B400 or B800 for small room?

I'm sure this topic has been beaten to death, but my search efforts were fruitless.

I want to start purchasing some strobes, but I'm not sure where to start. Will a B800 be too much light for my small room (10'x10' ish work area)? With my limited space, the lights will probably be positioned 4'-7' from the subject... would a B400 be more suitable for this space?

Thanks,

JM

Nah, get the 800s, you'll regret it later otherwise. You can turn them down to 1/32nd power, and with a soft box you'll want plenty of power.

I agree with Tim. Get the bigger light. You won't always be in a room that small.

This is what I'm afraid of... it seems that having to step it all the way to 1/32 would be wasteful. Why not just get a smaller light?

I agree that it would be nice to get the B800's for the "just in case" long-term thinking. But I know I will be in this tiny space for at least 4-5 years. It would be nice for on-location, or when taking to larger spaces though.

My main concern is: Is it possible that the light would ever be TOO bright? I'm afraid of having issues with it being too much power and not being able to move it far enough back. If I'm shooting f/1.8 @ ISO100, will the light be able to be turned down enough at 4-6' away? And then turned down FURTHER for a fill? If I have to turn it ALL the way down for a key, it's too much.

-moore

You may shoot through an umbrella, a soft box, bounce, want to light something up outside, et. If money is not a problem get the 800s.

It's only $50 for double the power. I have two AB800s and at times I wish I had AB1600s - for large groups and shots outside trying to overpower the sun for example. It's a no-brainer to me, get the 800s.

yeah just further diffuse the light if it's that bright.

I agree... 800's are the way to go. I need 1600's myself but the 800's are working fine. I've actually ran into this problem a few times thinking that they were going to be too bright but I just stopped down my camera more and everything turned out great. Good luck. Like Tim said, It's only an extra 50 bucks to upgrade.