AB800 To Much or To Little?

[extrememc]

My studio is in my one car garage. My posing area is 9'Wx15L. I have a overall space of 13x15. I ordered a AB800 and a 24x36 softbox for my studio. Will the 800 be to much power for my studio?

[PacAce]

You can never have too much light as far as I'm concerned. You can always decrease your light output if you need less light but if you need more than what your strobe can output, you're going to be in a pickle. :)

[winky]

My studio is in my one car garage. My posing area is 9'Wx15L. I have a overall space of 13x15. I ordered a AB800 and a 24x36 softbox for my studio. Will the 800 be to much power for my studio?


I to am learning to shoot with strobes. I order 4 AB800 unit and the ABR800 AlienBees Ringflash. Someone will surely correct me if I am wrong. I think you should be alright with the AB800 in your studio. And you can dial down the power on your AB800 if you think you have to much power. Again I am learning also.

[XTshooter]

You'll be fine with the AB800. We use a set of three of those for some of our on-location shoots (background, key and fill). I wouldn't worry about it being too powerful for your space. As mentioned, you can always dial the power down. At some locations I need a little more power out of the Bee's, so I typically just bump the ISO up to 160 and they're fine. Good luck!

[sswanson]

I've found that in virtually all scenarios but large groups and outdoors, 800 is far more than I have needed, and in some cases is too much. This doesn't mean you won't be able to do what you want, just that you may have to stop it down a lot - and perhaps end up showing stray wrinkles which would have been better hidden. I shoot mainly portraits, where a short DOF is often desired, and with at least the 800W mono-lights from white lightning, I'm not always able to cut back the power enough to be able to open up the aperture as I'd like.

Your use and mileage may vary, but once I'm no longer using the equipment from my school, I'll be buying no more than 400WS lights.

[extrememc]

Thanks everyone for your reply. I was worried because I read a few post where people where having to shoot at high aperture which cause them to lost there DOF.

In a two light config. 1 being AB w/softbox and one being a flash in manual pointed at a silver umbrella for a portrait shot. What would you place your lights?

[TMR Design]

You can turn down the power on your B800's but don't forget that you can also control the quantity of light mechanically with things such as barn doors and ND gels. Beyond about 1/8 power the tracking of the modeling lights becomes less accurate and you're not really getting a true WYSIWYG.

[BrianAZ]

sswanson,

For your portraits, what modifier are you using for your key light? I was thinking of the AB800 with a Octobox or large softbox. Can you get acceptable results for portraits using an AB400 and this modifier?

[Curtis N]

Your use and mileage may vary, but once I'm no longer using the equipment from my school, I'll be buying no more than 400WS lights.Just so we don't get confused here, I'll point out that the AlienBee 800 is a 320WS light.

[sswanson]

In a two light config. 1 being AB w/softbox and one being a flash in manual pointed at a silver umbrella for a portrait shot. What would you place your lights?

Sounds like you are in need of a lighting tutorial. Start online, but then look for a good introduction to studio portraiture in some more complete form such as by taking a class or buying a text.

I found Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait to be a good text on this topic. Or you can find some more limited resources online. Google will be your friend on this one, but as a starting point try this: http://www.google.com/search?q=portrait+lighting+setup&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[sswanson]

Just so we don't get confused here, I'll point out that the AlienBee 800 is a 320WS light.

Thanks for the correction Curtis.

[sswanson]

For your portraits, what modifier are you using for your key light? I was thinking of the AB800 with a Octobox or large softbox. Can you get acceptable results for portraits using an AB400 and this modifier?

I've never used the AB400 so would have to let others chime in on that. Howver, I have found you can get excellent portraits with virtually any setup, as long as you understand it and know how to use it. Knowledge is indeed power!

I've been very impressed with the results from simply using a 42" white umbrella, or a strobe on a stand. There hasn't been a (reasonable) set of equipment I've encountered yet where a good portrait wasn't possible.


My $.02

[DocFrankenstein]

I'd have to agree with the point about the pickle raised in post #2.

