Rotalux 69 inch vs 74 Octa bank. worth the extra $$$?

I purchased the Elinchrom Rotalux 69 inch and went back and forth on whether or not I should have the 74 inch Octa bank. Still waiting for it to arrive. I have no problem spending money on quality gear, I only want to buy things ONCE. However, having never used either of these before, I'm a bit confused over the price difference between the two, even though it is only a 5 inch difference, and double diffusion fabric, as near as I can tell.

My question is this: in reality, is the $1135 for the 74 inch, really THAT much better than the $350, 69 inch? Anybody out there who has used both? I know it isn't just the size, but when you consider the law of diminishing returns into the equation...thoughts?

I want to add a question to this. Does the 69 inch open the same way as the 74?
Meaning, does it push open like a huge umbrella? Does the light mount on front and fire into the center pointing toward the rear of the modifier?
Because the 74 sure has an exquisite opening and closing system as compared to my Elinchrom modifiers.

mark

suecassidy wrote in post #11469940
I purchased the Elinchrom Rotalux 69 inch and went back and forth on whether or not I should have the 74 inch Octa bank. Still waiting for it to arrive. I have no problem spending money on quality gear, I only want to buy things ONCE. However, having never used either of these before, I'm a bit confused over the price difference between the two, even though it is only a 5 inch difference, and double diffusion fabric, as near as I can tell.

My question is this: in reality, is the $1135 for the 74 inch, really THAT much better than the $350, 69 inch? Anybody out there who has used both? I know it isn't just the size, but when you consider the law of diminishing returns into the equation...thoughts?

I was in the same boat a month ago. Get the 74. it takes exactly 10 seconds to set up and 5 to put back in the bag. INVALUABLE.

have a look here to see what he's talking about.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=6yp9dzzZiM0

I've never owned the 69", but I absolutely adore the 74" octa bank. The fact that it's indirect can be invaluable when trying to get the ultimate in soft, window-like light.

I've got the 74" Elinchrom Octa and it's a stellar modifier. The design is different than the 69" Octa, which is what accounts for most of the cost difference. On the 74" Octa the strobe sits inside the modifier and fires backwards into it, then the reflected light is diffused by the diffusion cover. It's fast to set up, provides VERY even light illumination on the surface of the diffusion fabric, which makes it act like an even larger modifer than the 5" size difference. You can also shoot without the diffusion fabric on for a really nice large specular light source.

However, the 69" Octa is a really nice modifier. I know that some folks use the internal Elinchrom deflectors in addition to both diffusion fabrics, which evens out the light distribution. You certainly made a good choice with the 69" Octa, especially when you consider overall lighting capability per dollar.