Question on AlienBee B800...

[AlexisG]

Im a little confused... On the Alien Bee website it mentions that the B800 is 800 watts but then it says 320 true ws. Does anybody know what that means? Is it 800 watts or 320 watts?

[RichNY]

320 ws

[magicmikey]

It is 320 watt seconds (not just watts.) The 800 watt seconds is the "equivalent" factor. It's better to ignore that.

Michael

[FlashZebra]

It is 320 Watt Seconds.

The 800 Watt Second rating is derived my measuring with a very rubbery yardstick.

Enjoy! Lon

[SkipD]

Even the "true" watt-second rating of a flash unit is not a perfect way to compare the lighting power of competitive flash units. The watt-second rating is only a measure of how much energy is stored in the flash unit's capacitor(s) - ultimately to be dumped into the flash tube.

There are many other variables besides the energy stored in the capacitors such as the reflector design, flash tube design, etc., which affect the amount of light (per unit of surface area) falling on the subject.

[FlashZebra]

Even the "true" watt-second rating of a flash unit is not a perfect way to compare the lighting power of competitive flash units. The watt-second rating is only a measure of how much energy is stored in the flash unit's capacitor(s) - ultimately to be dumped into the flash tube.

There are many other variables besides the energy stored in the capacitors such as the reflector design, flash tube design, etc., which affect the amount of light (per unit of surface area) falling on the subject.
A measuring system need not be perfect to still provide utility.

Despite some legitimate things that cannot be totally quantified, the amount of energy a power pack stores in it's capacitors is by far the most useful tool to compare power of various studio flash units.

This is especially true since most of these devices both store and dispense this power in an almost identical manner, to flash tubes that are all based on about the exact same technology.

In my experience with numerous packs from Speedotron, Novatron, White Lightning, and Alien Bee. The units "true" Watt-second rating provided a very good measure to gauge the units actual power (yes, even between brands).

Enjoy! Lon

[Ronald S. Jr.]

:|












Way over my head.

[Longwatcher]

One thing I like about AB's is if you explore the site you can find guide numbers and f-stop at distance versus various light modifiers. That is also handy info when deciding which light within a brand to get.

Paul Buff is also very customer friendly and does not mind pointing out the negatives in terms of light of his lights (although he also points out how all lights of similar value and higher usually also have the same problems ).

[AlexisG]

So...basically the AB800 is actually 320 watt seconds...why not just label them that way? It get's really confusng for a newbie like me. So when purchasing a light I should pay more attention to the output of the light; which is the true watt seconds, right?

[SkipD]

So...basically the AB800 is actually 320 watt seconds...why not just label them that way? It get's really confusng for a newbie like me. So when purchasing a light I should pay more attention to the output of the light; which is the true watt seconds, right?The watt seconds rating is an electrical measurement - how much energy is stored in the capacitors. You can have several lights from different manufacturers with the same 320 watt seconds power rating but with significantly different light levels (distributed over various angles of dispersion as well). They will be closer to each other than a 100 watt second light, for example, but there is no standard measurement that is simple to compare when choosing between the different brands (and even between significantly different models within a manufacturer's lineup) unless they all do the kind of reporting that AlienBees does by using a light meter at a published distance with various kinds of modifiers (reflectors, umbrellas, softboxes, etc.) involved in the tests.

[PacAce]

:|












Way over my head.

Me: What is?

Ronald: Yup, that's right. It' way over my head.

Me: What is? :confused:

Ronald: Yes. Watt is way over my head. :evil:

Me: Why are you asking me? I asked you first. :rolleyes:

Ronald: :confused:


;) :lol: Sorry, I couldn't resist. :lol: