Wich Alien Bees to get B800 or B1600?

Hey All,

I'm building a home studio, I need something that I can use indoors and outdoors so Alien Bees it is.

The question is B800 or B1600? I'm afraid that if I buy the 800 won't be enough to shoot in day light?

I know a lot of people here have them so the feedback for those users will be appreciated :P

Also can you recommend a battery pack that won't brake the bank?

I opted for the B1600's for the same reasons you have. I can always dial down power if I need to.

most of the stuff you need is already in the same place'you are looking at.

1600 for sure. In no time at all, you'll want Einsteins

erikfig wrote in post #14689717
Hey All,

I'm building a home studio, I need something that I can use indoors and outdoors so Alien Bees it is.

The question is B800 or B1600? I'm afraid that if I buy the 800 won't be enough to shoot in day light?

I know a lot of people here have them so the feedback for those users will be appreciated :P

Also can you recommend a battery pack that won't brake the bank?

800 is great for inside and will do just fine outside in most shooting situations. The 1600 is usually too much power for smaller indoor studios but has the ability to really overpower any ambient light outside.

I've owned both, and now own neither. Einsteins are the way to go if you can swing the extra $140 over an AB1600. As a bonus, the receivers for the Einsteins are less than half the price ($30 instead of $70 for the CSRB or $90 for the CSRB+) and are integrated more thoughtfully into the design of the unit (no dangling wires).

charro callado wrote in post #14691328
800 is great for inside and will do just fine outside in most shooting situations. The 1600 is usually too much power for smaller indoor studios but has the ability to really overpower any ambient light outside.

I've owned both, and now own neither. Einsteins are the way to go if you can swing the extra $140 over an AB1600. As a bonus, the receivers for the Einsteins are less than half the price ($30 instead of $70 for the CSRB or $90 for the CSRB+) and are integrated more thoughtfully into the design of the unit (no dangling wires).

Good to know, thanks.

For indoor shooting I have never wished my AB800's were more powerful.....

Einsteins and Cyber Commander are great studio lighting kit. Once you set it up and are familiar with the interface power changes and ratio changes are a snap from the camera.
The 8 stop power rang is also a great asset. The extra investment is a one time pain for a long term benefit.

Go with Einsteins, cyber commander, and the transceivers. You'll love them. I got mine and they are amazing. I have yet to take them outside though.

Einstein if not then AB800.

Folks who say I can dial down AB1600 for indoors haven't shot much with those lights before. Indoors you can always go from ISO100 to ISO200 and that gets you 1 stop more light.

AB1600 only if you primarily shooting outside. Now if you need power for your indoor shots then it is all different but 99% of folks here don't shoot that.

bobbyz wrote in post #14692974
Einstein if not then AB800.

Folks who say I can dial down AB1600 for indoors haven't shot much with those lights before. Indoors you can always go from ISO100 to ISO200 and that gets you 1 stop more light.

AB1600 only if you primarily shooting outside. Now if you need power for your indoor shots then it is all different but 99% of folks here don't shoot that.

X2..

You should try out a B800 first.....you'll see how powerful that thing actually is. I use mine for mostly outdoor shots and trust me i never really needed anything more powerful. I can guess that indoors it would be even better.