Best Strobe Kit for the money?

[nathan_stiles]

<b>Ellis, you are still so off and biased</b><br>

<br>

<i>"Arcing problems with Speedotrons, Normans and most brands of American made and some older European (such as pre Nexus Balcar) is a well known problem ."</i><br>

<br>

All the recent models of Speedotrons come w/ arc proof plugs. You no longer have to have the box unplugged to switch heads. This is factual-- you can check their specs or write Speedotron.

<br><br>

<i>"if you haven't had this problem yet --just wait, you will."</i><br>

<br>

Wow, since your information was dated and incorrect, this is rather sladerous. it's funny that you mention that Playboy uses Speedotrons, but you imply that they all blow up! Why would such a successful company torture themselves like this. This is mud slinging by you.<br>

<br>

<i>"t/0.1 is important to know because it measures the actual motion freezing ability of the flash: in that regard it is roughly equivalent to shutter speed setting."</i><br>

<br>

It's statements like this that makes me wonder about your credibility. You are stating for fact, something that is highly contested. Out of t.1, t.3, and t.5 the International Standards Orginization chose t.5 as the most standard way to determine motion freezing ability. Whether t.1 for some strobes is a better indication (as each peak graph will vary) is up for discussion, but to state as a fact the opposite of what the ISO agreed upon, w/o offering any other information, is intentionally misleading. Your like Buff's own personal Michael Moore.<br>

<br>

<i>"So Brooks if disaster struck and he needed to replace his Speedotrons today could buy 3 2500 (7500 watt-seconds total, and six channels and six outlets) watt-second packs for slightly more than a single 4800 Speedotron pack."</i><br>

<br>

Now put this in real world usage: on location every time Brooks pulls the trigger, he is drawing amps from 3 packs instead of one on the circuit. Add that extra pack (or 3, if he is using Zeuses), he's very likely to be tripping circuit breakers on each go.<br>

<br>

<i>"I wasn't there but given my experience with lighting sets like that, I imagine Brooks and his assistant spent at least a little time adjusting the position of the heads to get the light distributed the way he needed it to be."</i><br>

<br>

I'm 90% sure this is the same client I assisted Brooks on about 9 months ago. It actually takes Brooks about no time to set up-- goes from Lightware case to location, meter once, one adjustment-- done. But, this doens't mean that your suggestion of being able to power each head down seperately wouldn't help-- Brooks has been using these set ups in similar situations for decades. Not all of us have. However, this is a different approach that a pack/head system offers-- I know for a fact that Brooks hates the idea of going to a seperate pack for each head. Elinchrome's digital packs would be a better argument than 3 Zues's.<br>

<br>

And yet again, extra plugs are for flexibilty-- your Zeus system is not flexible.

[ellis_vener_photography]

<I>All the recent models of Speedotrons come w/ arc proof plugs. You no longer have to have the box unplugged to switch heads. This is factual-- you can check their specs or write Speedotron.</I><P>Hmmm. I guess this is why Speedotron clearly states in their instruction manual for Blackline gear:<P><U><B>Never connect or disconnect a light unit while the power supply is turned on. Never insert or remove flash tubes while the light unit is connected to the power supply. Be sure flash tubes are fully seated into light unit sockets. (Read instructions in the Light Units section of this manual for more information on light unit assembly and operation.)<P>

 

Always make sure your Model and Power switches are off when disconnecting or connecting light units. Speedotron power supplies are equipped with arc-protected outlets. However, as with any electrical equipment, arc-over (an electrical discharge between two physically disconnected electrical terminals) is a possibility. When light cables, flash tubes or power cords are improperly seated, arc-over may occur. Also, if your light unit or power supply malfunctions, or the power cord or the internal wiring in the studio is improperly terminated or defective, there is a chance of arc-over. Severe power supply damage and operator injury may result if arc-over occurs."</U></B><P>(http://speedotron.com/BlkInst.htm )<P> Maybe you should try reading your instruction manuals sometime?<P><I>"it's funny that you mention that Playboy uses Speedotrons, but you imply that they all blow up! Why would such a successful company torture themselves like this.</I><P>

 

If you think any studio strobe system won't blow at sometime, you are deluding yourself. Ask Brooks about that. I'd also be very surprised if Brooks has all of his packs plugged into the same circuit although he may have had his studio wired with enough amperage to do just that. Knowing Brooks he might have done exactly that (yes I've been to his studio too.) Also the situation he wrote about was in television production studio which is wired to a different standard than most photo studios are. <P>

 

A Zeus, Profoto, Elinchrom, Norman, Broncolor, Comet, Dyna-lite, Novatron, etc., lighting system is exactly as flexible as the photographer using it.

