continuous or strobe, pros and cons

[ILoutdoorcpl]

Hello. I'm sure this question has been asked in the past but my searches didn't come up with the answers I'm looking for. I'm considering purchasing my first light set-up and I'm still a little confused whether to go with continuous or strobes. What are the pros and cons of each set-up for a beginner like me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jim

[Mike Panic]

continuous pros: you can see what the lights are doing and what metering is like
cons: they get hot, they get hot, they get hot :) makes models sweat and can make products melt

strobes pro: not nearly as hot
cons: light meter is recomended, usually cost a bit more starting out

if you are on a budget, look into alienbees b800 lights

[ILoutdoorcpl]

As far as the heat goes with the continuous systems, are they available with flourescent bulbs instead of tungsten. Seems they would be a little cooler?

[Mike Panic]

yes you can get them in daylight balanced... but they are still going to be either 250w or 500w (usually speaking) so either way, they are hot

[Longwatcher]

Note: Some strobes have modeling lights in them (like the alien bees) These will allow you to see how the shadows are being cast relative to each other, however, They won't tell you how much light is actually being put out by the strobe. Thus you still need to use a meter if you have to get it right on the first shot. Otherwise the modeling lights give me a pretty good idea of how the light/shadow relationship is going to look and I just take a few pictures to get the overall exposure correct.

One other negative to strobes. If you ever start doing video, they won't work for that very well at all. On the flip side, continuous lights are not called hot lights for nothing.

Did we mention they get hot.

[ILoutdoorcpl]

Thank you both for your input. One more question, is there a feature on the strobes that will let you light up the shot before hand to see what you're getting? Is that the funtcion of the modeling lights?

[Longwatcher]

Yes that is the function of modeling lights.

Modeling lights are low power (relative to strobe) bulbs that allow you to see the ratios of the lights, how they are casting the shadows and where they are aiming. In the case of the alien bees they are usually standard light bulbs (buy in the store) which anyone that has done indoor photography knows do not put out enough light to capture anything without serious issues. The only problem with modeling lights is because they are not as bright as the strobes, you still need to meter the scene either using a real light meter or using the camera's meter and histogram to make sure you have the overall level correct.

Otherwise the strobes don't stay on long enough to see what they are doing visually. Since I presume we are talking digital here, it is is fastest to set the strobes using the modeling lights and then adjust by using the camera's meter. But if setting up on a location and want to have exactly the same ratios every time (instead of close enough to fix in PS), you either need a protractor, compass and line or a light meter.

Not sure about other models, but I seem to remember there used to be some strobes that would operate in both modes, modeling and strobe. In the case of the alien bees, the strobe bulb goes around the modeling light bulb.

On another bit of trivia should you get the vagabond portable battery. The modeling lights will drain the battery in about 10-15 minutes at most, so I highly recommend either not using them at all or using them for only a very, very short period. Without the modeling lights you can get a lot of strobe shots on a fully charged battery.

just my experience,

[ILoutdoorcpl]

Thanks again. I think I've found the answers I was looking for. I appreciate all your help

[germacran]

which brand(s) you suggest because i will buy and how many

[D Thompson]

which brand(s) you suggest because i will buy and how many
The Alien Bees already mentioned are good, as are White Lightning also made by Paul C Buff. There are other good ones, but I only have experience with the WL's. A minimum of 2 (main, fill) and 4 for control (main, fill, background, hair).

[Lunajen]

Did we mention...they get hot. And I find I need more like than what the continous delivers.

[RDKirk]

As far as the heat goes with the continuous systems, are they available with flourescent bulbs instead of tungsten. Seems they would be a little cooler?

I don't think it's been mentioned, but a major disadvantage of continuous lighting compared to electronic flash is the weakness of the lights. Even with florescent lights, you still have much less light, requiring high ISO, long shutter speeds, and wide apertures.

In situations that you need the least noise, motion-stopping shutter speeds (including camera motion), or depth of field, electronic flash is significantly superior.

[dnichols01]

I am also looking at purchasing my first set of light and am unsure as what to get. What I enjoy doing is taking pics. of children and would like to set up a studio at my home. This is just for fun at this time and I am just taking pics. fo friends children and family members. I am really new to this and have a limited budget since this is just starting to be a hobby for me.
thanks for any help