Price not being a factor which studio lights are the best?

[Franko515]

As in the title which studio lights are the best.

Which are the most adjustable, which have the most constant color, which has the best modifiers?

Elinchrom, Profoto, Hensel, Broncolor?

Thanks in advance for and feedback

[hawk911]

that's like asking which oil to use in your sports car...:p

[pepperoni]

that's like asking which oil to use in your sports car...:p

Mobil 1 synthetic. :D

[hawk911]

Michael, if Frank Doorhof chimes in, he might have a very informed opinion based on his shooting experience level.

[silvex]

that's like asking which oil to use in your sports car...:p

Cold pressed extra-virgin ...:) Great question, since I am about to add to samy's IRA in santa ana, ca for a strobe kit...:)

[tutumon]

All the brands you have listed are used by top professionals all over the world. All of them have a full family of modifiers and accessories. It'd be hard to get a very honest answer to your question from anybody since not many people would have worked extensively with all of the mentioned brands.

[Franko515]

that's like asking which oil to use in your sports car...:p

Too broad a questions huh :o

ok, i will settle for the limits of your light set-up.

What are the limits if any of your light setup and what could you do or buy to remedy that limit?

[evolved]

Michael, if Frank Doorhof chimes in, he might have a very informed opinion based on his shooting experience level.


I'm sure Frank's opinion will be a slightly biased one since he's paid to shoot elinchroms

[Col_M]

Elinchrom, Profoto, Hensel, Broncolor?

Thanks in advance for and feedback
Missed Bowens there.

As to which ones are best, I don't know but I'd imagine they're all damn good.

[NZDoug]

Broncolor.
If theyre working 8-10 hours everyday, year after year, these work work consistently well.

[hawk911]

I'm sure Frank's opinion will be a slightly biased one since he's paid to shoot elinchroms

Well, he sure earns it. He's got some great stuff.

[Jarrad]

Stephen Eastwood says:

As far as brands, I think it goes like this

Best broncolor verso packs,
than profoto 7 series
Profoto D4
Elinchrom
hensel
balcar
speedotron blackline pack and heads and mono force series
comet
White lightening zeus 2400ws pack head system
dynalite pack head systems
calumet/bowens
White lightening Zeus 1200 ws pack head system
White lightening monos
alienbee
Norman
Speedotron brownline
dynalite monos
jtl
sp Excalibur
novatron
britek
interfit

:)

[TooManyHobbies]

Stephen Eastwood says:



:)


I think the Zeus is a little misleading in this list. Ther power level of the pack doesn't affect quality just power. I have several packs of the 2 different power levels. The step up would be the bi-tube verses the single for faster recharge times.

[NZDoug]

Broncolor cost heeps!
The glass that protects the flash tube looks like a 10 cent drinking glass from China but cost over $100 at B+H, even.

[CPO_USN]

Franko515 go to http://www.scottkelby.com/he did a whole week of differnet lighting gear about a month ago. just look thru March archive starting on the 18th has a whole devoted differnt light setups and price points

[Franko515]

Thanks for the input so far. Looks like Broncolor is champ (besides cost) but I will probably go with the elinchrom rx (i think thats the one). I am just starting to save for studio lights and wanted to know what my goal was (got price things now).

Again thanks and anymore input is welcome

[Franko515]

^^^Thanks :cool:^^^^^

[NZDoug]

Ive got 1 1500 watt Elinchrome monobloc, 3 x 500 watt and onw 250 w/boxes ,umbrellas and grids back in 1994. If Im working I go thru a flashtube per unit every 3- 4 years. Theyre still going strong, a few dents and memories.
I agree with theusername.
Im the main stringer for a commercial studio who use Broncolor and Profoto.
The Broncolor are amazing for consistant color balance and grunt.

[Franko515]

I will probably go with a set-up LIKE THIS (http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2008/archives/1155#comments) and continue to use my 580EX IIs for location lighting.

Thanks again for all the feedback :D

[disneydork06]

ooh, elinchroms are nice. they did a little show and let us test out some lights here at my school. I want their ringlight with the ranger rx as pack.

