Speedlight vs strobes

Reply to the youtube video a vagabond powerpack alienbee and stand is not that big of a deal!
Reliable source and punch to that of a whole pile of battery powered flash's!

I was the same just a while ago trying to figure out the best setup.
I figured it out after getting 4 flashs X1 580exII- X2 hv285 vivitars- X1 SB15 and a whole pile of rechargeables- wireless slaves and i still bought a ringflash strobe and i want the 1600 ab with powerpack soon.
Would have been easier to just get the ab 1600 with powerpack and stand in the end...........

Here is my way of thinking.. If you do a heap of studio work and have a permanently set up studio by all means buy studio flashes.. If you do the occasion studio type shoot, buy Speedlites..

For less than the cost of two 580 EXII's you can get an Elinchrom D-Lite 4 to go kit. Full outfit ,ready to go out of the box, including remote triggers. $850

Another week or so and I will have those.

I was tempted to go with speedlites, but the recycle issue is big for me.

yogestee wrote in post #11065878
Here is my way of thinking.. If you do a heap of studio work and have a permanently set up studio by all means buy studio flashes.. If you do the occasion studio type shoot, buy Speedlites..

You are right. This is an occasional studio shooting to favor my wife.

How do you set up a kind of studio like this with speedlites? What accessories do you need?

tancanon58 wrote in post #11066120
You are right. This is an occasional studio shooting to favor my wife.

How do you set up a kind of studio like this with speedlites? What accessories do you need?

In the late 1980s when I was a self employed pro photographer I had a studio stocked with studio monolights (German made Multiblitz Variolites), which were truly amazing for portraits, studio fashion and product shots.. I was mainly shooting medium format and 4x5..

I was offered a fulltime job at a newspaper in 1990 and not using my studio I sold everything off.. The newspaper also had a heap of studio monolights I could use..

I've retired from full time pro photography but I still shoot the odd paid gig and lately, quite a bit of studio work for Revlon Laos.. I have an area in my house I can set up as a studio.. Using three Speedlites (430EX, 430EXII and SB-28 ) I can set everything up in about 15 minutes.. Also this stuff is highly portable if I need it to be.. I have a couple umbrellas, a good 60cmx60cm softbox, reflector, stands, brackets and RF-602 triggers.. I also use a Sekonic L-358 meter..With this gear I get the shots I have to shoot..

Lately I've been thinking of buying a couple of studio flashes but changed my mind because studio type work is only a small part of my work.. I've just ordered a Nissan Di866 for that little bit of extra power over the 430EX Speedlites..

What I love about my system is the portability.. I can set up in 15 minutes and everything is very transportable..

Here are a couple of shots I did for Revlon Laos using what I've got..

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nice ^

yogestee wrote in post #11058599
Here is a good little video explaining the advantges of Speedlites vs strobes..

These are the reasons I've not bought studio strobes..

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=BytuP_FWWk0

The only advantage I see a speedlite over a strobe is the use of small batteries. What happens when the speedlites cant light t up the subject like a strobe? The strobes are way more powerful. Also you can pick up a AB800 for $225, have money left over to get a softbox, umbrella and a stand. I dumped my 580 that piece of poop for some actual strobes. The only speedlite that has way more power then the 580s and the Nikons is the Quantums. I use a quantum T5DR and it gets the job done.

jay25 wrote in post #11067725
The only advantage I see a speedlite over a strobe is the use of small batteries. What happens when the speedlites cant light t up the subject like a strobe? The strobes are way more powerful. Also you can pick up a AB800 for $225, have money left over to get a softbox, umbrella and a stand. I dumped my 580 that piece of poop for some actual strobes. The only speedlite that has way more power then the 580s and the Nikons is the Quantums. I use a quantum T5DR and it gets the job done.

Jay,,,I can't understand why people are getting so defensive after watching the video..

Read my post #20.. This is my own opinion why I don't have studio strobes.. Speedlites work for me, and they work well..

Horses for courses..

jay25 wrote in post #11067725
The only advantage I see a speedlite over a strobe is the use of small batteries. What happens when the speedlites cant light t up the subject like a strobe? The strobes are way more powerful. Also you can pick up a AB800 for $225, have money left over to get a softbox, umbrella and a stand. I dumped my 580 that piece of poop for some actual strobes. The only speedlite that has way more power then the 580s and the Nikons is the Quantums. I use a quantum T5DR and it gets the job done.

This debate gets interesting, but I have some questions.

Which setup woud be more versatile?

#1 - Single T5DR + Battery ( $1049 B&H )

#2 - Two Canon 580EX II's ( $990 B&H )

I also question the wisdom of calling the 580 a " piece of poop " but that's probably a topic for a different thread!

Unless you buy dumb flashes and use them in manual mode the speedlight route is by no means cheaper.

Speedlights are portabel, but so are systems like the Elinchrom quadra.

My main reason for ditching speedlights for off camera use is modifiers and lack of power.

harcosparky wrote in post #11067870
This debate gets interesting, but I have some questions.

Which setup woud be more versatile?

#1 - Single T5DR + Battery ( $1049 B&H )

#2 - Two Canon 580EX II's ( $990 B&H )

I also question the wisdom of calling the 580 a " piece of poop " but that's probably a topic for a different thread!

First I would agree with you that the 580 is not a piece of poop but a very good speedlight. My real issue is the wisdom of going the speedlight rout if you are going to use expensive speedlights like the 580. I can see the low cost alternative if you are using something like vivitar 285's that are $89 would be appealing. But when you compare 580's with quantum packs that you need for the speed of recycle and pocket wizards, 2 of those are the same price as a Ranger Quadra that has far more power and was built to use modifiers and handle the rapid recycle. I think it is fine for people to use what ever works for them, my issue with the video was the implication that strobes were a big lumbering waste of money who's power you will never use. To me other than if you go the cheap flash rout the only reason to go with speedlights as a replacement for strobes is if you are only going to use them with AA's for light use and mostly just for fill.

Pros and Cons of Monolights vs. Pack+heads vs. Speedlights

https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=11069440&po​stcount=18