Alternatives to the Lumipro P120?

[jcw122]

Hi everyone,

What are some cheaper alternatives to the Lumopro LP120? The use would be for a single light Strobist setup.

I don't understand why people would want it if there are Nikon flashes out there that are more powerful and have more power setting options, but I'm also unsure of what other flashes are recommendable to purchase. So far I figured out that Sigma and Canon probably aren't a good idea since they need PC cable adapters. Is Nikon the next best choice?

Thanks.

EDIT: Lumopro LP120 lol

[ngc1039]

I always imagined the LP120 to be intended as an alternative to a (new) Vivitar. I know a few people who have a bee in their bonnet about used gear and always buy everything new - maybe targeted at them although this particular breed would buy Canon 580EXIIs even if they only actually needed a simple manual flash :)

Aaaanyway... - the main reason I can think of is support - buying new means it has a warranty whereas used gear off say ebay often doesn't.

My buy for a slightly cheaper flash would be one of the Nikons. The reason I would choose these over many of the others is they have the tilt and swivel head, are quite adjustable (most of at least the newer models can be set in one third stop increments in manual), and they have a PC sync socket. The more recent ones, e.g. SB-28 and later, are also pretty small. Some models like the SB26 also have a built-in optical slave, a very useful feature.

[BluewookieJim]

I'm still waffling between the LumoPro 120 and grabbing a used Canon 540ez.

The benefits of the 540ez is the power is identical to the 580exII I already have, its power ratios go down to 1/128. It is one stop more powerful than the LumoPro from what I have read.

The benefits of the LumoPro, it's new, it has a 2 year warranty, it supports a company that has made a valiant effort to fit a need in the low cost lighting community...

[jbrown7815]

I'm still waffling between the LumoPro 120 and grabbing a used Canon 540ez.

The benefits of the 540ez is the power is identical to the 580exII I already have, its power ratios go down to 1/128. It is one stop more powerful than the LumoPro from what I have read.

The benefits of the LumoPro, it's new, it has a 2 year warranty, it supports a company that has made a valiant effort to fit a need in the low cost lighting community...
Bump for this thread. And I agree with this post, am in same boat.

[jcw122]

I ended up buying the Promaster FTD 7000M. It is as powerful as the 430EX (more power than LP120), and only cost me $36 shipped on eBay. I'm on a college budget, so I couldn't care less about the LP120 warranty and other goofy crap, I just need something with decent power, and cheap.

The only bad thing is it does not have a PC or mono port, but I'm just going to install one myself.

EDIT: Another idea is to simply buy a Hotshoe PC or Hotshoe mono adapter.

[jbrown7815]

I ended up buying the Promaster FTD 7000M. It is as powerful as the 430EX (more power than LP120), and only cost me $36 shipped on eBay. I'm on a college budget, so I couldn't care less about the LP120 warranty and other goofy crap, I just need something with decent power, and cheap.

The only bad thing is it does not have a PC or mono port, but I'm just going to install one myself.


So how would I got about connectting said flash to some Cybersyncs?

TIA

J

[jcw122]

So how would I got about connectting said flash to some Cybersyncs?

TIA

J

I think you would need a hotshoe PC adapter.

[Seanzky]

I'm going back to Vivitar 285HVs while I wait for the LP120's quality to improve --provided that they don't die out. I've already had two LP120s and there is always something wrong with them. I know MPEX makes sure that the flash works before they ship it out, but I doubt they put the built quality as their priority. The innards of the LP120 is very flimsy compared to the 285HVs.

For $90 a pop, I don't mind the 285HVs not having swivel heads. I can always turn the stand sideways. What bothers me is that it skipped 1/8th power and doesn't have 1/32nd power altogether. Other than that, the flash is pretty solid.

[jcw122]

I'm going back to Vivitar 285HVs while I wait for the LP120's quality to improve --provided that they don't die out. I've already had two LP120s and there is always something wrong with them. I know MPEX makes sure that the flash works before they ship it out, but I doubt they put the built quality as their priority. The innards of the LP120 is very flimsy compared to the 285HVs.

For $90 a pop, I don't mind the 285HVs not having swivel heads. I can always turn the stand sideways. What bothers me is that it skipped 1/8th power and doesn't have 1/32nd power altogether. Other than that, the flash is pretty solid.

http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,12311.html I'm seeing 1/32 AND 1/8...so what are you talking about?

If your having problems, use your warranty. It lasts for two years.

[jbrown7815]

http://www.mpex.com/browse.cfm/4,12311.html I'm seeing 1/32 AND 1/8...so what are you talking about?

If your having problems, use your warranty. It lasts for two years.
He's talking about the 285HV

He has used the warranty TWICE on his LumiPro's hence his apprehension.

[jcw122]

He's talking about the 285HV

He has used the warranty TWICE on his LumiPro's hence his apprehension.

Ah OK, it looks like I misread that sentence then.

[Seanzky]

Ah OK, it looks like I misread that sentence then.

Yup, I used my warranty twice. Though their customer service is impressive, I don't know if I want to push my luck and try for the "third try is the charm". It's frustrating and heartbreaking when you've waited for the shipping back and forth, getting really giddy to play with it, and only to find out something goes wrong. :(

(Sorry MPEX.)