White lightning not so good?

[matthewkane]

Ok I was just reading the studio learning section on this very site

and here is the quote I came across "Warning: there is a brand of

mail-order flash called White Lightning (Paul Buff) that is sold as X

watt-seconds for N dollars. These supposedly aren't such horrible

flashes but the watt-seconds figures are absurd. The true output is

something like X/2 in which case the monolights aren't any cheaper

than other cheap brands." Maybe I should consider novatrons or

something else eh??

Just a thought, whattya think?

Thanks

[danny_liao]

I don't know about you, but I hate when my equipment fails. In photography, you get what you pay for...cheap price=cheap equipment. If I were you, I would save up and buy something more reputable.

[david_prouty]

The White Lightning monolights are not cheap lights! They are quality pieces of equipment! Many professionals love the power and versatility of these lights! Remote control (cord and radio), battery packs for locations without AC power! What more can you want other than power, fast recycle, and control (they have all of the above)! Not to mention the light pattern from these lights matches very well to the modeling lighting! Novatron units are closer to the cheap lights Danny suggests veering away from. They are more for the portrait hobbyist than pro. They work, and work nicely, but are not made to handle the rigors of pro work. If you have ever heard of Charles J. Lewis, he has used the White Lightning units and was completely enthralled by them.

 

The watt/second ratings problem? Read the information on the website about how Paul rates his units. He doesn't give one version of rating and he gives you a good, brief, and informative explanation of each.

 

Check it for yourself. My understanding is his effective watt second rating is the output you would recieve from a pack unit with three lights attached. Thus, the 800 effective watt second light would be the same as one light from a 800 watt/second pack with three lights at a symmetrical setting. Is that a little clearer? I may be off a little on the numbers, but this is essentially the way it works. Paul doesn't lie to anyone. He makes a lot of things clear on the web site, and in the literature he sends with the unit.

 

Don't believe every bit of tripe you hear. Get the facts for yourself and let your brain tell you what is what.

 

Dave

[steven_muncy]

The author of the article also stated " I don't have enough experience with monolights to

suggest a brand . . ."

 

I'm sure that the higher priced units offer good value for the money. If I was doing catalog

work or needed the extra features that some units offer, then I would be using them. I

could also justify their cost on a business basis. I'm sure they pay for themselves in

productivity. The one thing a photographer cannot replace is their time.

 

But I am not a pro and don't put my lights thru 200 rolls of film per week. So the extra

"ruggedness" that many units offer will not be used in my lifetime. I started with one White

Lightning and over time added some extra units. I could do this as my budget and

experience grew. With the bigger pack/head units your biggest single expense is the pack,

and that all comes up front. I now have 4 monolights. There are very few things that I

couldn't finish with 3 lights if something broke. Can't do that with a fried power pack.

 

I am using WL right now, but have used Novatron and other systems as well. Frankly, they

all worked well for me. My needs are rather simple - moderate adjustable power and the

ability to use a softbox. You need to evaluate what features you need for the photography

you do. Find the best fit from available systems and shoot. There are many good to

excellent systems out there. One of them will be perfect for you.

 

But don't take the article OR me as gospel. These are opinions.

[mark_kolanowski]

I and the studio I work for have been using White Lightning units since the early WL 5000/10000 units, the Ultras, Zaps, X series, and the offshoot Alien Bees for 15 yrs. Good solid equipment, outstanding customer service/repairs. During our busy SR summer,the units will undergo 600- 1000 pops a day . The Vagabond portable power supply has also worked out great for our location work. Mark

[bernard_r._negrin]

If there is anything that I learned in lighting that took a long time to penetrate into my head is this: You cannot go by the watt-seconds, you MUST go by the f-stop.

 

When I was hunting for a light kit I researched just about everything out there. I bought books, asked questions, went to stores and the answer I always got was to go by the f-stop at a given distance. I rented a Speedotron 1205 (1200ws) and compared it against a WL Ultra 1200 (600 ws) and got similar results.

 

A power supply rated at 1200ws is only storing 1200ws worth of power or joules. It does not mean that its delivering or pouring out all those 1200ws. A lot comes into play, such as the reflector(very important)and the environment you are shooting too How shiny or polished is it? This has a lot to do with your resulting f-stop.

Many lighting manufacturers say you will get: f/x in feet. But, how many feet? At what distance? The best way to compare is to do a side by side comparison or rent before you buy and take notes of the f/stops.

[steve_hovland]

White Lightning and Alien Bees do have f-stop information on their sites.

[yance_marti]

There is a lot more to speccing a monolight than just a comparison of power vs cost. I and a lot of WL owners can verify that the support of Paul Buff is very impressive. The lights are solidly built and have a wide variety of light mods. I have the 2400 lights and the power is more than enough for my needs. I don't feel I have overpaid for what I bought. Definitely do not go by a few opinions (even mine) and research based on your own needs.

[barmijo]

The quote above sounds like someone who's very biased toward a pack and heads.

 

The effective Watt-Seconds ratings were an attempt to compare monoblocs against packs with heads. Because monoblocs don't lose efficeincy due to long cables between the batteries and the heads they tend to deliver more light output per Watt-Second. White Lightning is not the only brand that used effective Watt-Seconds as a marketing tool.

 

I have both Photogenic and White Lightning monoblocs. I prefer monoblocs because I don't have high voltage cables lying all over the floor to be tripped on. However packs have advantages as well. A good pack will let you adjust overall power without affecting the ratios between heads. The head associated with a pack system is light and can be placed on a boom without trouble - try that with a monobloc.

 

Figure out what you want to do, how much you can afford and then research. But don't rule out White Lightning because of a reviewers silly bias. He even stated he has no experience with them. White Lightnings are rugged and reliable and if you them for the right reasons you'll be very happy with them.