Cheap lighting question

[removed account4]

i kind of like my monolights
it is much easier to "dial down" the light
than it is to plug a head into the powerpack
and ditch it to "bleed-off" some of the light ..

 

[Thomassauerwein]

Ed, I had Normans and speedo's for a long time and your right their great. But now that I run my commercal side on location now I find the mono lights far more mobil and effeciant. Their light weight,set up quickly and are complete in individual cases for easy packing. The power packs are very heavy and take a lot of room and require more setup. They also pull more amp on a surge(20) than the momo's so your more subject to tripping circuits. In an established studio these issues are not a problem. But for someone going from location to location they can be a nightmare.

Michael, Your list is perfect, I still suggest that when your starting out that your a little more creative in solving the equipment bug. These other options give an individualized look to your effort at exacuting images.

 

[Thomassauerwein]

Ed, I had Normans and speedo's for a long time and your right their great. But now that I run my commercal side on location now I find the mono lights far more mobil and effeciant. Their light weight,set up quickly and are complete in individual cases for easy packing. The power packs are very heavy and take a lot of room and require more setup. They also pull more amp on a surge(20) than the momo's so your more subject to tripping circuits. In an established studio these issues are not a problem. But for someone going from location to location they can be a nightmare.

Michael, Your list is perfect, I still suggest that when your starting out that your a little more creative in solving the equipment bug. These other options give an individualized look to your effort at exacuting images.

 

[Ed Sukach]

Ed, I had Normans and speedo's for a long time and your right their great. The power packs are very heavy and take a lot of room and require more setup. They also pull more amp on a surge(20) than the momo's so your more subject to tripping circuits. In an established studio these issues are not a problem. But for someone going from location to location they can be a nightmare.

True that Normans and Speeds *are* heavy, but Dynalite M1000s are hardly heavier than some Monos. To me (n.b. "me"), the remote situation of the head/entire monolight is a consideration. One simply can not bury a monolite (sans remote control a' la White Lightning) in a light modifier - I use a BrittDome - or out on the end of a boom, or in sundry other places out there - and have reasonably intimate control over the flash output.

However, going back to "me", others will swear by monolights.
Y' pays yer money, and y' takes yer choice ... I really can't see a clear-cut winner here.

BTW -- I'm running two (2) Dynalite M1000x packs from one (1) 15A circuit - less than Dynalite lists for momentary surge to charge their caps - and I haven't tripped a circuit breaker once in - sheesh - it has been eleven years now, in my studio. Hasn't happend on location, either.

Be that as it may ... The first thing to take care of when visiting an unfamiliar location - no matter what flavor is used - is to locate the electrical service - just in case.

 

[Mark H]

I'm also new to the forums. I was using the Home Depot lighting with various diffusion techniques and finally decided to spend a bit more. I purchased a new Lowel DP(1ooo w hot light) for around $125, a used light stand ($25), and umbrella ($25). I position that to one side and bounce it off white foamcore (it helps to have an assistant) for fill light. Works great and is a good way to learn about basic lighting (I only shoot B & W). For small subjects (such as flowers) I prefer using a 100w halogen light ($12 at Targets) and shoot through an embroidery hoop ($1) lined with a plastic shopping bag ($0) pulled taut. The downside is having long exposures, so a tripod is necessary.
Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[yoda310]

Thanks again to everyone for all the help. This is more than I ever expected!

I agree that I will have to buy some "professional" lights at some point in the future, and I wil use the list Michael posted as a guide.

I am going to continue to experiment with a lot of different lights, and see what I can get. But I will invest in a good lighting system sometime in the near future.

 

[gocrawford]

I've found a lot of great used gear at B&H Photo. Last year I got a slightly used softbox, stand and Photoflex Starlite for under $200! You can search their used inventory here: http://www.bhphoto.com/

Also, you might find some ideas for cutting costs at my new web site for studio lighting at: http://www.studiolighting.net/

Regards,

-Bill

 

[Sherman]

I am going to continue to experiment with a lot of different lights, and see what I can get. But I will invest in a good lighting system sometime in the near future.

I'm a little late to this thread but just to toss in my $.02. If you can afford professional equipment get it. I think the Alien Bees monolights represent the best value right now for new pro monolights.

However... there are those who can't afford pro stuff immediately or are like me and would virtually never use it. There is nothing wrong with experimenting a bit with inexpensive equipment. I have also purchased a couple of Britek 120WS monolights for those rare times I'm shooting anything indoors. They were $89 US each and have a 150 watt halogen modeling lamp.

Shooting Portra 160 I get f11 when bouncing them off white umbrellas for a portrait. The lights are about 4-6 feet from the subject. I've also used them (just 2 lights) for group portraits of up to 8 people. I have to move the lights farther back and I only get f8 but for portraits that's small enough. In fact most of the time I'm doing a portrait I move the lights back or use the 1/2 power switch (not a lot of control range there!) to get f5.6 or f4.

More than one way to skin a cat I guess. Still if I thought I would use the lights more than half a dozen times per year I'd pay the money for Alien Bees 640WS lights I think.

Sherman

 

[livemoa]

I have experimented with the following (and it worked), use a large white plastic paint bucket , the big bucket sort, take a light fitting and then take the lid, cut a hole in lid to take the light fitting (also cut a series of smaller holes to act as heat vents), put 250-300 watt bulb in light fitting, put lid on, (with bulb inside), switch on, viola, cheap soft box.