You have to figure out what you're using the lights for. If it's just headshots, then even vivitars at 1/16 power give you f/8 when the brolly is in the face. So if that's all you're shooting then get the 400 and you'll do OK.

If you get 800 or 1600 bees and only shoot portraits you're gonna be losing out, because there might be too much light even at the lowest setting. You'll still be able to knock down the light by using:

ND filters on camera, but good ones cost and you won't be able to AF as fast.

ND filters on the flash, which will kill your already weak modeling lights.

So it all depends on what you shoot. Now I got a pack which outputs a minimum of 1200 true WS, which is like 4 B800 on full power. I got a 4 stop ND gel for 8 bucks and now can use it no problem.

And if I ever want to photograph a live performance with lights I know I'll have enough power with a guide number of 560 feet distributed to a max of 5 heads.

[PacAce]

Just so we don't get confused here, I'll point out that the AlienBee 800 is a 320WS light.
And to add further to the confusion, that's 320 True Ws vs 800 Effective Ws. :)

[Longwatcher]

As he who shoots with AB400, 800 and 1600 (2 each I possess)

It depends on what aperture you plan to shoot at and how far away or close you want your lights to be.

For example, I find the AB400s in a AB softbox to be perfect at f5.6 at about 8-10 feet from flash-tube of light to subject. However even with those lights I need to put a 3-stop ND filter on my 85/f1.2 to shoot at f2.0 which is where I like my head shots at. Even with my camera and this lens, I have trouble focusing occasionally with that ND filter on.

Meanwhile shooting stage rehersal shots, my AB1600's with just the 7" reflector were not really enough for what I wanted, but they worked okay at f5.6 and wider open, which limited what I could do.

Just my experience,

[Curtis N]

the AB400s in a AB softbox to be perfect at f5.6 at about 8-10 feet from flash-tube of light to subject. However even with those lights I need to put a 3-stop ND filter on my 85/f1.2 to shoot at f2.0 which is where I like my head shots at. Even with my camera and this lens, I have trouble focusing occasionally with that ND filter on.One of us is missing something. The difference between f/5.6 and f/2 is three stops. The ABs have adjustable power over a five-stop range, correct? I don't understand the need for the ND filter, unless you're also moving the light a lot closer.

[Tareq]

This lightings learning is very difficult.
I have total 2000 true Ws, i use 1 head for some fun, then i add the the other head for more control like to have fill or backlit, i get sometimes too bright sometimes dark, it is all depend on f-stop and the distance between the lights and the subject, i work with all these factors but i don't know when or at what point i am doing fine, i keep shooting all ways and not sure which shot is to be considered as good, many portraits i see with all the face exposureed, others with some shadows, some with half face light, so i don't know what best lights on face i should go with, i direct the flash to the sides [45 degree], to the front, to the sides [60-90 degrees], i gnored about hair and background and working only with main and fill, but i can't tell when i have successful good enough.

[extrememc]

These are no contest photos, but this is what I have done with just a 100 watt strobe with softbox and a SB-25 shot into a silver umbrella. SB was set to 1/4 power and 100w strobe full. 100w was main light and SB was fill. I think I could have used a reflector on the left side to fill those shadows. I had the SB about 4' from subject. Subject was 5' from seamless paper. Mainlight was 15' from background. Haven't been edit, but resize using MS Picture Manager. Advice is well appreciated. Thanks

Here is a link to the 100w strobe
http://www.adorama.com/LTBKB.html?searchinfo=Adorama%20Studio%20Light&item_no=6

[Longwatcher]

One of us is missing something. The difference between f/5.6 and f/2 is three stops. The ABs have adjustable power over a five-stop range, correct? I don't understand the need for the ND filter, unless you're also moving the light a lot closer.

Logic stream:
Part the first.........
Given that...
- I only have so much room in my studio space to place the lights.
- AB's Main at 1/2 power, Fill at 1/8th Power. Lowest setting is 1/32nd or at most 2-stops for the fill.
- AB's (and almost all but the very best and most expensive lights) become slightly unstable below 1/8th power settings, up to +/- 0.3EV at 1/32nd. Not to mention the slight color temp variation that goes with it.
Thus The first part of the equation is even with AB400's inside of a softbox, I can't adjust the light down far enough and minimum is to be avoided anyway to get consistent results.

