which alienbee

abbypanda wrote in post #16040878
Ok so excuse my stupidity but then the Einstein has a wider range both lower and higher then?

Yes, the Einstein is as powerful as an AB1600, but can be turned down very low to accomodate those times when you only want a hint of fill, but still use a large modifier instead of a speedlite.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16041847
Yes, the Einstein is as powerful as an AB1600, but can be turned down very low to accomodate those times when you only want a hint of fill, but still use a large modifier instead of a speedlite.

Ok I think I misunderstood the previous comments then: Let me try again:

So the einstein goes both lower and higher in terms of light, but it is a larger modifier in that the spread of light is greater? Is that it?

abbypanda wrote in post #16042982
Ok I think I misunderstood the previous comments then: Let me try again:

So the einstein goes both lower and higher in terms of light, but it is a larger modifier in that the spread of light is greater? Is that it?

I dont know that it goes any higher (higher than what?) but its as powerful as any of the alien bee line at 640 ws. But because its uses a different technology it can go much lower if you need to than the other bees, especially one that powerful. The reason I mentioned the modifier is that there are times when I want only a little fill to be able to achieve shallow DOF for instance, so you would use the light on low power. One option to do that is a speedite, but with a speedlite you are limited to how big a modifier you can fully fill (30 inches or so because of the focused lens). With an Einstein you have access to huge modifiers like the 83 inch PLM because its a bare bulb.

let me revise that and ask one more question: I was looking to get an alienbee with beauty dish and grid to do some specific sports portraits I've seen examples of (and used that setup).
But if the einstein has broader light, if I wanted to up to the einstein and save by not buying the beauty dish and grid immediately, could I get a grid fro the einstein unit and use that? Would it be broad enough? Anyone have examples of that?

I prob need to finalize my decision, whatever it be, in a week or 2.

I really appreciate all the help

I hate to sound like a jerk, but broader than what? The quality of light from any of the bare strobes is roughly the same between an einstein and an alien bee. The nature of the light comes from the modifier, as does the spread (if thats what you mean by broad).

gonzogolf wrote in post #16064411
I hate to sound like a jerk, but broader than what? The quality of light from any of the bare strobes is roughly the same between an einstein and an alien bee. The nature of the light comes from the modifier, as does the spread (if thats what you mean by broad).

I'm between classes but I thought i read someone in this post said the einstein was a broader light than the alienbee. I'll re read it after class. Maybe I dreamt it.

Ok i realized what I was asking about. I thought the einstein came iwth a different reflector thingy than the other alien bees...a broader one So what I'm saying is would something like this with a grid be useful for a sports portrait on the einstein...instead of the beauty dish with grid.

http://www.paulcbuff.c​om/reflectors.php

If you are going Pocket Wizard its a no brainer...buy the Einstein

The reason is simple, and Einstein with PW MC-2 is $600 . The ControlTL , Power Tracking etc is awesome BTW

If you buy a AB 1600 its actually more expensive since you need TT5 and AC9 ( $270 ) for ControlTL vs $99 for the MC-2 . Granted, a TT5 is more versatile since you can use it on speedlights, transmit etc but so what . My receiver stays with the light so I don't care if I can use it for other purposes

The setup is much cleaner than the TT5 / AC9 hanging off the AB strobe

You can get a far more versatile strobe setup with the PW for less money than going AB1600

My only issue is that you really should remove the MC-2 off the Einstein when transporting ( nothing I couldn't fix ! )

I asked someone I know and they answered my question about the reflector vs beauty dish.

In regards to the pocket wizard and einstein: I dont have to have the PW at first do I? isnt there a cord I can attach to the camera to run the unit?

abbypanda wrote in post #16064727
Ok i realized what I was asking about. I thought the einstein came iwth a different reflector thingy than the other alien bees...a broader one So what I'm saying is would something like this with a grid be useful for a sports portrait on the einstein...instead of the beauty dish with grid.

http://www.paulcbuff.c​om/reflectors.php

The bees ship with a 7 inch reflector, and I dont think the Einstein include a reflector at all. But other than the inclusion of the stock reflector it still comes down to light modifiers as you are unlikely to use either the Bee or the Einstein bare or with the 7 inch reflector for portrait work. It would probably be helpful for you to show us a sport portrait that you are talking about as there are many ways to get to nearly any result. With any brand of monolight the results are almost always tied to the way you modify the light. The difference in the quality of the light directly from the unit is pretty small, some have a wider range of power, some have better color consistency, and some have more consistent power shot to shot, and those are reasons to buy one light over another. But once you start using the light they pretty much all deliver the same light at the same power settings, its how you modify it afterward that makes the magic. So just to be clear, the quality of light from an AB or an Einstien is not significantly different, its the controls and power range that are different.

abbypanda wrote in post #16066499
I asked someone I know and they answered my question about the reflector vs beauty dish.

In regards to the pocket wizard and einstein: I dont have to have the PW at first do I? isnt there a cord I can attach to the camera to run the unit?

No , I used a sync cord until I dragged my camera off the tripod tripping over it for the 5th time ! Seriously though, I used a sync cord for a year until I finally picked up a PW Flex TT1 , not so much for remote trigger but the ability to adjust output of light remotely

I generally have one of the Einsten's above my product table . I got sick of getting a step stool to fiddle with the output. The Power Tracking feature was so handy that I ended up getting more PW for my speedlights ( TT5 will transmit E-TTL / I-ttl ) .

Now with AC-3 on my TT1 I can Control 3 zones independently