Studio Lights for 10D

[eikon]

I have just purchased a 10D and 550EX Speedlite.

I am wanting to set up a small digital studio to do product photography (Laptops, PCs and food packaging mainly).

Can anyone advise me what studio lights etc would best suit table top product photography. Have I needlessly bought a 550EX Speedlite? What other equipment must I purchase to acheive evenly lit product shots?

Many thanks, in advance, to those who can part some knowledge my way!

Jon.

[daveh]

One or more 550s (and/or 420s) should do a nice job. Studio lights will be more powerful and quicker to recharge but that probably won't matter all that much since you're illuminating such a small space. The main thing with any lighting source is deciding how to use it to show off the product. Which devices actually makes the light is a fairly minor consideration compared to how you modify it, point it, blend it etc.

Some people like hot (continuous) lights for this situation though they do have their drawbacks. Is there anything specific you were wondering about?

[raymond_anthony]

go with alien bees. we did and have been very impressed.

[eikon]

Thanks Daveh

As I am not a photographer, but a designer, I'm not sure what to ask really. I thought getting a digital camera would be the whole solution (Hopeful thinking!).

I am trying to get shots which have very even light all over the product. No heavy shaded areas anywhere on the product and no harsh highlights. I can add these later in Photoshop.

The reason I got the Speedlite was the ETTL feature. Great for a novice like me I thought. If I bought another and had small softboxes on each, could I have them both off camera via an infra red link and acheive what I'm aiming for?

Flash seems a bit complicated for novices. Am I best looking at hot lights, as you suggested, to see the lighting before I take the shot?

Best Regards, Jon.

[daveh]

"Harshness" of light is usually a quality associated with a small light source. Of course, most light sources that we use are small so the trick is to enlarge it with a diffuser, or bounce. (Specific gadgets are diffuser panels, soft boxes, umbrellas or even a ceiling.) Then you generally want this newly enlarged virtual light source to be quite near the item photographed so that it is very large relative to the object.

When I say softbox I'm thinking of something like 30" x 40". When you say small softbox you could mean one of those tiny tiny things they sell for hotshoe flashes. If you want really soft light you want big and you want it close (possibly closer than the camera.)

Are you using the modeling light on your 550? You have to look quick but you can spot a lot of problems with it. Have you tried adding some reflectors to fill the dark areas? These don't need to be fancy photographic reflectors - a couple of $3 sheets of foam core from the local arts and crafts store can work wonders.

Hotlights are a little easier but you'll be dealing with thousands of watts of heat, you'll probably need to shoot on a tripod because they're still relatively dim, and sometimes color corrections can be a bother. (For example if your product has any kind of display that creates it's own light, color correcting for the hot lights will also shift it way towards blue.)

Monolights are nice because the have a continuous modeling light plus the flash.

[SteveCliff]

daveh wrote:
Are you using the modeling light on your 550?

Errr, modelling light ? On a 550 flashgun ? I suspect not! ;-)

[daveh]

SteveCliff wrote:
Errr, modelling light ? On a 550 flashgun ? I suspect not! ;-)


When you press the DOF preview button on the camera, the 550 strobes at 70Hz for one second. Not quite a nice as a full-time modeling light, but quite useful.

[cowman345]

my 420EX has a modeling light too... i was very impressed with this feature!

[SteveCliff]

Well I never! I do apologise Dave - I have never come across that feature before.

Time to dig out the flash manual again i think!

Sorry for (temporarily) misleading you cowman345.

Cheers,
Steve.

[lziering]

The modeling light on the 550ex can be fired by pushing the "Stop Down" button on the camera body. It is not a true modeling light in that it produces a few seconds of rapid strobing of the flash. It gives you some idea of how the scene will look but it is not an easy way to adjust umbrellas, softboxes, reflectors, etc.

I would suggest getting one of those little light tents that is made of dfffusion fabric. It will provide a very even lighting for shooting small products.

[mrbobco]

i agree with raymond...the alien bees is a great and (sort of) not terribly expensive investment that you will not regret...i have found that i've even been able to use it in tandem with my 550 with very good results...plus if you start with the smaller output strobes they'll upgrade your strobe to a more powerful strobe for a minimal cost...