Part the second.......
- I have 2 hours to catch as many good shots as I can of a model (if she shows up on time). She has to do at least one costume change 10-20 minutes and paperwork, makeup touchup, lighting checks take another 15 minutes typically. Adjusting the lights (other then lower/raise the stand) requires getting out my light meter to make sure everything is set correctly. If I trust the radio remotes (and they have been fairly good since I figured out the trick to them), I could use them to adjust the light fairly quickly, but I am lazy and hate rechanging the batteries (10-12 AA batteries required) before each session so don't use the radio remotes, plus see part the first.

So the only time I adjust my lights is during the costume change and this is also when I swap backdrops (I like the Bogen autopole kit I got recently - saves much time on this) because I only have a little less then an hour and half to get a good set of shots that show off the model at his/her best.

Given adjusting lights down is somewhat bad and given the time to change lights. It is much much faster to just leave the ND filter on my 85/1.2 and swap my 28-70/2.8 lens out for my 85/1.2 when doing headshots. I can do this is mere moments and typically once per costume set. The only catch is remembering to change the aperture setting of the camera.

If I were doing set portraits, then usually not a problem as I can adjust the lights accordingly and don't need the ND filter on the 85/1.2.

Just what I do.

[Curtis N]

Thanks for the insights, Longwatcher.
If I understand correctly, it appears that using a lower-powered light for the fill would give you a little more adjustment lattitude without getting into the flaky range below 1/8 power. This would, of course, require proportionately-powered modeling lights also.

The disadvantages of ND filters for viewing and focusing are often mentioned, but it occured to me that a 3-stop ND filter on a f/1.2 lens would give you more light than a f/4 lens without the filter (sometimes it helps when I actually think about these things).

[DocFrankenstein]

Do you find proportional modeling lights actually useful?

I have tried them a couple times and my eyes still don't see the same as the camera. Or is there a learning curve to them?

Thanks

[Curtis N]

Do you find proportional modeling lights actually useful?Moi?

I don't have enough experience with studio lights to know how useful they would be. But since most monolights are made with the option to have the modeling lights automatically adjust with the flash power, I'm assuming it's important to some people.

[awad]

i just keep my modeling lights on full power all the time.

[TMR Design]

Hi DocFrankenstein,

I use modeling lights all the time and find them to be incredibly useful. I have a balanced set of strobes I never have to fire test shots to see what it's going to look like or to check the histogram. I love that can set up the shot, create whatever lighting I want see it exactly as the camera will, metering once and firing off the shot. I'm not sure if I would say there is a learning curve but if you eliminate other light, be in ambient or room lighting, and look at your modeling lights you'll find they are showing you exactly what you're going to get when you fire the strobe. The more you work with them and really see the highlights and shadows being created by the main light and then controlling those shadows with the fill light, well, it's an eye opener and you don't have to take test shots.

[NorCalAl]

I don't know, mc. Little more light on the faces, imo. I have the same strobe you do - waiting now for a lightstand and the softbox. I'm going to use my 430EX with it as well. If I need to, I'm going to get at least one more of the strobes with an umbrella and stand with a boom. Still be cheaper than one AB400.

[extrememc]

I don't know, mc. Little more light on the faces, imo. I have the same strobe you do - waiting now for a lightstand and the softbox. I'm going to use my 430EX with it as well. If I need to, I'm going to get at least one more of the strobes with an umbrella and stand with a boom. Still be cheaper than one AB400.

I was more shocked that I set them up and had no blow highlights when looking in bridge. I haven't done any PP work on these photos. Anymore cc is welcomed.

Modeling Light. I assume that this light is suppose to allow u to see the same results as if your strobe fired or like continues lights. Well I have a modeling light on my 100w that I use for main and I can't see my result before hand when using it. What the deal with that?