[ellis_vener_photography]

One more thing Nathan,

 

"You no longer have to have the box unplugged to switch heads. This is factual-- you can check their specs or write Speedotron. "

 

I never said you had to unplug the Speedotron packs from the mains to switch heads. That is your addition.

[brooks short]

Hi guys,

 

Ellis wrote:

 

"If you think any studio strobe system won't blow at sometime, you are deluding yourself. Ask Brooks about that. I'd also be very surprised if Brooks has all of his packs plugged into the same circuit although he may have had his studio wired with enough amperage to do just that. Knowing Brooks he might have done exactly that (yes I've been to his studio too.) Also the situation he wrote about was in television production studio which is wired to a different standard than most photo studios are."

 

I've never had a Speedotron power pack blow up...yet. I'm sure it could happen. There's a lot of stored electrical power in any studio strobe and it's just dying to get out, any way that it can.

 

I do have 4 seperate 20 amp lines in my studio. And I plug each power pack into a seperate line. The 4800ws Speedotron packs require 15 amps on slow recycle and 20 amps on fast recycle. I always use slow recycle because it takes more time for my mf digital back to write to the desktop Mac than it does to recycle the flash. 2-3 seconds at full power on slow recycle is fast enough for me.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I did have a client accidentally tug on the flash head cable once and that sucker went off like a shotgun when it arced. He didn't pull the socket all the way out, just enough to gap the contact between the socket and plug. When I unknowingly fired the strobe, there was an incredibly loud bang! Repair cost was $60 for a new cable plug and $80 for a new socket on the power pack. Plus shipping to Chicago which cost more than the repairs.

 

The power at the TV studio was fine, probably more than 20 amps per line.

[patrick_f]

<p>I plan on going back and reading all of the responses here later, but I can offer this advice: from 5-6 years of assisting, 14 years of shooting, and working as a Grip / lighting tech in the film industry I have worked with literally every lighting system you can think of, from Broncolor to Allien Bee's, to Profoto, to 25k Hot lights, to Kino, etc. All of it, I do not think there is too much I have not seen. Here is my humble opinion. I have Elinchroms. Great, consistent color and output. Horrible attachment system and expensive. The BEST for location: Profoto. The BEST for stop action/quick recycle/studio use? Broncolor. Broncolor is WAY too fragile for field use, but amazing in a studio environment. I have used Speedo Blackline since the beginning of my career (many old school photogs use them) and unless you want a lot of power noise, stay away. Honestly, being exposed to almost every system you can think of and using them on real shoots in real locations, I would go with Dyn-lite. I do not own them personally but I plan on switching to them. On all the shoots I have ever worked on, I have never seen them "screw up" once, they are 1000% reliable in my book. Also, very lightweight, compact, powerful, efficient, NOT expensive (comparatively), and cheap(er) to repair. If money is not an object, (and may not be with my new account) I would purchase a few Profoto Acutes and maybe a 7b or two. If budget is a concern, I think Dyn-lite is the way to go. PLEASE stay away from bs like alien bees. Trust me, Lights and lenses - the two most important purchases you can make if you are doing this for a living. My dream kit? My 5 Elinchrom mono's. A kit of 4-5 580EXII's with batteries, etc, a set of 3 Arri 650's, 2-350's, and a few jokers or 150's, two 7B's for big location stuff, a set of kino's/divas (have kind of), 3 Acute 2400's with 6 heads (for studio work), a small hot light kit, and maybe a small LED kit. That and a few flashlights/spotlights for adding details on location.... Oh and Gels to balance color, output, etc....<br>

I think I could get a lot done with that arsenal, but then again there is always rental.....and before you go purchasing a few thousand dollars in lights, you may want to check out the local rental houses if you are doing paid shoots on a non-consistant basis (I have no knowledge of your business, etc)</p>

[nathan_stiles]

<p>Holy time warp!!!</p>