Looking for studio lighting.

I am looking to invest into a good lighting system for a studio environment, I want to buy it one time and be done with it so I would like to get the best set-up I could. Would it be better to buy everything separate or to buy a pre-packaged kit? I was looking at Norman kit or one of the Bowens sets but am really open to any suggestions, since I am new to the whole lighting world.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …_Watt_Second_2_​Light.html

Are these really worth the price difference?:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …00US_QUAD_X_Two​_Head.html

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …5_QUAD_2400_Two​_Head.html

What will you be using it for, and where? Have you read the studio lighting FAQs?

It is for an office studio set up at my house and yes I have read the studio lighting faqs.

Those units have central packs to control everything, which is very handy, but costs a LOT more. If you look at a White Lightening package like this one you get the same features but you get a LOT more for your money.

Ok, thanks. I will take a look into the white lighting packages.

You certainly won't be lacking for power with any of those three. I would be inclined to get a pack that would accommodate four heads rather than the Bowens model that only has outlets for two heads. If you intend to include these in your rental business and you do buy pack and head units, I would be sure that you buy something that won't electrocute customers when they disconnect a head without powering down the unit.

Well these would be for me. Too much of a liability to rent it out and too much to ship back and forth.

Are you strictly interested in pack and heads or are monoheads and option?

How many lights to you envision having as part of your complete package?

The lights are only going to be a piece of the total cost. You are going to want diffusion panels, barndoors, quality stands, booms, background stands, etc. It might make sense to share what the total budget will be and what type of images you are looking to take so that people can give you suggestions on how to best allocate your budget.

ipacmm wrote in post #4426992
It is for an office studio set up at my house and yes I have read the studio lighting faqs.

Wow - those are some nice units that you are looking at. I generally don't recommend packs and heads unless you have a specific need for the high power requirements of a capacitor pack. Mono-heads with self contained power and generally easier to setup in a studio environment. THey are easier to dial light power independantly from one another instead of symmetrically on a power pack. Asymmetrical power packs are pricey and usually monolights can be purchased for cheaper that achieve the same effect. Also, power packs just add one more cable that gets in the way for people to trip over and make it difficult to move 2 lights far from each other if they are on the same power pack.

For my stuff...I would only need 1 power pack for the mainlight because I like to control it when the head is on a boom...but for everything everything else I can use monolights.

In a small home studio with confined space it doesn't take too many watt seconds to power most all softboxes and lighting accessories. IF anything, you may have a problem with too much power. FOr example, in a small studio my Elinchrom 500s and 600s are just fine with softboxes but they are way too powerful for grids,snoots or shooting open heads with barndoors...so I can get away with just maybe 200 watt seconds for the smaller accessories.

Just some suggestions. It seems like you're willing to spend some money which is a good thing. But man...that is some serious coin to spend if you're not sure...might want to ask a lot more questions before making a decision on a brand. Also, you asked if it is worth spending the extra money. DEFINATELY...the higher end brands will have more consistent color temperature and integrate well with accesories. They generally produce a quality of light that is more even and has smoother gradations than the cheaper lighting sources. The biggest difference between the high end brands that should effect your decision would be lighting accessories. Try and find something that has the kind of accessories that you would require for your specific shooting style.

Here is what I am trying to do:

I have an extra room in my house that I want to convert into a studio, it would be for portrait and/or merchandise photography.

I would like to get the best quality brand lights. I have read good review about Bowens and Norman but really do not know all the other brand names out there. I am willing to put some good money down on a system since I would like to only do it one time and be done with it over re-buying everything in a year or two.

Right now I do not have a set budget on everything I would need, I am just trying to put together a complete lighting kit fist. Accessories, I really do not know where to begin with them.

well, here's my take on it...but I don't know if it will work for you or not

Since you're in a small space and want to shoot portraits and small merchandise.. I"d say you don't really need too much power. The norman and bowens packs are probably going to be excessive and just a waste of money. You really only need about a max of 400-600 watt seconds per head in a small space for portraits. For products, it's possible to do multiple flash pops to get extended Depth of Field....so you don't really need very powerful lights since you can just pop them several times.

Since you're willing to spend some money...then Elinchrom might be the way to go. Something like the D-lite 400 kit would be a great way to start and then you can add to it later if you decide you like it.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ite4_2_Monoligh​t_Kit.html

Another option is portable power like the Ranger system. I noticed that your portfolio is filled with location shots...so it might be nice to build a battery system that will work both at home and on location.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …0_Ranger_RX_110​0_W_S.html

I personally am biased towards elinchrom...but there are lots of other great makers out there. Good luck with your search.

I would google for comparisons of pack/head vs standalone lights - those names may be wrong. I see no need for you to go the expensive route, get some AlienBee or White Lightening strobes, they'll be all you need.

Maybe get the studio lighting book from here, read it, then you'll be in a position to decide for yourself what you need