which alienbee

nice how big of soft box and/ or umbrella. I have some cowboy ones now that are 45" i think... 40 something anyway

Einstein is my first strobe. I got it for the constant color mode (big one for me) and the ability to shoot outside during sunny 16(same power as ab1600). It goes low enough for indoor shoots (2.5ws) and compliments my speedlights nicely when used this way. The fact that I could run it through my PW with the cheaper mc2 evened out the price of needing another flex tt5 and the ac9.

If I had to make a budget work I would grab the ab400/800 with no hesitation but; I think the einstein is worth a look even with the extra cost.

abbypanda wrote in post #16032656
nice how big of soft box and/ or umbrella. I have some cowboy ones now that are 45" i think... 40 something anyway

Look at the PLM system. They offer big soft light if you need it. The large with the diffusion panel would be great for kids as you can create a large zone of soft light

abbypanda wrote in post #16032656
nice how big of soft box and/ or umbrella. I have some cowboy ones now that are 45" i think... 40 something anyway

if you go full length get a 60"

Thank you again for these tips.
Now my final question:

I posted in the sports section about doing some sports portraits and someone was so kind to send me a link to flickr forum where they have a lot. many are composites some not.
But many used 3-4 light setups.

Am I better to buy 1 ab 800 or 2 ab 400?
or 1 ab 800 now and 1 400 later?

IT's just too many choices. It's like picking out shoes.... except I dont buy shoes...lol

abbypanda wrote in post #16037613
Thank you again for these tips.
Now my final question:

I posted in the sports section about doing some sports portraits and someone was so kind to send me a link to flickr forum where they have a lot. many are composites some not.
But many used 3-4 light setups.

Am I better to buy 1 ab 800 or 2 ab 400?
or 1 ab 800 now and 1 400 later?

IT's just too many choices. It's like picking out shoes.... except I dont buy shoes...lol

IMHO before you go to multiple strobe setups.... try to learn as much as you can with one strobe first.
TIP... you can actually use the sun as your second source of light and mix with your strobe.

One light at a time Abby, you need to master one light first then slowly incorparate additional lights as you progress, also in regards to the PLM's i second those as well

Get 2 of same. I never liked start with one light stuff. If I could afford it I will start with 4 to let you try different light setups.

PhilF wrote in post #16032614
sure just use a big light modifier or a modifier that has good wide spread like a shoot through umbrella

For my money, the best modifiers for AB lights are the PLMs. The mid sized shoot through is a great modifier with an AB or Einstein outside. Providing there is little or no wind.

If you need something outside that is at least a little wind resistant a large beauty dish with a diffusion sock works. And a 28" dish/sock is adequate for 2 or 3 people. Larger is better but outside wind is a complication.

Save till you can get the Einstein, you won't regret it. They are just so versatile.

Get the Einstein.

Ok so then to make sure I understand this: Does the einstein power down as much as the ab400 and 800? Someome mentioned it can be too bright?

abbypanda wrote in post #16040855
Ok so then to make sure I understand this: Does the einstein power down as much as the ab400 and 800? Someome mentioned it can be too bright?

The Einstein has a minimum Ws rating of 2.5Ws at lowest power. The B400 only goes down to 5ws. The B800 has a minimum of 10Ws and the B1600 has a minimum of 20Ws.

Ok so excuse my stupidity but then the Einstein has a wider range both lower and higher then?

abbypanda wrote in post #16040855
Ok so then to make sure I understand this: Does the einstein power down as much as the ab400 and 800? Someome mentioned it can be too bright?

Einstein goes down to half the minimum power of the AB400 but has the same full power as the AB1600. Its a 9 stop range vs. a 6 stop range for each of the AB's.