Do I need the $988 Elinchrom Octa Light Bank...

very very nice work! i wouldn't have thought that these images were coming out of the 85mm 1.8. I guess it's because you've ran some of the images through imagenomic which creates the super creamy richness of the 1.2 lens.

c2thew wrote in post #8794321
very very nice work! i wouldn't have thought that these images were coming out of the 85mm 1.8. I guess it's because you've ran some of the images through imagenomic which creates the super creamy richness of the 1.2 lens.

I don't think the 85/1.8 needs and PP help - it is very capable on its own, the only thing it doesn't do is open up more than f/1.8. And it's actually easier to work with than the f/1.2 L, IMO. Close-up the 85/1.8 is as capable of melting the background as the f/1.2, if you use a FF camera.

Rudi wrote in post #8794386
I don't think the 85/1.8 needs and PP help - it is very capable on its own, the only thing it doesn't do is open up more than f/1.8. And it's actually easier to work with than the f/1.2 L, IMO. Close-up the 85/1.8 is as capable of melting the background as the f/1.2, if you use a FF camera.

I agree Rudi. When I was shooting Canon I found the 85mm f/1.8 to be excellent and rendered out of focus background beautifully. The same is true of Nikon lenses. The classic 85mm f/1.4 has dreamy creamy bokeh but the 85mm f/1.8 is so close and quite nice, not to mention 1/3 the price.

I've owned and used both extensively, and still have my 85/1.8. That does not mean that it is superior to the f/1.2, it means that I couldn't justify keeping the f/1.2 L when the f/1.8 version did everything I needed to do (and I do some very shallow DOF work for every wedding), and for the money saved I could buy other gear (that does other things, things that an 85mm prime cannot do).

Update:

Well, it's been too cold to shoot natural light so I got the Octabank last week. I love this thing. The huge soft light is very flattering to skin and features. It's almost like cheating using this light. You can set it and forget it

Peter, very nice.

Looks great Peter but why are we seeing a light stand riser in the catch light if the light stand is at the back of the octa?

Hard to argue with results like these. I could stare at these two pictures all day!

That's the photog, not the stand (in the catch light). Great shots - and some nice camera porn.

Conner999 wrote in post #9215436
That's the photog, not the stand (in the catch light)

Doh! Yes, of course.

Can you be more specific about the translucent material, is it just clear plastic like painters use or does it have a foggy light look?

There's a couple of videos on youtube with folks using this modifier with amazing results. I think they were done by Chris Burfoot. This will certainly be my next modifier from Elinchrom.

Conner999 wrote in post #9215436
That's the photog, not the stand (in the catch light). Great shots - and some nice camera porn.

good catch, it's me standing in front of the Octabank.
Saw video where a photog on America's Next Top Model stood in front of it and shot:
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=-ickd44pt3Q

Jannie wrote in post #9215759
Can you be more specific about the translucent material, is it just clear plastic like painters use or does it have a foggy light look?

are you referring to the front diffuser? It's similar to other Elinchrom cloth diffusers.

pnmd wrote in post #9216139
good catch, it's me standing in front of the Octabank.
Saw video where a photog on America's Next Top Model stood in front of it and shot:
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=-ickd44pt3Q


are you referring to the front diffuser? It's similar to other Elinchrom cloth diffusers.

I stand in front of my fill source quite a bit if I don't have room to shoot to the side or move it slightly. I'm not a big fan of catchlights that are interrupted like that and only do it when I can't work around it. I wouldn't do it with my main light though. That's just me.

TMR Design wrote in post #9216173
I stand in front of my fill source quite a bit if I don't have room to shoot to the side or move it slightly. I'm not a big fan of catchlights that are interrupted like that and only do it when I can't work around it. I wouldn't do it with my main light though. That's just me.

I actually don't mind different or nonstandard positions of catchlights in the eyes. I'm a huge fan of cathchlights and with the Octabank, you'll never have pinpoint catchlights.