best monolight kit?

[toby_burhans]

what would you recommend for a good first set? i want to get the

best set-up i can with about 1k to spend. also, i have no light

modifiers yet, should i consider accessorizing the monolight kit?

i'm shooting with a canon 10d, intended use - portraiture, studio-

based.

[timberwolf1]

I want to save you money, but give you power for that white umbrella. Use mono

lights for the areas that require more fine light adjustment such as kickers, hairlight,

background. Use a regular floor pack with two heads for the softbox/umbrella.

 

Having an umbrella or softbox filled with a 250 watt modeling lamp is sweet. The

lower cost mono lights only come with 100-150 watt. Therefore, I suggest you

purchase a Norman P1250 1200ws floor pack used $250 each head $90 used. Or,

buy a Norman p2000 2000ws used $300. These will give you all the power you need

for any situation up to about 8 people, roughly.

 

Because you are shooting digital, you can cut in half any recommendations here for

that 60% chip digital camera. Therefore, a Norman 800ws unit at $175 used will work

fine.

 

You will then be free to choose mono lights from alienbees or white lightening or

photogenic or other manufacturers with the ability to vary power from a low of 25ws

or less to 200ws or 400ws. The example I think of is alienbees B400. The B800 unit

is also good. I am not familiar with Photogenic or Calumet. A used Balcar system

would be nice.

 

It will cost you $225 for each alienbees unit (go to alienbees.com) in B400. You

could get 2. You have enough to buy a Norman 2000ws unit for $500 with 2 heads.

You can always sell the Norman for what you pay for it. You can always add another

head for about $95 used. Go to the auctions.

 

Using two mono lights of 800ws-1600ws will cost you about $350 minimum,

maximum about $900 apiece. So, i think it is better to use the Norman floor pack.

 

The ultimate mono lights, in my opinion are Speedotron Force 10 at $825 apiece.

These are 1000ws units.

 

I realize that mono lights are sort of cool as they all fit into one suitcase. If you only

want it this way, then the minimum is a alienbees B800 for the main, B800 fill, B400

hairlight, B400 hairlight. This is about $275+275+225+225.= $1000.

[ellis_vener_photography]

I would never suggest you buy Norman. they are an incredibly inefficient design. I

uased Norman gear for about fiftenn years till I started running some side by side

tests with Balcar, elinchrom and Speedotron . The Normans in every set up, at the

same power settings, put out half as much light as the Elinchrom, Speedo, & Balcar.

The Normans & Balcars had new flash tubes; the Speedotron and Elinchrom (EL1000

monolights did not.

 

Speedotron is probably your best buy.

budget about $4 -500 for light stands and light modifiers.

[wayne_crider4]

I'll put in a plug for the White Lightnings and Flash Point that I own. I would

suggest buying cheap and uprgrading later if your amount of work warrants it.

I am replacing mine with portable lighting. I have no need for outlet

dependent lights.

[timberwolf1]

You can always put Speedotron Blackline heads on a (cheap) Norman pack. You will then get the same efficiency and lots. All you do is change a couple of wires. Both Norman and Speedotron use the same capacitors! I have some short conversion cables! Norman pack 2000ws $300 used; Speedotron 2400ws $700-850 used. With the $500 you save, you could buy 2 Alienbees B400 units! This is only a comparison, I am not suggesting he buy 2400ws of power.

[timberwolf1]

Speedotron heads must be re-wired at the socket before any attempt to use them on Norman packs--and have a tech person do it. Otherise, the pack will short and sparks will fly! Just because the sockets are the same does not mean you can use them on different packs. 900 volts is nothing to fool around with; the electrical chair uses 1000 volts.

[dave4]

Timber, I'll bite where are you finding Normal packs and heads used for the prices you quoted. I just checked Ebay, and see nothing close to what you are quoting.

[j_stoll]

I'm selling two strobe lighting kits. One is an older (about 12 yeras old)

Broncolor mono light kit (Broncolor Impact 41 kit, has two 300ws heads w/

quartz modeling light, built-in slave, 3 power settings; two reflectors, two

umbrellas, two snyc cords, two stands, a grid reflctor and a set of 3 grid spots)

all in a carry case. Its well taken care of , clean, all working. The other is a 3

year old Speedotron Blackline 2400ws (2401sx) pack new style connectors

and 3 new style (202vf) heads, with reflectors, new style cords, all real clean

and rarely used. email me with any questions or for pic if anyone in interested.

ylojelo@hotmail.com

[j_stoll]

Broncolor kit from above is sold. Speedotro still for sale ;)

[timberwolf1]

As for the "Price Challenge" on Normans, I personally purchased on the auctions a Norman 1200ws pack for $175 in like new condition. You simply have to be looking at the auctions every other day. Normans are only inefficient because they come with a dull, diffused type reflector and they use a pull-the-tube-for replacement design. It isn't because they have something in the internal wiring that gives them less efficiency. By simply using a chrome reflector, wide angle or normal, you automatically pump up efficiency about 7/10s of a stop or more. I believe that the normal 9" reflector gives you over 1 f stop of extra power, about 1 2/3 f stops when attached to the head. It turns a 250ws strobe into a 400ws strobe effective. You just need to understand what is going on. If you use their 9" chrome reflector and aim it at a big umbrella, from about 8', you will get very, very soft light with high power.

 

When the fancy "other" models are broken down, it is nice to have a simple, powerful Norman around. It doesn't have any computerization to break down, it doesn't have any radio slaves to break; it just works when most all others (except Speedotron) are stuck in complexity. I also own Speedotron, and I have owned Balcar. It is very easy to find a used 2000ws Norman pack for $300. But this is too much power for any digital camera.

 

But in my opinion, the very best mono light, as I said above, is the Speedotron Force 10 or Force 5.

 

I just wanted to answer the question above.