Vagabond portable power pracitcle with Alien Bees?

[chris_s___hampton_roads_va]

I'm considering purchasing a package of Alien Bee lights, one of which

includes a Vagabond portable power supply.... has anyone used this in

a wedding setting, and if so, was it worthwhile? I'm trying to decide

to go for this, or a different setup offered with a 4th light & big

softbox instead...thanks in advance!

[barry_davis___st._louis__m]

Chris, I am about 99% ready to call and order, so Im curious about the responses to your post. I've seen many good responses in past on this and feel comfortable with the purchase.

[wedding-photography-denver]

I have the 150 and it is great for powering two 1600ws heads for up to about 100 formals in a dark church. I normally shoot with about 1/4 power on the sliders and get about a 2-3 sec recycle time. Its a great power pack, but its heavy..

[rdkirk]

It's a pretty good power pack. I use it for outdoor portrait fills (especially in late afternoon shots against the setting sun). It works well with no issues.

 

One thing not made clear in the advertising is that the 300 has an advantage over the 150 ONLY if you use more than one light. This is more clear in the website documentation. I advise anyone considering the Paul C Buff products to peruse his FAQs and tech notes carefully. There is a lot of worthwhile product information there.

[hugh_jaramillo]

Chris,

 

In the past I done a fair amount of weddings and the one thing that always holds true (at least in my venues) is that time is at a prime, before the wedding and in between venues, church-reception.

 

Normally you have to setup, meter and take the stuff down.

 

While that setup is ideal, are you sure that you are going to have the time, besides you can pretty much get the same results with smaller lights and dragging the shutter.

 

Great for portrait work, but for wedding work?

 

Just my 0.2

[nick_w.]

Chris,

 

I love my Alien Bees Vagabond. It recycles at full power in about 2 seconds. I recently used it in a dimly lit church (what church isn't dimly lit?) during a wedding ceremony with a pair of AB 800s bounced off the 40ft ceiling. I also use my AB setup for location portraits, including the feature photo on my new website www.nickwrightphotography.com

It's also important to note that Paul C. Buff Inc. has some of the best customer service in the industry.

[booray]

<p>I'm a wedding photographer in Tampa who also does portrait work. I've been considering using my AB 800's for formal shots in the church because, well, I've got em, and once you are set up you can shoot as many as you need with consistent light. My decision is whether I should invest in the portable power or just plug in... I doubt there are many churchs without an outlet (plus better recycle time and modeling lights), www.boorayperry.com</p>