[NZDoug]

Profoto dont impress me.
Too Speedotron.........

[Tareq]

I was dreaming to get Bronocolor, but the price itself alone making me to get blind and act as i never heard about it.
I was confusing about the lights in the past also, but i went to Hensel as i feel it is one great brand with many accessories after i saw the catalogue and that modeling light of 300 Watt making me to lean more toward Hensel, and i am very happy with it and i am looking to add more heads of this brand.

[Franko515]

I was dreaming to get Bronocolor, but the price itself alone making me to get blind and act as i never heard about it.
I was confusing about the lights in the past also, but i went to Hensel as i feel it is one great brand with many accessories after i saw the catalogue and that modeling light of 300 Watt making me to lean more toward Hensel, and i am very happy with it and i am looking to add more heads of this brand.

Hensel huh? I will have a look at the site and see what they have to offer.

Thanks Tareq

[Permagrin]

when we finish our lighting set-up, we're going with the wescott spiderlite's. We prefer the constant (not hot) light to strobes.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/510177-REG/Westcott_4881A_Spiderlite_TD5_Small_1.html

[Tareq]

Hensel huh? I will have a look at the site and see what they have to offer.

Thanks Tareq

ok, and i hope you can find something decent.
and good luck with any brand you will get. :)

[Franko515]

when we finish our lighting set-up, we're going with the wescott spiderlite's. We prefer the constant (not hot) light to strobes.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/510177-REG/Westcott_4881A_Spiderlite_TD5_Small_1.html

I thought about these spiderlites, but then the power issue came into play. The shutter speeds need be slower as a result of the power issue, which can introduce motion blur (i.e. toddlers, kids, jumping adults).

I may get one to play with next tax season, but for know im saving for elinchrom or maybe Hensel (gotta go look em up ;))

[CPO_USN]

Glad all the info came in handy Franko515

[Franko515]

Glad all the info came in handy Franko515

Yeah it did, thanks for that link ;)

I had seen it when it was first posted on his site, but forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder :D

[NZDoug]

I was at a Broncolor demo 5 years ago and this
https://www.bron.ch/bc_pd_ps_en/detail.php?nr=2784, stand and head not included, was $18,000 Kiwi. But what a light!
Its only $8,100 at B+H, you lucky guys.....

[gkas]

What about Briese? They get used for both still and movie. And, when you rent them (even Playboy can't afford to buy them), they come with a tech support guy. http://www.briese-studios.de/eng/licht/start.html

[NZDoug]

Cool bananas.
All this stuff is the promised land of heavy duty.

[hastur]

I was at a Broncolor demo 5 years ago and this
https://www.bron.ch/bc_pd_ps_en/detail.php?nr=2784, stand and head not included, was $18,000 Kiwi. But what a light!
Its only $8,100 at B+H, you lucky guys.....

I just looked that up at B&H. The $8100 is just the umbrella :eek:. That's twice what my car is worth. I probably won't be buying it anytime soon, I have a 430EX that will have to do. :lol:

[Lotto]

I heard many working pros recommend Profoto because it is the brand most rental shop carry in most major cities.

[Franko515]

I heard many working pros recommend Profoto because it is the brand most rental shop carry in most major cities.

Makes sense :D

[silvex]

I heard many working pros recommend Profoto because it is the brand most rental shop carry in most major cities.

I attended a lighting workshop and we were using profotos. Pretty powerful strobes. The teacher also was on the premise to have spare powers and not needing more.

[hawk911]

so the question still is how much is enough. If you always shoot at 90-100% on a D2, then a D4 would probably be better for you. If you always shoot at 10% of a D4, wouldn't a D2 be better? The adjust seems more in line in the 10% scenario to use a D2 and go to 60-90%. I think the harder "fix" is to stop down or modify enough to make the D4 usable. If you don't have height, then you can't pull lights back far enough to still preserve your lighting position using a D4.

Is my logic correct, or am I way off base?