(plus it does REALLY have a modelling light :)

bob

[deztoys]

Does anyone know of a discount place for Alien Bees? I checked out the web site and ebay, but it doesn't seem they are very well represented at the normal discount places for photo gear.

Scott

[robertwgross]

lziering wrote:
The modeling light on the 550ex can be fired by pushing the "Stop Down" button on the camera body. It is not a true modeling light in that it produces a few seconds of rapid strobing of the flash. It gives you some idea of how the scene will look but it is not an easy way to adjust umbrellas, softboxes, reflectors, etc.

I would suggest getting one of those little light tents that is made of dfffusion fabric. It will provide a very even lighting for shooting small products.

According to the book, the modeling light on the 550EX flash can be fired by pushing the Depth of Field Preview button on the camera body. It produces one second of 70 Hz strobing of the flash.

---Bob Gross---

[brunz]

Alien Bees are a subdivision of White Lightning out of Nashville. They do not sell through retailers. You must buy from them direct but they are very reasonable.

[richardshipp]

They are only sold directly from the manufacturer. It is the same company that makes White Lightnings. Top notch customer service and quality.
I live in a suburb of Nashville and visit their offices quite often and would suggest their products to anyone!

[Rudi]

I have agonised over a similar decision the past few months, and finally decided to go with the Bowens Esprit II DX Digital 500 monoblocs. Although a little more than Alien Bees or similar, I decided that the extra cost was well justified considering the ease of use, added flexibility (more power if needed, can be dialled down from full to 1/32 if only a little light is required) and the fact that it will be spread over a lifetime of use. The Bowens are VERY consistent (+/- 0.05 of a stop) and accurate (can be adjusted to 1/10 of a stop). Great modelling light makes all the diffeence and they recycle FAST! All in all, I cannot say enough good things about them... :)

[brunz]

I have used White Lightnings for about 15 years and they have been very reliable(0 repairs). They have great customer service if you ever need it and are built better than the Alien Bees. They have fans and infinite power settings. In my opinion, they are the tough to beat. A lot of companies have copied their monolights and features over the last 10 years. If you get in Nashville, it's worth a visit. I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Alien Bees line either but they are not made for everyday studio use or rough service.

[daveh]

Rudi wrote:
Although a little more than Alien Bees or similar, I decided that the extra cost was well justified considering the ease of use, added flexibility (more power if needed, can be dialled down from full to 1/32 if only a little light is required)

Just to make sure that doesn't confuse anyone: Alien Bees can be dialed down to 1/32 too and some White Lightnings and be dialed down to 1/128.

[eikon]

Thanks for the reply Bob.

I'm going for the Alien Bees I think. Do you use two in addition to your Speedlite 500EX, and if so, can you explain your set up please.

Thanks, Jon.

[Rudi]

daveh wrote:
Rudi wrote:
Although a little more than Alien Bees or similar, I decided that the extra cost was well justified considering the ease of use, added flexibility (more power if needed, can be dialled down from full to 1/32 if only a little light is required)

Just to make sure that doesn't confuse anyone: Alien Bees can be dialed down to 1/32 too and some White Lightnings and be dialed down to 1/128.


Thanks for that. I wasn't sure - one of the brands I considered were the Elinchrom range, but some of them can only be turned down to 1/4 or 1/8 of max power, and that was not enough for me. They have other great features, such as amazingly brief flash duration, but you just cannot turn them down far enough... :(

[fat bloke]

you could just move the elimcroms further away......

[Rudi]

... not if you don't have the room... :)

[brunz]

Another new feature of the White Lightnings and Alien Bees is their new battery packs for areas with no AC outlets. The battery pack is about $350 but you can use them anywhere outdoors or indoors and no cord to trip over. I've been waiting for years for White Lightning to come out with this feature. Another good reason to go with them....Alien Bees use the same battery outfit.

[huzzar]

Hi Rudy, does this system use "cables" or is the trigger - remote, infra-red, radio ??

[Rudi]

The Bowens came with the standard sync cable each, but you can purchase a Bowens IR trigger (and extra-sensitive receiver for long distance triggering) - not needed for normal indoor triggering, as the strobes are very IR sensitive anyway). You can also get third-party radio triggers.