Genesis kits on sale, are they good?

Just saw all calumet genesis kits on sale, anyone use these? are they good for starter studio set-ups?

mrrod2001 wrote in post #9032767
Just saw all calumet genesis kits on sale, anyone use these? are they good for starter studio set-ups?

Genesis lights are one of the good ones in the market for beginner's who wants to try off cam flash photography.

I have the Genesis 200 2-light kit. I've been happy with them. I don't think you'll find much on the market that will beat them in terms of quality and performance for the price. I recommend them. Even better if they're on sale!

Calumet Genesis lights are excellent entry level lights. The build is good, they perform well and use the Elinchrom mount so you can tap in to the extensive line of Elinchrom accessories and modifiers without having to upgrade your lights.

I have heard that these genesis lights are better for indoor studio type shoots rather than on location outdoor shoots, is this true? I have been back and forth with either these or alien bees and I have been leaning towards the alien bees but the sale on the genesis lights are hard to pass up. I could get the two 200 w/s light kit and a vagabond for under $600 and thats very intriguing. What should I do if I am going to use these lights for more on location than studio?

Dave

Muskydave22 wrote in post #9033592
I have heard that these genesis lights are better for indoor studio type shoots rather than on location outdoor shoots, is this true? I have been back and forth with either these or alien bees and I have been leaning towards the alien bees but the sale on the genesis lights are hard to pass up. I could get the two 200 w/s light kit and a vagabond for under $600 and thats very intriguing. What should I do if I am going to use these lights for more on location than studio?

Dave

Just saying a strobe is better in the studio than on location doesn't really mean anything without more information to back it up. If you're referring to the 200 Watt second strobe not being powerful enough, that's relative and depends on what you're shooting. If you're shooting action or movement and referring to the relatively long flash duration then that could be a factor. Beyond that, there's nothing about the Genesis strobes that wouldn't be good for location work.

Got the 400, love them so far, feels more solid than other strobes, fan underneath really helps with heat.

Muskydave22 wrote in post #9033592
I have heard that these genesis lights are better for indoor studio type shoots rather than on location outdoor shoots, is this true? I have been back and forth with either these or alien bees and I have been leaning towards the alien bees but the sale on the genesis lights are hard to pass up. I could get the two 200 w/s light kit and a vagabond for under $600 and thats very intriguing. What should I do if I am going to use these lights for more on location than studio?

Dave

the Genesis needs a generator to run it on location, it wont work with the vagabond

HoRnYTuRbO wrote in post #9036875
the Genesis needs a generator to run it on location, it wont work with the vagabond

A generator? I don't think so. The Genesis strobes may not work with a Vagabond but according to the engineers at Innovatronix, the Explorer XT SE will work fine with Genesis strobes.

A short review I did a while back:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=741886

The genesis should work with the vagabond also, its pure sine wave for use with alien bees. As far as the generator just make sure its puting out clean AC power (pure sine wave) or else the Explorer XT SE or Vagabond would be a safer way to go.

when i was at calumet (Cambridge,MA) ready to buy the Genesis sales guy told me i had to run it on a generator. its why i went with Alein Bees

mrrod2001 wrote in post #9036978
The genesis should work with the vagabond also, its pure sine wave for use with alien bees. As far as the generator just make sure its puting out clean AC power (pure sine wave) or else the Explorer XT SE or Vagabond would be a safer way to go.

There were reports of problems with the switching relays when using Genesis with the Vagabond. It's not just about having a pure sine wave inverter. There are other issues with multi-voltage strobes that have come up. The new XT SE has addressed these issues, whereas the Vagabond works with some multi-voltage strobes but still has problems with others. Buff won't discuss or publish that information because technically he won't support third party products.

HoRnYTuRbO wrote in post #9037037
when i was at calumet (Cambridge,MA) ready to buy the Genesis sales guy told me i had to run it on a generator. its why i went with Alein Bees

Sale guy is an idiot. I hope Calumet fire him. Although Alien Bees is also a good choice.

HoRnYTuRbO wrote in post #9037037
when i was at calumet (Cambridge,MA) ready to buy the Genesis sales guy told me i had to run it on a generator. its why i went with Alein Bees

Genesis lights may be good but it's common knowledge that salesman don't always know that the heck they are talking about and this is a clear example. Regardless of what devices are compatible with what pure sine wave inverters, to recommend a generator without any further information is a horrible recommendation. There are some generators that do have pure sine wave inverters but for the most part they do not.

I would advise others that want to power their Genesis strobes remotely that they do the research and not listen to them mindless advice of a Calumet salesman.