Alienbee Package or Another Flash?

I'm setting up my first studio space for shooting models for a tshirt business. I'm doing my research on lighting and I'm not sure what to invest in first. I'd like to just get an alienbee kit (2 b800's) but i'm wondering if getting a 580 (i currently have a 430) might be a better idea since I will be shooting models on location pretty often as well.

thanks!

Well if you can spend the money to invest in battery packs you can have the best of both worlds. The AB's are going to give your more creative flexibility, but you are going to sacrifice mobility and ease of use. If you are the kind of person who wants things done quick and easy, then the speedlight may be the better option for you.

Go through the strobist blog, they have A TON of examples of on locations shoots with studio strobes, and with simple speedlights. It should give you an idea of the limitations of both systems and the effort required to get both up and running.

thanks for the reply. i don't mind spending the money that i need to but i dont want to end up buying things i don't need or later find out that i should've bought something else instead.

i think im going to by some skyports and learn how to use my 430ex off camera first with an umbrella or what not. i can always pick up lights later on.

also, i've found a photographer to take me under her wing to teach me about studio lighting in exchange for some graphic design work. seems like its all working out!

I much prefer the look and color temp of a strobe over a flash any day of the week. get the ABs

Get vagabond to go with your ABs. Sure it is heavy but does give you lot more versatlity compared to simple camera flashes.

2112 wrote in post #6164141
I much prefer the look and color temp of a strobe over a flash any day of the week. get the ABs

Are you saying that other strobes might produce different colour temp to Alienbees ? I have 3 bees and their colour temp is great. I mean I barely adjust the temperature, unless the object is wearing warm/cold clothes.

bobbyz wrote in post #6164256
Get vagabond to go with your ABs. Sure it is heavy but does give you lot more versatlity compared to simple camera flashes.

I just bought a vagabond II and it's the best thing since sliced a/c cords

Pucky: are the 800's going to be enough, and just two of them? I would think that you have your light setup planned out then.

I have 800's and I'm dying to buy a 1600 + beauty dish, helps with on location especially in daylight.

glad to see this get bumped back up. i'm still deciding on lights actually. but now i'm between the Calumet Genesis 400s and Elinchrom D-lite4's.

My space is about 13' x 16' and i'm going to be shooting fashion models wearing the clothes for sale on a website. i'm thinking i will probably need 3 lights and a large softbox.

I started another thread regarding softbox size. At this point i'm leaning towards the Calumets since the difference in price can be used towards a large softbox for shooting full body.

ANY guidance would be greatly appreciated.

i hate to do it, but i'm getting rid of my best 6 fishing reels (another one of my obsessive hobbies) for this so my budget is around $1600. i look at it as an investment and i can buy the reels again when business takes off... i hope!.

Something else that hasn't been mentioned is that studio strobes give you modeling lights and Speedlights do not. When shooting models, portraiture or product work there are great benefits of having a continuous modeling light.

For me it would be a no brainer. Strobes and portable power.
Yes, it's heavier and not as convenient to move around and setup, but again, the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks and overall, a much better choice than Speedlights.

So how many pops can you get out of a couple Elinchrom 400BX heads and a Vagabond II Robert?

ben_r_ wrote in post #6178611
So how many pops can you get out of a couple Elinchrom 400BX heads and a Vagabond II Robert?

From the AB tech spec page:"For example, a 640 Ws flash unit, when operated at Full Power at "Fast" position typically yields about 600 flashes per battery charge. This is a total of 384,000 Ws (640 Ws times 600)."Way more than 600 pops.

Except, because the heads are digital, you will get a lot fewer pops - the digital circuitry is way more fussy about the current being fed to it, so the strobes will shut down or start acting weird, earlier. The specs stated above are for analogue strobes.

Rudi wrote in post #6179184
Except, because the heads are digital, you will get a lot fewer pops - the digital circuitry is way more fussy about the current being fed to it, so the strobes will shut down or start acting weird, earlier. The specs stated above are for analogue strobes.

Good info. Any idea on what the digital/analog pop ratio is for a given ammount of power?

Pucky wrote in post #6165400
glad to see this get bumped back up. i'm still deciding on lights actually. but now i'm between the Calumet Genesis 400s and Elinchrom D-lite4's.

My space is about 13' x 16' and i'm going to be shooting fashion models wearing the clothes for sale on a website. i'm thinking i will probably need 3 lights and a large softbox.

I started another thread regarding softbox size. At this point i'm leaning towards the Calumets since the difference in price can be used towards a large softbox for shooting full body.

ANY guidance would be greatly appreciated.

i hate to do it, but i'm getting rid of my best 6 fishing reels (another one of my obsessive hobbies) for this so my budget is around $1600. i look at it as an investment and i can buy the reels again when business takes off... i hope!.

With your "space" I would say that small flash units would serve you very well. If you plan on venturing out of your "space" or shooting many shots non-stop, then you may want to consider strobes and portable power.

ben_r_ wrote in post #6178611
So how many pops can you get out of a couple Elinchrom 400BX heads and a Vagabond II Robert?

Zero. If you try use more than 1 Style 400BX digitally controlled strobes with a Vagabond II it fails. One strobe is fine. Two will not even work.