Alien Bees - How much power??

I am considering is going with Alien Bees products. I mostly would

be shooting at home (18' x 22') but would want once in a while to be

able to rent a studio. At most I would probably never shoot more

than 2 people full length. , but I am worried that I won't have

enough power for the studio rental stuff.

 

I was thinking of 2 AB800's (320ws) for main and fill and 2 more for

background and hair. Do you think that this would be enough in a in

the above location and a modest sized studio? The main would fire

through a soft box/diffusion panel and the fill bounced into a

silver or white umbrella. I would use barn doors and grids to

control the hair and background lights. What do you think?

 

Thanks in advance for your help...Mike

Michael,

 

The amount of power you need is dependant on the f-stop you want to use which is then dependent on the format (size) of film and amount of depth of field desired.

 

I have a question about Alien Bees. If an Alien Bee 800 is 320ws then where does the number 800 come from ?

I will be shooting at f5.6 - f8 most of the time I would think. I use a DSLR from Canon at ISO 100.

 

As for the 800 it a marketing speak for something called effective watt seconds. The actual light is 320ws or 14,000 lumenseconds.

AB800s should have plenty of power. Some folks complain that for shooting with the light very close to the subject they have even too much power, but I disagree. You can upgrade ABs to the next model up for the price difference between models and a small fee.<br>

<br>

Regarding the power ratings, the AB800s are 320ws, but put out 800ws (effective) with the standard reflector. More info here:

http://alienbees.com/glossary.htm#effective%20wattseconds<br>

<br>

Background lighting will probably eat up 2 of your lights (at least on white). Great company & great product.

As a general rule of thumb, what percentage of the main power should you plan for when lighting a background.

 

I realize that high key or other situations may change this.

 

If I have 320ws for main and fill, would a 160ws be good for background and another 160ws for hair?

<I>...but put out 800ws (effective) with the standard reflector.</I><P>Which is

completely

meaningless, Claiming an effective watt second rating is like the joke in the movie "This is

Spinal Tap" where the guitarist has an 11" position on the volume knob on his amplifier

because "it's one louder than 10, man." <P> It is meaningless because you don't know

which light they are comparing themselves to. Is it Norman/ Balcar/ Profoto/ Photogenic/

Novatron/ Speedotron Blackline/ Speedotron Brownline/ Broncolor/ Elinchrom/ Comet/

Dynalite/ Sunstrobo/ Lumadyne/ Godard/ something that isn't made anymore? and when

was the comparison made.<P>

 

Photogenic is the company that coined the marking term "effective watt-seconds" but they

never

made it clear if they were comparing their lights to older units they had made or to

another brand.

Speaking of "Spinal Tap".... effective watt-seconds is like thinking you're going to get a replica of Stonehenge that's 20 ft. tall only to find out later that it's 20 inches tall.

 

Rock and Roll !

In answer to your question, yes, the AB800 units will provide enough power for almost any application similar to what you are describing. Depending on the light modifier you are using (silver or white umbrella, softbox, etc), you will need to experiment to see what f-stop setting will work (a decent flash meter will tell you with a minimum of effort). I'm using a softbox for my main light, a large white umbrella for fill, and two addtional B800 units for background and hair lights. F5.6 for groups is no problem, I often shoot at f11 or f16. These lights are plenty powerful and can be used in large as well as small studios. You'll do fine. Go shoot and have fun.

 

As to what ratio you need to use for background and hair lights, again, much depends on the light modifiers you'll be using, background reflectance, etc. You've got a good starting point. Bottom line, start by taking sample images using the main and fill light along with either the background OR hairlight. Look at the results and judge from there. If you've got your background and hair light placed properly (i.e., no spill from the hairlight onto the background), you can work with each light independently to figure out what works best. You may even find that your subject's hair and clothing texture/color may influence you to adjust your hair light output. Either way, now that you've got the kit, experiment with a model (spouse, etc). If you're shooting digital, you can have lots of fun making instant adjustments.

 

I'm no expert, but I'm learning rapidly, and the results are paying off.

<i><blockquote> If an Alien Bee 800 is 320ws then where does the number 800 come

from ? </blockquote> </i><p>

 

The company's Marketing Department. Or, more specifically, out of the department's

ass.

They do not claim that effective watt seconds are a good measurement at all. In fact they claim that lumenseconds are a much more accurate measurement.

I have almost the same setup but am using the White Lightning 800's. It's a great setup and will work with the size and type of shooting you described. The Alien Bee's are powerful enough and they will let you shoot at f8 or f11 easily. The barn doors with a diffusion panel are the best. They give you so much control and work a little better than a softbox. They really are just a big softbox anyway with more control especially with the barn doors. Using a silver umbrella as a fill is perfect too. You can feather it from straight on or turn it 90 degree's to the right or left for a lot of control Good luck with your new setup.

I was just using a single B800 with a Shoot-Through Umbrella aimed almost

sideways...heavy feathering of the light with a bounce off a White Wall. (Light 6' in front of

subject, Wall 4' from Subject).

 

I was shooting TriX @ 320. Running the 800 at 1/8 power, I was shooting at F8.

 

You will have plenty of power.

 

jmp

Chris and James,

What power level do you typically shoot at?

 

Do you find the modelling lights set to "track" to be useful?

 

James,

WHat was the reason that you chose White Lightning vs the Bees? Do you have the x-series?

I shoot anywhere from 1/4 to full power. It depends on the light modifier I'm using and how far away my subject is from the strobe units.

 

Yes, I leave my modeling lights on "Track". I've got 150 watt quartz bulbs installed, and I find that they give me a bit more illumination for modeling purposes. It's really VERY helpful to see the ratios as you are adjusting power output... so much quicker.

 

I have installed as much as a 200 watt bulb in the AB800 unit, and it works just fine. No noticeable heat build up. But for safety's sake, do not install more than a 150 watt bulb. Alien Bees says you can get away with 150 watts. I'd love for them to start installing 250 watt lights like they have in the White Lightnings. But at less than $300 for an AB800 unit, I am completely satisfied.

What make and model of 200w bulb did you use?

 

They actually do say on their Web site that 250w is OK for certain circumstances