[ben_r_]

I have always thought of Norman as one of the best. Thats what I would buy anyway.

[DocFrankenstein]

Broncolor.
If theyre working 8-10 hours everyday, year after year, these work work consistently well.
Broncolor is best for light quality.

Profoto is best for rentals and powerpacks.

Doorhof is sponsored by elinchromes and before chromes he shot with an obscure "cheap" brand of some sort while still producing good results.

If you don't shoot day in and day out, elinchromes is probably the most sensible choice, but they're starting to branch out into the amateur market with their RX line and I don't like that too much.

[Franko515]

Broncolor is best for light quality.

Profoto is best for rentals and powerpacks.

Doorhof is sponsored by elinchromes and before chromes he shot with an obscure "cheap" brand of some sort while still producing good results.

If you don't shoot day in and day out, elinchromes is probably the most sensible choice, but they're starting to branch out into the amateur market with their RX line and I don't like that too much.


Why only if you dont shoot day in and day out? Are elinchroms not durable?

I thought the RX line was what the pros use :confused:

If Broncolor is the best light quality then thats what im after. Which of these units (Broncolor) would you recommend and why?

Thanks in advance for any help

[DocFrankenstein]

Why only if you dont shoot day in and day out? Are elinchroms not durable?

I thought the RX line was what the pros use :confused:

If Broncolor is the best light quality then thats what im after. Which of these units (Broncolor) would you recommend and why?

Thanks in advance for any help
The pros use the cheapest thing that's going to perform for their use.

Some shoot wedding receptions in the summers only. So they have to fire maybe 100 flashes per week and that's it - they buy the bees and use those professionally - the color balance and consistency don't matter much because the bride and groom are moving around and the ceiling they use to bounce flashes is never perfectly white.

The guys who shoot art and fashion "all the time" in studio get something that lasts longer.

The chromes are fine lights, but all I'm saying is that they're shifting from exclusively professional line, which they're always been to amateur lights - like D lights. They shifted the RX line from metal housings to plastic and they're not very durable. I wouldn't classify them as purely professional lights - I broke one's casing just by dropping it from waist level.

The only truly professional line from elinchromes is IMO their powerpacks... but the RX line is definitely not bad. If you don't drop it, the current ones would definitely last out a couple of years, but not as long as bron monolights and profoto packs.

EDIT: The whole question is... strange somehow.

Best for what? I'd rather have eight bees and a choice of modifiers than one broncolor with a brolly. I'd be able to more with the bees as well, and there would be a little color shift, I'd argue it's my artistic choice.

What are you going to shoot?

[Franko515]

The pros use the cheapest thing that's going to perform for their use.

Some shoot wedding receptions in the summers only. So they have to fire maybe 100 flashes per week and that's it - they buy the bees and use those professionally - the color balance and consistency don't matter much because the bride and groom are moving around and the ceiling they use to bounce flashes is never perfectly white.

The guys who shoot art and fashion "all the time" in studio get something that lasts longer.

The chromes are fine lights, but all I'm saying is that they're shifting from exclusively professional line, which they're always been to amateur lights - like D lights. They shifted the RX line from metal housings to plastic and they're not very durable. I wouldn't classify them as purely professional lights - I broke one's casing just by dropping it from waist level.

The only truly professional line from elinchromes is IMO their powerpacks... but the RX line is definitely not bad. If you don't drop it, the current ones would definitely last out a couple of years, but not as long as bron monolights and profoto packs.

EDIT: The whole question is... strange somehow.

Best for what? I'd rather have eight bees and a choice of modifiers than one broncolor with a brolly. I'd be able to more with the bees as well, and there would be a little color shift, I'd argue it's my artistic choice.

What are you going to shoot?

I am shooting people (i.e. portraits, family photos, fashion, maternity shots, etc.)

My original question was which lights are considered best (i.e. adjustablity, constant color, best designed modifiers, durability)

I am just now starting to save for these lights so I have time to decide, and they will be used in studio only (I take my flashes when I do location work). I would like to buy lights and have them for years to come, so I want to get something that will last.