What Studio Lighting are you guys using (brands)

[celsiusone]

I'm planning on buying some studio lights but I dont know which brands to go with.
It seems like everyone here has the alien bees. Anyone else have something different?

JTL's? photogenics? Flashpoint? What do you have... and what are your thoughts on them...

[chris.bailey]

Bowens Espirit. 2 x 500 heads and 2 x 250 on Manfrotto lighting stands with a mix of Bowens and Lastolite softboxes and brollies.

The Bowens stuff is a little more expensive but it is very well made.

[HMetal]

Me, all Alien Bees. From the B800's to the Lightgear softbox and light boom. All from Alien Bees. I work in a pretty small studio so I find them more than ample. In fact, most of the time, I have them on the lowest power setting as I'm working that close to any given model.

If I had a larger studio, I'd probably go with JTL or second choice, Esprit. But for now, I like the ABs. They're the Bees knees.

..ok, bad pun. ;)

[iwatkins]

Elinchrom here, 3 x Style 600RX heads, mix of Elinchrom accessories and Interfit Pro softboxes.

Cheers

Ian

[VentureFox]

Bowens Espirit. 2 x 500 heads and 2 x 250 on Manfrotto lighting stands with a mix of Bowens and Lastolite softboxes and brollies.

The Bowens stuff is a little more expensive but it is very well made.

I agree with you Chris. The Bowens lighting is fantastic. They are so well made (mine have fallen over god knows how many times), they never fail and give out a fantastic light.

I am using 3x Bowens Esprit 500 coupled with Bowens Pulsar Radio Triggers and naturally a wide selection of accessories such as softboxes, brolliers, honeycombs, snoots, barndoors etc.

Get Bowens - you won't regret it.

[Longwatcher]

I use Alien Bees (2xAB800 and 2xAB1600), but the only other lights I would consider buying are Elinchrom as they are the only worth spending more money on.

[coarphoto]

Calumet travelites (made by bowens) i think theyre even a little cheaper...

[chtgrubbs]

Four Comet 2400 WS Packs and heads for studio work. Two Balcar Monobloc 1500 and four White Litening XL for location work. The Balcar units are better built than the WL units, have better light control, but the WL units are cheap enough that I don't mind using them in situations where something might happen to them, such as rigging them in the beams of a factory.

[cmM]

Alienbees are cheap and good, that's what I use, and Calumet light stands, umbrellas, etc...

[nat869]

I have 2 Alien Bess B800's and one Interfit 250s. I like the Alien Bees the most.

[johnlo]

I'm using the SP-Systems Excalibur - I have 2 Lights (SP3200 320Watt W/S Monolights). i'm a mobile pre-school photographer. So this unit is just enough for me to use.

[scottbergerphoto]

I'm using the SP-Systems Excalibur - I have 2 Lights (SP3200 320Watt W/S Monolights). i'm a mobile pre-school photographer. So this unit is just enough for me to use.
I don't do alot of studio work but when I do, I use 3 SP Excalibur 3200's with a 2'x3' softbox, beauty disc reflector, and some umbrellas.

[Johnny V]

celsiusone,

What is your budget? I use Comets both studio and location...they are kinda pricey.

I'm considering a few Alien Bees to add to my kit.

[mjordan]

I also use 3 SP Excalibur lights, SP6400, SP3200 and SP1600 with 2 softboxes the beauty disk reflector (probably the same one Scott has), a bunch of umbrellas from 32" to 60". If you have to get everything, lights, stands and umbrella, you can get a better deal for the Excalibur's than even the Alien Bees. Also, the SP line of softboxes, reflectors, light stands, etc., are cheaper than a lot of other brands but are still name brand stuff with the SP name on them. So look at the complete package of what you need, not just the cost of the lights.

Mike

[wolf]

Alien Bee 800's. Very nice units for the price.

[Moments]

Speedotron Blackline 2401B with 3 102 heads (umbrellas, small Chimera lightbanks, spot grids) for the Main, Fill, backgrounds lights, and 2 Novatron 400 packs (not my first choice, but they came with other equipment I purchased) with 4 heads for hairlights, background, and kicklights.

For locations, reception halls etc, I have 2 Photogenic Powerlight 1200DR monoheads. They are also mixed in with the studio stobes when I need them. All are synced with quantum 4i radio slaves.

[redbutt]

3 Alien Bees 800s and 2 Smith Victor 500W lights with 12in reflectors. A bunch of umbrellas and a big softbox.

[IainB]

pssst! I know you guys are right into the real technical stuff, but can anyone quickly point me in the direction of dummies guide to studio lighting where some of these terms are explained" JTL's? photogenics? Flashpoint? etc etc etc. (hushed voice:o) I'm totally new (I said new...) to studio photography, but I'm keen to venture into it as a hobby... There may be some essentials to start with in terms of equipment. If I just ask the dealer, he may try to sell me the shop....("Here comes a right turkey...:D ")

[mjordan]

Iain, we were all new like that at one time. :D JTL, Photogenics, Alien Bees, Excalibur, etc., are just brand names of the different lights people have. Think of Canon, Nikon, Mamyia, Hasselblad, etc. Then with in the brand names you have the models numbers. Most of the time the model numbers will tell you how much light output they are rated for... for instance the Excalibur SP6400 is rated at 640 watt seconds, SP3200 is rated for 320 watt seconds, SP1600 is rated at 160 watt seconds. Ok, so what's a watt second? It's how much power is used in a second to put out that many watts of light... more or less. :D Thank of that as mile per gallon in a car. You use it for comparison purposes between cars, but that doesn't mean they really get 30 mpg highway. It's the same with studio lights. They might say 640 watt seconds, but it might really be only 320 watt seconds. Each manufactorer has their own way of rating their lights. Mostly it doesn't matter as long as it's close to what it's suppose to be and it's always consistant.

