOS 20D. I am shooting with an assortment of EF and L lenses. Is there anything I should be aware of when looking for studio lighting using the 20D that might not have been a factor when I was shooting Film?


I would appreciate any input you all could give.

Thanks.

[Arctirus]

I recently purchased 2 800w/s strobes from alienbees with medium softboxes for a total of about $900 and am very happy with them.

[racingpinarello]

Hi..

There is an Elincrom kit for under a $1k that are very good. I have the Style 500 kit which has two stands, 2 umbrellas, 2 500w lights, carrying case, sync cord, and hard shell case for the strobes.

I would highly recommend these lights. Having said that, I am selling my lights since I usually rent my lights now from Keeble and Shuchat. If you interested in getting these lights at a discount let me know.

Loren

[eminaddiesmom]

I second the alien bees reccomendation. I just bought the whole package and i love it!!

Erika

[madprinter]

Thanks for the recomendations. I looked at the Alienbees units. They seem to provide some bang for their Buck. It seems to be that their units have a decent amount of power. The 800 unit has 320 actual W/S of power while the 1600 unit has 640 true W/S. Which units do you have? What would you recomend. I am looking to shoot portraits that range from individual headshots to full body shots of a group of 4-6 people.

Also, how is the quality build of the Alienbees units. I wonder about the build considering the price?

Any info would help,

Thanks.

[Arctirus]

Check out the portraits on my website as listed in my sig, Most of those were taken with a pair of alienbees 800s.

[EmbeddedMatt]

I would say Alien Bee "build quality" is suitable for use by a reasonably careful hobbyist. If you are going to be using them every day or if you need something that can take abuse you should probably look elsewhere. Alien Bees have a 60 day right of return for a full refund so it will only cost you the shipping to and from Tennessee to find out for yourself.

[MJS]

I use two B1600's in a high school with students using them and they are doing great. Take care with them and they will be good to you. I typically have to power way down to keep the lights close enough for the softness and get a decent aperture to avoid a sharp background.

[eminaddiesmom]

I bought the busy bee package and it has more than enough power for groups up to 6.

Erika

[JCPhoto1]

The Alien Bee's are a great choice but are considered a lightweight strobe. They don't have cooling fans so the modeling lights can heat things up. The same company which produces the Bees. make the White Lightning strobes. They are built stronger and have cooling fans built in. They also have brighter modeling lights which do help a lot to see the shot before you take it. They are not that much more expensive than the Bee's and will hold up better with heavy use. For the power level they have a X800 with 320 true ws which would be fine for small groups. They do cost $400. compared to the Bees' at $280. It depends on how much you'll use them and how much you want to spend. To start out you could get away with two lights and some reflectors. Another expense with strobes is a meter. Some people will tell you with digital you can get by without a meter but it makes it a lot easier and accurate to use one. It would be a real pain to set ratio's correctly without one. A Sekonic 308b meter is about $175. and would do everything you need. Good luck........Jim C

[boardchick]

First of all -being new to this forum - I am loving all of the great information that I am getting!! I have been searching through it for days! Thank you! Second - I have been trying to find out everything I can about Alien Bees and White Lightening lights. I just can't pull the trigger and need some help! I am trying to set up my studio - after renting lights everytime I need them. I want to stay under $1500 for most of the set up. If I go with the white lightening strobes - it doesn't leave a lot for everything else I need - sekonic meter, light stands, background stands, a few more backgrounds, and of course the light boxes - I love working with them -so they are mandatory for me. What can I do? I have tried to look for them used - no luck. I want to buy quality - but also have a some much to buy!!

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