stephengalea Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Currently, I am on my way building a studio and I would like to buy 3 heads + pack or 2....DECIDING between the BOWENS QUADX AND THE PROFOTO ACUTE 2 Packs, as basically they are about the same price more or less.. My questions is first... DO any of you have experience with such packs and if yes, how did you find them? Other then this, I need to fire all heads with a wireless setup - wht do you recomend between Pocketwizard and Pulsur? Will I have to connect heads to there packs ONLY and Flash will fire by using 2 of the pulsur..one attached to camera and other to head or pack? IS THE ABOVE CORRECT? In addition, i am opting more for the bowens QUADX PACK, however i need to buy 3 durable and heavy duty stands , moreover 2 arms/booms which could hold the FLASHhead + a coupled large soft box... (http://www.bowens.co.uk/quadx.php) Wht would you recommend as stands arms etc for a studio space of 20 by 13.5 and 8 Feet Ceiling...( I know 8Foot ceiling is a minimum) Wht other accesories do you suggest and think i could find useful in such a studio? WHT ARE YOUR RECOMENDATIONS AS LOCALLY I CANNOT VIEW SUCH EQUIPMENT.. THX in ADVANCE... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streetlevel Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 Both will be excellent... primary consideration would be how easy it is to find modifiers for them, and service. Getting bowens packs serviced in the US can be tricky... but no problem in the UK... So - I'd dig around the support structures to see what makes more sense for your location. Mathews C++ stands rock. about as solid as you get. Tho they do take up space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonia_barrett Posted August 8, 2005 Share Posted August 8, 2005 We use Bowens and Calumet gear in my studio. The Calumet lights are actually made by Bowens, and Calumet does service for both here in the states. If Calumet is in your hometown, you'll get great service on the Bowens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephengalea Posted August 9, 2005 Author Share Posted August 9, 2005 Thx for your responses... I will check out on the mattews stands.. Thx once again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_gardner2 Posted September 2, 2005 Share Posted September 2, 2005 I use the QuaDX packs in my studio. When they work... they work well. The light modifiers are cheaply built for what you pay and I don't recommend the softboxes or stands (Calumet) nor do I recommend the Pulsur setup. Pocket Wizards are far superior and well worth the investment. As for the QuaDX packs... they are having a problem with capacitors and Bowens/Calumet are in the process of replacing the old with the new on my packs. If you are unfortunate enough to get a bad cap... you'll hear a gunshot sounds from your pack until you have it fixed. Overall, for the money, the Bowens packs are more bang for your buck than the Acute 2's. The flash duration is short and sweet and the color temp / light is consistent from shoot to shoot. If you go with the QuaDX and PocketWizards... you will need to buy some ferite magnets (Radio Shack) to clamp onto the cable between your pack and the receiver... The packs electro-magnetic field interferes with the signal to the Pocket Wizards. The inexpensive magnet takes care of all that. (This problem baffled the engineers at Bowens... the smart folks that make Pocket Wizards figured it all out). If you go with the Acute 2R... you'll get the built in Pocket Wizard receiver (that works without magnets)Ñ something I wish Calumet/Bowens would have done. All that said. I've invested enough money into the Bowens line to turn back now... Had I had a bit more money and sense at the start, I might have purchsed the higher end ProFotos... 7bs or the like. But, I am making a very good living using the Bowens gear despite some of their Kmart like accessories. The other issues I have with the Bowens line is a very inconsistent fit between their accessories. Some of my reflectors/speed rings, etc., fit some of my heads well... and some not so well. It's as if each accessory and head was made in a different country by men with failing eyesite. Who knows. I hope this helps you in your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now