Lighting Flash or Tungsten

[FlyingPete]

In this world of digital with customisable white balances, is there any reason to use fork up for standard flash gear when you can use normal tungten or theature lighting?

I have done some studio work, and used 500W Halogens (downside here is heat!), or sometimes compact fluros (nice and cool, and don't use that much power, need quite a few of them though!)

Whist it would be nice to have a full studio flash setup (and the metering to deal with it), can the same be done for less with nornal lighting?

Any thoughts?

[scottbergerphoto]

Tungsten lights are hot and can pose a fire hazard. In addition, cheap halogen flood lights are not uniform in color temperature and change over time. Hard to get any consisitency.
Scott

[FlyingPete]

Tungsten lights are hot and can pose a fire hazard. In addition, cheap halogen flood lights are not uniform in color temperature and change over time. Hard to get any consisitency.
Scott

What sort of time period does the colur vary over? During the couple of hours they are being used, or over a longer time due to aging. If it is the first, then I won't be using them again! I can possibly live with a slow change over time, as I set my White Balance manually each time anyway.

Don't get me wrong, some real studio lighting is on the 'To do' list, but I have more important purchases in the mean time, it is about number 3 after an D-SLR (next couple of weeks) and decent piece of L glass for general use.

Where to go will be the question then, studio lights and a meter, or a 550EX (580EX) and another 420EX (already have one), problem there is no modelling lights.

[scottbergerphoto]

I don't use Halogens, but I've read that there is alot of variation from bulb to bulb making it hard to get your white balance right.

Your choice for lighhting depends on how you will use them. If you are going to be mostly in one place, monolights or heads/packs is the way to go. They have power, modeling lights, and many attachments as modifiers. I have a set of SP Excalibur 3200's for the little studio work that I do. There are much better: Speedotron, ProPhoto, Elinchrome, Novatron ($$$$$$$)

I do alot of portable portraits. For that I use two 550EX's and a 420EX in wireless ETTL. I am about to switch the 420 for another 550 to get more light for the background. I use one 550 on a lightstand(Key), one on the camera(fill), and the 420(550) for the background.
Regards,
Scott

[robertwgross]

Where to go will be the question then, studio lights and a meter, or a 550EX (580EX) and another 420EX (already have one), problem there is no modelling lights.

Canon EX flash units like those all have modeling flash mode.

---Bob Gross---

[scottbergerphoto]

Where to go will be the question then, studio lights and a meter, or a 550EX (580EX) and another 420EX (already have one), problem there is no modelling lights.

Canon EX flash units like those all have modeling flash mode.

---Bob Gross---
Bob,
The modeling light function on the EX units is a joke. It can't be used (at least by me) to get any sort of accurate look at the lighting and shadows. I take a few pictures until I get what I like on the LCD and histogram, and then leave the flashes in position.
Scott

[robertwgross]

The modeling light function on the EX units is a joke. It can't be used (at least by me) to get any sort of accurate look at the lighting and shadows. I take a few pictures until I get what I like on the LCD and histogram, and then leave the flashes in position.


Oh, you want an accurate modeling light?

I've found the modeling light to be better than nothing, but not much better.

I think it flickers at 70 Hertz for a second, or something like that.

Why is it that our little discussions are always centered around flash photography?

---Bob Gross---

[scottbergerphoto]

Why is it that our little discussions are always centered around flash photography?

---Bob Gross---
Because getting a good ambient light exposure is easy. :wink:
Scott