You will find that there are a lot of different brands of lights out there. The ones above are what are called monolights. They are self contained lights, they have the flash tube, power supply, modeling light and reflector all in one unit that goes on a light stand. Other types have a single power supply in a box with cables going out to individual light heads that have the flash tube and modeling lights. You don't see as many of these around as much anymore but they are still used. Each has their advatange and disadvantage. Then you have those that run only on AC power, those that run on battery and those that run on both. Of course the more power your light, the heftier your battery has to be to be able to power it for any length of time (or flashes).

Then you have light modifiers. These are what modifies the light that comes out of the flash tubes. Most lights come with 6" to 9" aluminum reflectors. These spread the light out a bit but still concentrate the light in one direction. Other modifiers are umbrellas, softboxes, light panels, reflectors, etc. Some modify the light by diffusing it as you go through one or more layers of white translucent cloth. Others have you bounce the light, which scrambles the light. Some do both. All of these have a purpose and usually used for specific types of lighting depending on what you are shooting and what you are trying to achieve.

That's the quick run down. There of course is a lot more, but you don't need to learn it all at once. You can take a week or two. :D There are a number of good lighting books out there that give good examples of the different types of lights and light modifiers. One is by J.J. Allen and is called "Posing and Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography". "The Lighting Cookbook" by Jenni Bidner is another pretty good one. Another is "Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers" by Christopher Grey. And there are a number of others as well. And there are a number of forums and web sites that do a good job with online tutorials as well.

Hope this helps a bit.

Mike

[davepgh1]

I have 4 AB800 and like them a lot, they replaced 4 JTL160's two never worked and the ones I had replaced didn't make it threw the first day. I now have 2 JTLs as backups but one of them does not have a modeling light. If your on my budget go with the AB800 and find a better source for the softboxes. I have a 5th JTL that I've used alittle over the past 3 years, but it is simple, 100ws, a modeling lamp, and an on and off switch.

[Johnny V]

>If your on my budget go with the AB800 and find a better source for the softboxes.

From what I've heard is the Alien heads are great...but their stands, softboxes and accessories are built not very well. So just buy only the heads. Then buy stands, softboxes and the rest from Calumet.

[IainB]

Iain, we were all new like that at one time. :D JTL, Photogenics, Alien Bees, Excalibur, etc., are just brand names of the different lights people have. Think of Canon, Nikon, Mamyia, Hasselblad, etc. Then with in the brand names you have the models numbers. Most of the time the model numbers will tell you how much light output they are rated for... for instance the Excalibur SP6400 is rated at 640 watt seconds, SP3200 is rated for 320 watt seconds, SP1600 is rated at 160 watt seconds. Ok, so what's a watt second? It's how much power is used in a second to put out that many watts of light... more or less. :D Thank of that as mile per gallon in a car. You use it for comparison purposes between cars, but that doesn't mean they really get 30 mpg highway. It's the same with studio lights. They might say 640 watt seconds, but it might really be only 320 watt seconds. Each manufactorer has their own way of rating their lights. Mostly it doesn't matter as long as it's close to what it's suppose to be and it's always consistant.

You will find that there are a lot of different brands of lights out there. The ones above are what are called monolights. They are self contained lights, they have the flash tube, power supply, modeling light and reflector all in one unit that goes on a light stand. Other types have a single power supply in a box with cables going out to individual light heads that have the flash tube and modeling lights. You don't see as many of these around as much anymore but they are still used. Each has their advatange and disadvantage. Then you have those that run only on AC power, those that run on battery and those that run on both. Of course the more power your light, the heftier your battery has to be to be able to power it for any length of time (or flashes).

Then you have light modifiers. These are what modifies the light that comes out of the flash tubes. Most lights come with 6" to 9" aluminum reflectors. These spread the light out a bit but still concentrate the light in one direction. Other modifiers are umbrellas, softboxes, light panels, reflectors, etc. Some modify the light by diffusing it as you go through one or more layers of white translucent cloth. Others have you bounce the light, which scrambles the light. Some do both. All of these have a purpose and usually used for specific types of lighting depending on what you are shooting and what you are trying to achieve.

That's the quick run down. There of course is a lot more, but you don't need to learn it all at once. You can take a week or two. :D There are a number of good lighting books out there that give good examples of the different types of lights and light modifiers. One is by J.J. Allen and is called "Posing and Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography". "The Lighting Cookbook" by Jenni Bidner is another pretty good one. Another is "Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers" by Christopher Grey. And there are a number of others as well. And there are a number of forums and web sites that do a good job with online tutorials as well.

Hope this helps a bit.

Mike

Brilliant, Mike! I appreciate your time and patience to outline these helpful hints. My wife and I plan to start our research from the ground up and your suggestions will certainly be followed up. The books sound just what we need, and I'll print off your notes for reference too. It's so easy to spend in haste and regret at leisure.
Again, my sincere thanks.:)
Iain

[PM107]

I'm using the Bowens Esprit 500's - get a big thumbs up from me. They recharge pretty quick and I fire them from a cheepo Interfit IR Flash Tranmitter. All works a treat.