Alien Bees - I hate how things just ADD UP

ABR800 + AB1600

Thinking of getting my 4th and 5th light + a Vagabon 150 battery and a few other items like stand + boom, beauty dish, you get the idea. Foldable softbox seems so much more convenient now. Anyone have a chance to try one out?

Bill comes out to another $1700 on top of my AB400, two 800s, and stands, grids + ther stuff.

Its getting to the point where I am starting to wonder if I should just be building a nice Hensel set instead. I wonder if its worth getting into the pack and head game.

Hi Umesh,

My question to you is.. do you really think you need something better/different or is this just a want? I ask because from everything I know you shoot and intend on shooting, what is it that you feel is missing that you can't do with Alien Bees? and is it worth paying a lot more to have a lot less?

I'm wondering about the softboxes. I have three of the normal ones (2 large and a medium) and luckily I've the room to leave them put together. No way I'd want to take them apart and back again each time. It's a pain, I think.

I've got 4 bees, the SB's, HD stands, etc., and it's an expensive prospect. However, it's a lot of fun. It bothers me sometimes that it doesn't get more use than it does. Having $3k+ worth of gear just sitting in a studio I somewhat rarely see can be rather frustrating. Knowing I could have most of the stuff I want instead of lights is pretty tempting. I try to stay reasonable, though.

As for changing brands, hensel is expensive. It's gonna cost that much more to buy all of their accessories, and what more would you get?

TMR Design wrote in post #2952033
Hi Umesh,

My question to you is.. do you really think you need something better/different or is this just a want? I ask because from everything I know you shoot and intend on shooting, what is it that you feel is missing that you can't do with Alien Bees? and is it worth paying a lot more to have a lot less?

Robert,

For the modeling part, ive been craving the beauty dish / ring flash look... For in studio I am pretty happy with everything except the AB400 which IMO is a pretty weak BG light after you add a gel to it...

The ring flash is just something i love the look of, and cant be done with normal lights. The beauty dish just seems to be one of the standard type of lighting tools i see for things like swin suit or glamour at the beach shooting agaist a sunset. The AB1600 was for the just incase power, i like shooting at ISO 100 -200 max , and sometimes with my giving space, ive actualy needed the DOF / Power.

For battery power, ive been looking at this...
http://www.innovatroni​x.com …/productcatalog​/index.asp

Trying to see if its worth going AB or this Brand...

I guess its a want / need thing. If I have it, I will sure use it.

Ronald S. Jr. wrote in post #2952089
I'm wondering about the softboxes. I have three of the normal ones (2 large and a medium) and luckily I've the room to leave them put together. No way I'd want to take them apart and back again each time. It's a pain, I think.

I've got 4 bees, the SB's, HD stands, etc., and it's an expensive prospect. However, it's a lot of fun. It bothers me sometimes that it doesn't get more use than it does. Having $3k+ worth of gear just sitting in a studio I somewhat rarely see can be rather frustrating. Knowing I could have most of the stuff I want instead of lights is pretty tempting. I try to stay reasonable, though.

As for changing brands, hensel is expensive. It's gonna cost that much more to buy all of their accessories, and what more would you get?

I see how you feel too, since my studio gear does not really see much action. But at the same time, when I do use it, I make sure I put it to damn good use. I just dont feel like "studio arsenal" is complete.. yet. I really wanted a few more lights, and a few more light modifiers. The battery, boom, and various other modifiers I dont even have listed here I wanted. ABs new Softboxes being one of them, and something Robert here loves to use too, which are barn doors + a defuser.

I too see myself atleast 3-4k into studio lighting and acessories before i am really set. Ive seen getting more and more chances to do outdoor shoots but cant since I dont have a battery. I can use my 580ex, but something about it just does not sit right with me. I guess I should give it an honest try.

whenever i travel to calumet, i always end up wasting a ton of money on studio stuff. i've been buying softboxes and octaboxes from amvona, and they're usually super cheap. i got this octabox for 100 shipped. and its huge!

i also love my innovatronix battery. its been great so far.

(i just wanted to get one more post in so i could reach 500)

StealthLude wrote in post #2952229
barn doors + a defuser.

I use barndoors on both of my bg lights. When one of those becomes a hair light, I use a medium softbox. I like the barndoors, and I even use the AB ones that robert dislikes so much. I see no problem with them.

I'm wondering what you're shooting with so many lights. Some times KISS really is a good principle, its amazing what can be done with just 1 light.

Minimum I ever use when I'm actually "in" the studio is 2. Main and hair, if it's a black bg, main and bg light if it's a textured or color background, main, fill, and 2 bg if it's a white bg, etc. I haven't gotten any one light results I've liked.

coreypolis wrote in post #2952388
I'm wondering what you're shooting with so many lights. Some times KISS really is a good principle, its amazing what can be done with just 1 light.

you know what else is amazing? what can be done with 10 lights.

ok, 10 is pushing it. I can't see ever needing more than 6. 5 would do everything good enough, though.

Ronald S. Jr. wrote in post #2952398
Minimum I ever use when I'm actually "in" the studio is 2. Main and hair, if it's a black bg, main and bg light if it's a textured or color background, main, fill, and 2 bg if it's a white bg, etc. I haven't gotten any one light results I've liked.

I knkow you can use them, but anymore than 4 and it just becomes a disaster unless you have a lot of control and experience with them. Seems like its just throwing light all over the place.

without modifiers, it would be.

main, fill, and hair light with SB's, and two bg lights. That's 5. No mess...just a lot of lights and power cords.

Ronald S. Jr. wrote in post #2952425
without modifiers, it would be.

even with

I think we used 9 hot lights on a shoot once for a product, and let me tell you it was the worst shoot we've ever had.