My Alien Bee Package.. help..

[pugnugget]

Here's what I'm thinking of getting... Tell me if I'm stupid, or if I should get something else, or whatever.. help..

B400AlienBees B400-Star White $224.95 ea. 1 $224.95
B800AlienBees B800-Deep Space Black $279.95 ea. 2 $559.90
CRK425-in-1 Reflector Kit $69.95 ea. 1 $69.95
CB1AlienBees Carrying Bag $12.95 ea. 3 $38.85
LMBD4LiteMod Barndoors $48.95 ea. 1 $48.95
LS1100Backlight Stand $24.95 ea. 1 $24.95
LS390013-foot Heavy Duty Stand $69.95 ea. 2 $139.90
SB3240Large Softbox (with LGSR) $109.95 ea. 1 $109.95
U48SW48” Silver/White Umbrella $29.95 ea. 1 $29.95
U48TWB48” Shoot-Thru Umbrella $29.95 ea. 1 $29.95
UBRBackground Reflector $29.95 ea. 1 $29.95

Grand Total:$1288.43

Any advise?? I was wondering if the heavy duty stands would be to much, but I'd rather have heavy duty and pay a bit more, than have stands fall over all the time. I was also wondering if those umbrellas would do well, or if I should look into a different kind. I'm new to the studio light stuff, and this will be my first time buying / and working with studio lights.. so please, any and all comments are welcome!! please help!! thanks.

[charlesu]

Looks like a decent setup and similar to what I orderered from them. The lights are on the weak side. Paul Buff has always overrated their lights (even when they give you the "real" watt seconds versus the "effective" watt seconds.

But, I think this is a great starter setup. Far better than my first little Novatron kit all those years ago.

[pugnugget]

should I replace the shoot-thru umbrella with a second silver/white bounce umbrella? Any suggestions in that area?

[defordphoto]

Very similar to what I ordered and just received a week ago. No, these are obviously not professional studio lights. However, they are very good quality products and will work just fine under most circumstances in a smaller studio setting. I tested mine in my living room and in that (smaller) setting these lights are way more than powerful enough. You'll have to back off the settings quite a bit when shooting like this.

I just ordered the Vagabond portable power system and a few more goodies and am looking forward to be able to transport this system wherever I need to go.

[Ken Fong]

I ordered a similar pkg a few months ago (1 B400, and 2 B800s)...the weaker B400 is for background or hairlighting. The B800s are for the classic Rembrandt setup. I originally tried umbrellas...shoot-thru was a bit harsh; reflecting mode was much softer. I then tried their large softbox (double diffused light) and haven't gone back to umbrellas since! I only have one softbox currently, but plan to get a medium softbox for the fill.
Softboxes will cost more than umbrellas, but I think it is money well spent. If you are not sure, try it out by renting one. You will need sturdier, heavier lightstands if using the large softbox...the center of gravity is pretty high.
Overall, how it looks is subjective and ultimately your call.