To Power Pack or Not to Power Pack??

[jr_ptm]

I am looking at purchasing some studio/portable lighting options, and my question is do I need to buy a system/set-up with a power pack? Why or why not?

I searched through the forums and found a great deal of information and suggestions regarding studio lighting set-ups, brands, etc., but couldn't seem to come up with anything specific on the topic of using/not using a power pack with the system.

Any suggestions and/or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Joe

[Asylum Steve]

Your post is a little vague, but I assume you mean a studio flash system (power pack and seperate flash heads) versus monolights (self contained individual flashes).

When it comes to these light choices, deciding which way to go can be real difficult for an emerging photographer. Usually the largest factor is money (or at least available money to begin with), but how many flash units you need, how you plan to use your lights and especially whether you intend to work in a fixed indoor space or travel on location a great deal are all important considerations when choosing your lights.

Both studio systems and monolights have advantages and weaknesses...

A studio system with a power pack will surely cost you much more money up front, but generally gives you more flash power, and if you plan on eventually getting many flash heads, could well be cheaper in the long run (the power pack is the main expense and adding heads is realatively cheap).

Studio flash heads, because they do not need a contained power supply, are also lighter and easier to work with than monolights. Again, the more flash heads you use, the more you'll benefit from this.

A good studio power pack gives you a lot of flexibility in how your heads are powered. This can make creating light ratios and solving studio lighting challenges easier than with seperate monolights. You also do not have to worry about any kind of slave situation, as all heads are triggered by the same source.

Now, for a shooter whom usually only needs two or three lights (and that includes me), monolights are a more practical choice for a several reasons. One, your first unit (which you can do many creative things with), money wise will usually run a third, quarter, or even less of the cost of a basic studio system with one head. Obviously, this allows you to get started on a much smaller budget.

With monolights, you can choose how many you want to set up for a shot. If you just need one light, you only need set up one monolight. With a studio system, you need the entire rig even to use one head. This may not be a big deal in the studio, but on location, it can make a difference.

Also, if you have problems with a studio system power pack, your entire lighting setup is out of commission until it's fixed. If a single monolight craps out (assuming you have more than one), at least you still have options and can usually still light a scene.

[jr_ptm]

Your post is a little vague, but I assume you mean a studio flash system (power pack and seperate flash heads) versus monolights (self contained individual flashes).

When it comes to these light choices, deciding which way to go can be real difficult .....

Steve -

GREAT information! Thanks very much for taking the time to outline and describe everything. Not only did you answer my basic question as to the differences between power pack and monolight set-ups (even if I was a little vague - sorry.. ), but you spoke right to the heart of the matter, which for me is portability and cost. I don't have, and will not have in the immediate future, a studio option so I will be traveling with the lights (only needing 2 -3 like you) and since I am watching the budget as well, monolights it is!

I've seen some posts recommending Alien Bees and White Lightning as having good products, but if you or anyone else has other "brand" recommendations I'd be happy to hear them.

Thanks again for the response and info.

Joe

[Irakly Shanidze]

In my own work I wound the only instance when a powerpack would be really welcome. Imagine you have one monolightlight on a ten feet boom above a model and another one with a slide projector connected to it twenty feet away from your camera, and you need to quickly change intensity of them both.