think i screwed up buying a b1600

Take a look at this web post. Zack Arias put up a great modifier comparison powered by an AB1600. This way you can see what each modifier (some placed as close as two feet to the subject) does.

http://zackarias.com …of-my-creativelive-class/

who told you it's only good for outdoors? LOL

PhilF wrote in post #12410823
who told you it's only good for outdoors? LOL

there are a ton of posts saying its too powerfull for small areas and all i have are small areas so not really any room to move lights farther away to make them less intense.

The Outlaw wrote in post #12410904
there are a ton of posts saying its too powerfull for small areas and all i have are small areas so not really any room to move lights farther away to make them less intense.

What size is your place? I have 14x22 living room and find AB800 to be quite powerful that I use them mainly at 1/4 power. This is with double diffused softbox and octa. And this is when shooting at f8/f11 apertures ISO 100. Like I said earlier if your camera can do ISO50 you should try that. I wouldn't want to use my AB1600 at less than 1/4 settings.

Just because Zack Arias uses AB1600 so should you doesn't make sense. Use gear thet suits your needs. X1600 is better option for someone needed AB1600 for both indoor as well as outdoor use. Newer Einstein is best option as far as ABs are concerned.

my living room and dining room would be more than big enough and are joined by a 8ft x 8ft opening so i could shoot from one into the other but i cant leave stuff setup there. the spaces i have that i can leave the light and backdrops and all that setup i have two options.

1. 9'w x 8'h x 18'l back room addition
2. 12'w x ??h x 15'L

option 2 is an attic with a sloped roof the room is about 24'w x 15'h (peak) x 36'l there is a old unused chimney slightly off center about half way down the long section which im sure i could shoot around with a little effort but with the slope of the ceiling i can only use about 12ft of the width to have reasonable ceiling height. no i dont plan on opening up shop so im not worrying about looking professional for customers, just somewhere to practice with family and friends and hone my skills. i'd setup in the living room and dining room but i think i'll have trouble learning with the variation from setting up and taking down and setting up again. also i think having to take down and set back up each time will be such a pain and take so long that i wont practice as much. with one light this may not be a huge problem but im also planning on using some off camera speedlites with umbrellas and stands.

bobbyz wrote in post #12410920
Just because Zack Arias uses AB1600 so should you doesn't make sense. Use gear thet suits your needs. X1600 is better option for someone needed AB1600 for both indoor as well as outdoor use. Newer Einstein is best option as far as ABs are concerned.

I agree 100%!

The Outlaw wrote in post #12410904
there are a ton of posts saying its too powerfull for small areas and all i have are small areas so not really any room to move lights farther away to make them less intense.

well if you shoot bare without modifiers.

How about trying to out first and then make a decision?

You do realize you don't need to use it full power. That;s the beauty of AB1600 that you can use it as either ab400 or ab800. The other way around doesn't apply.
You can trade it for my AB800 if you'll like

keyframe14 wrote in post #12412005
You do realize you don't need to use it full power. That;s the beauty of AB1600 that you can use it as either ab400 or ab800.

That's not true, and doesn't make too much sense..

If you're getting f/8 on a b400 at 1/16 power, there's no setting on the B1600 that will get you the same f/8. It will be too powerful, even at lowest power.

If what you said was true, why would they even sell the B400/B800?

Organic Treats wrote in post #12411969
How about trying to out first and then make a decision?

im definatly planning on it i just want to have a backup plan of action.

keyframe14 wrote in post #12412005
You do realize you don't need to use it full power. That;s the beauty of AB1600 that you can use it as either ab400 or ab800. The other way around doesn't apply.
You can trade it for my AB800 if you'll like

Have you tried AB1600 at those low powers? Take couple of shots and watch the exposure and CB go all over the place.

BrandonSi wrote in post #12412697
That's not true, and doesn't make too much sense..

If you're getting f/8 on a b400 at 1/16 power, there's no setting on the B1600 that will get you the same f/8. It will be too powerful, even at lowest power.

If what you said was true, why would they even sell the B400/B800?

bobbyz wrote in post #12413037
Have you tried AB1600 at those low powers? Take couple of shots and watch the exposure and CB go all over the place.

Never used AB1600 but from specs I was just thinking that would act as a AB800 from 0 to half power. I might be wrong as I'm new into this, but I rarely find myself using AB800 lower then half power.

keyframe14 wrote in post #12413361
Never used AB1600 but from specs I was just thinking that would act as a AB800 from 0 to half power. I might be wrong as I'm new into this, but I rarely find myself using AB800 lower then half power.

No, unfortunately that's not how it works.

im hoping i can make due by careful choice of modifiers untill i can afford to add a smaller light. if not i'll trade/sell it off and buy something smaller. im hoping i can make it work until i can add a b800 or similar because i'd really like to have a b1600 and battery pack for outdoor stuff. i think if i would have had this instead of a 430ex on that stand last week i would have gotten alot better photos of my daughter. shadows all over her face and arm.