How many watts ?

Hi Guys,

Just a quick question with regards to studio lighting.

If for example you have studio lights like solaflash, 800, 1250, 2000 etc. Are these just model numbers or do these represent the total output in watts ?

I have two Courteany Solaflash lights with "solasflash 1250" on the main body. Does this sound about right.

What exactly is being measured in watts? Is it the flash itself when triggered ?

I was looking at having a mobile battery pack made for one of my lights, a sealed battery and an inverter, made as one unit.

Looking on the net, one guys says that the input is 15.50 volts and another 18 volts

The mains plug itself has a 5 amp fuse.

Of course I could purchase a bowens kit, but that pack is dedicated to the Esperit lights and for me to get the whole Bowens kit would be just short of 1k, which I would rather spend elsewhere.

So if a battert pack and invertor can cost me under £100, then I can do the same thingt for a fraction of the cost.

Any ideas guys ?

Strobe power is most typically expressed in watt-seconds (which is the same as Joules), and specifies the amount of energy that can be stored in the capacitor and released when the flash fires. With two units of identical watt-second ratings, there will be differences in light output because of differences in the efficiency of the electronic components as well as the reflectors and other modifiers used.

Check the manufacturer's website or call them to get specifications.

Note that many strobe units do not work well with inverters. The AC output of most electronic inverters is not a true sine wave and some strobe manufacturers caution against powering them in this fashion.

Hi Curtis,

Thanks for your message and explanation. Unfortunately, the manufacturer closed business a few years back (possibly more).

Is there any other way I can find out what the watts are?

Do the model numbers generally depict the wattage ?

moviemaker, electronic flash power ratings is like stereo amplifier watts...everyone uses their own yardstick to boast in ads, leading to a lot of confused buyers. You will see manufacturers advertise 'effective watt seconds' (a meaningless number) and they make their model designations using these meaningless numbers. 10 years ago, Buff advertised White Lightning 1500, and they had 1500 'effective watt seconds'.

moviemaker wrote in post #2777403
Do the model numbers generally depict the wattage ?

I am not Curtis,

It is Watt-seconds (or Ws or W-S) not just plain Watts for flash gear. This is actually the amount of power that is stored in the units capacitors, not specifically a light power rating.

Many manufactures use their model numbers to indicate the Watt-second rating of their gear (Speedotron, Novtaron, do and I am sure there are many others).

But, many manufactures use model numbers to indicate other things, such as the very rubbery "effective Watt-seconds" or even guide numbers, or just numbers that the marketing department’s think will increase their chances of a sale. An Alien Bee B1600 monolight "teffective" Watt-second rating is actually 640 “true” Watt-seconds.

So, in summary, some manufacturers use model numbers to indicate the "true" Watt-seconds ratings of their gear, but many use a model number that has other meaning, or no meaning at all.

"True" Watt-seconds ratings of flash gear is not a perfect way to compare lighting power, but it by far the best available way for a consumer to accomplish this (just because a rating system is not perfect, does not meant that it has no validity).

In short, do your homework and buyer beware.

Enjoy! Lon

Reading the original post again, I gather you are more interested in the input power requirement of your lights than the output.

This thread might provide a few important insights but probably not definitively answer your question.

If the unit has a 5 amp fuse, multiplying your input AC voltage x 5 would give you a starting point for input watts (i.e. at 220 volts x 5 amps = 1,100 watts).

But again, you best exercise caution when using electronic inverters to power strobes.