TeleFragger wrote in post #13777492
i see you guys say stay away from CFL lighting.. is it because it is constant lighting and flash (strobe?) would be better?
my new budget is about $150-$165...
now i know this is cfl.. but i was looking at this one now..
http://www.ebay.com …7189460652#ht_1768wt_1185what do you loose by using non strobed light? just looking at why the strobed is better..
Before the invention of electronic flash, photographers used "hot lights" which were tungsten bulbs that burned hotter than household bulbs, produced a higher color temperature (but still much lower than daylight) and didn't last very long. They also produced a tremendous (sometimes dangerous) amount of heat and consumed a lot of power.
When electronic flash came along, it was a godsend. It produces a color temperature resembling daylight, and gives you a very large amount of light in a very short period of time. It allowed photographers to use slower film (higher resolution, less grain) and smaller apertures. Its motion-stopping ability allowed photographers to get away from tripods and move around more efficiently, and also allowed the subject to move around without fear of creating blurry pictures. For these reasons, strobes were the standard for studio portraiture for many decades.
Now with the high ISO capabilities and adjustable white balance of digital cameras, and the advent of compact fluorescent bulbs, some photographers are taking another look at continuous lighting.
I have seen video demonstrations of the Westcott Spiderlites and certainly there are professionals using them. The demonstrations I saw always had a very cooperative and relatively motionless subject (not a fidgety toddler), and a tripod or camera stand was always employed. These lights are still quite weak compared to strobes, and you need to make compromises to get correct exposure.
There have been improvements in CFL technology but I have yet to be convinced that they can produce good color rendition across the entire visible spectrum. Typically, reds will look dull because CFLs lack output in that area of the spectrum. You can always adjust your white balance to make grey look grey, but that doesn't mean all colors will look right.
Before you purchase lights, think about versatility beyond a simple one-person headshot in a studio setting. Here's some stuff you won't be doing with CFLs.
1/250 f/4 ISO 400
1/250 f/9 ISO 100
