Planning on getting AB800... but how many?

[350D_Noob]

Well, here is my situation. I'm looking into getting lighting equipement, but I'm not too sure on what to get. I've really been looking into getting Alien Bees. The AB800. My question is: How many should I get? My main reason to get lighting equipment is to shoot portraits. I was thinking just getting one light for now since I'm fairly new to the lighting phase of photography. Any suggestions would help.

I really don't want to get anything less than AB800. Reason I want this specific one is because I trust the brand and I have heard this light to be highly talked about. Also, I believe I should jsut dish out the money on the lighting equipment now.

[bolantej]

get one light, and a reflector/stand. it'll be plenty for basic portraits. you can do a lot with one light, if you're creative. get the big 60" umbrella if you want to do full body shots.

[StealthLude]

I bought one light at first with a 60" brolly. Its going to leave you wanting more. I did winter formal 2-4 people group shots and found 1 light to work well, but i wish i had 2-3 lights.

I am planning on getting 3 more AB800 units, and one AB800 Ring Flash to get the 20% acessory discount from them.

I would say get atleast two lights, and get the 13 foot regular stands. The 10 foot ones kinda suck IMO.

2 x AB800
2x 13 foot light stands (get air cushoned if you have the $) or 10 foot stands if your strapped for cash.
2 x 60" White Reflective / Shoot Throught Brollys
2 x Alien Bee Carrying Case (like 12 bucks each) I think there awsome, keep my lights clean and organized.
Ebay Radio Slave - I hate sync cord.
http://cgi.ebay.com/4-channel-Radio-Slave-Trigger-For-Strobe-and-Flashgun_W0QQitemZ180048802529QQihZ008QQcategoryZ3 0084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If I could do it all over, I would have gotten that for my first set.

I also got a formal Backdrop (10 foot x 20 foot) and a 12 foot wide backdrop suppory system from ebay for $200 bucks.

I got a complete setup I can go shoot with and actually make some money. And the cost of getting everything was decent compared to other gear out there.

[350D_Noob]

Remember, I'm still a noob to some of the terms when it comes to lighting. What's a brolly? And why does air cushioned matter?

For soft boxes, I don't think i'll be doing any full body shots... So what would be another size to work with?

[bolantej]

a brolly is like a shoot thru umbrella with a black backing on it to help prevent light spill. air cushioned stands keep the light from lowering too fast when making height adjustments. Of course, everyone would like a multi light setup, but I think it's best to start with one. don't forget to buy a light meter. it's made my life a lot easier.

[chtgrubbs]

I use anywhere from one to four lights for portraits. I all depends on the style and look you want. Generally for formal portraits I use at least three. Main, hair and background and use a reflector for fill. Using a separate light for fill will give you the most control.

[Wilt]

buy one first, to see how much light it puts out (or hope that someone can post a message with that information). There is such thing as buying too much power! See if one can permit you to shoot at ISO100 with a lens aperture of f/2 or f/2.8, so that you know you can use a wide aperture for DOF control when shooting an individual portrait.

[Kristy]

Okay, I'll give my 2-cents.... I'm just a couple steps ahead of you. I bought one AB80, a large softbox, and a reflector. I do portrait work on the side and decided it would be smart if I started with just one light and mastered it before adding another.

Well, I'm still learning and a bit frustrated by the lack of light opposite of my main light. I wish I would have started off with purchasing 2 lights because AB gives a discount if you by more than one at a time, right?

I think it's still important to understand how the light falls with a single strobe before adding a second, but I think that having the second for fill will save some frustration when you realize that the reflector just isn't cutting it.

Know what I mean... Sorry.. I'm sooo good a rambling on and on... I'll quit now.

Good luck on your decision.

ps... nice thing about the AB's is that you can use them on reduced power so you can set it to fire at as little as 1/8th power if you need to.

[Wilt]

ps... nice thing about the AB's is that you can use them on reduced power so you can set it to fire at as little as 1/8th power if you need to.


One thing to note about the AB800...dial down to 1/8 power results in -3EV of light. Other flash units often permit you to dial down -7EV of light! So you better be sure that the AB800 is low enough to begin with, to permit that ISO100 f/2.8 shot, or you may find that you really need to buy the more powerful unit because it permits a greater reduction of power... the 'more powerful' unit may truly output less light at its minimum setting!

[SkipD]

ps... nice thing about the AB's is that you can use them on reduced power so you can set it to fire at as little as 1/8th power if you need to.Correction needed.... AlienBees can be turned down to 1/32 of full power (5 stops of variable power level).

[Kristy]

Correction needed.... AlienBees can be turned down to 1/32 of full power (5 stops of variable power level).


Thanks! You see.. I own the thing and I can't recall how low they go without looking at it... That tells you how much I know about studio lighting. :)

Thanks for the correction Skip. :)