Ok, what's so great about AlienBees?

[sean_mcdaniel]

<p>Hi Everyone,</p>

<p>Ok, I need some serious help. I am starting a home-based portrait studio. I found a package online (<a href="http://www.skaeser.com/servlet/the-579/**4-PRO-LIGHT-780W-fdsh-S/Detail">http://www.skaeser.com/servlet/the-579/**4-PRO-LIGHT-780W-fdsh-S/Detail</a> ) that wasn't too expensive and seemed like exactly what I wanted. I was set on getting this.</p>

<p>Then I made the mistake (well maybe not a mistake after all) of looking around and seeing what other people thought about lighting. I heard a LOT about AlienBees. It seemed that just about everywhere I looked, someone was saying that they either had them and loved them, knew someone that loved them, or heard that someone loved them. I still have yet to hear anything bad.</p>

<p>So what's the deal? What makes these so great? I went to their site and created my own package consisting of:</p>

<ul>

<li>(2) B-800s</li>

<li>(1) octabox (octagon softbox)</li>

<li>(1) umbrella</li>

<li>(2) 13' heavy duty light stands</li>

<li>Wireless Remote controls (1 transmitter and 1 receiver)</li>

</ul>

<p>After taking into account that I'd have to get backdrops with a stand separately, the total cost of going this route is about $350 more than the original "package" I listed above.</p>

<p>So my question is: Which "kit" should I get? I really don't want to go the "cheap" route and end up spending more in the long-haul.</p>

<p>Ok, I have a couple more questions too:</p>

<ul>

<li>Do you think two B-800s would be overdoing it for portraits? I plan on using these lights as my only light source in the studio. If this would ever not be enough light, I'd rather get the right equipment the first time.</li>

<li>Do you have to use their wireless remotes to trigger the lights? I have an SB-600 as well and was wondering if this would do the trick. This might save me some money until I can afford the wireless triggers. I also don't want wires hanging off of my camera.</li>

<li>How do Alien Bee flash triggers stand up against the Pocket Wizards?</li>

<li>Do I need the heavy duty light stands or are the general purpose stands sturdy enough? Do they maneuver the same</li>

</ul>

<p>I'm sorry for the overwhelming amount of questions. I have never bought any lighting except the SB-600 (which was just for fun) and just want to make sure I'm thinking correctly.</p>

<p>Thank you all Very much!!</p>

<p>-Sean</p>

 

[Matt Laur]

<p>What's great about Alien Bees is what's so great <em>per dollar</em> about Alien Bees, for people who are operating within certain boundaries of ruggedness and operational nuances. That's the main thing: for what they do, and considering the support you'll get from the US company that makes and directly sells them, they're a great deal. On a technical level - compared, for example, to the lower-power and less versatile package to which you linked - they're also just plain more useful.<br /><br />Unless you're out where you need very long ranges, you'll be fine with the CyberSynch radio triggers. But as you guessed, you do NOT need wireless triggers to get things underway. The Bees can optically slave to any other strobe they see going off, which means you could indeed set your SB-600 to a very low power, manual setting, and just rotate the head so that it doesn't contribute any meaningful light directly to what you're shooting. It would still be enough to fire the strobes, though.<br /><br />Two B800s will not be over doing it for portraits, but you could certainly start with just one, and a reflector. You'll be happier in the long run with heavier-duty stands - especially if you later purchase a boom arm.<br /><br />You'll definitely be happier with the Bees than with the cheapy package strobes from China that you mentioned. Just getting them serviced (heh!) or replacing the flash tubes alone would be all it takes to kill whatever price advantage it may seem that you're getting. There's a reason the Bees are in the entry level sweet spot if you're shopping in the US.</p>

[nathan_stiles]

<p>Well, I still say Speedotrons are the way to go :-) But, if the Bees gave you pause for their price, you aren't going to get a 2 head Speedo Blackline.</p>

<p>Bees are great b/c they are cheap. And compared to other cheap lights, they have some of the most impressive stats. The kit you linked to controls light up to 3 or 4 f-stops, but only in 1/2 stop incriments. The Bees offer more control. That softbox, btw, is way too small for people. The original kit also has a recycle time up to 2 seconds!!! That's a big wait for something not putting out 4800ws!</p>

[jerry s]

<p>Two AB800's isn't overkill for a general portrait session. You can always reduce the power through power adjustments and/or diffusion. Recycle times should be a bit faster with lower power as well. When you add soft boxes, umbrellas and other modifiers you'll find that AB's 800ws (that's 800ws relative - not actual) will work nicely for you.<br>

As mentioned above, you don't have to use the AB wireless - you can trigger them using the built-in optical slave. Wireless control is a hot topic these days; it goes beyong simple wireless triggering, allowing you to control flash output, etc. from the commander. I believe AB has, or releasing such a unit. This will save you some time when you need to make adjustments. Also, should you ever use an Octa or similar box, you'll quickly appreciate not having to open the box to adjust power.<br>

I haven't used Cybersyncs (I use Elinchrom, and the Skyport system), but several fellow photographers use the AB units, and swear by them. For indoor portrait work they should be just fine. Paul Buff has a great reputation for customer support as well.<br>

Go for the heavier stands - it'll save you the frustration of having to buy them in the future:) You'll especially appreciate them when you need to mount larger soft boxes.</p>

<p> </p>

[Two23]

<p>Alien Bees are the best value for the money that I've found. I too can pinch a penny hard enough to make Lincoln groan, but I won't buy cheap stuff that has no repair service backing it up, "iffy" parts availability, and questionable quality. The Bees are very solidly built and well engineered. For what they cost, they are amazing. I use mine outdoors when it's 30 below zero and have never had an issue. Bees also has a full line of light modifiers that the cheapest lights don't have. The other thing about ALien Bees is they have a VERY high resale value. I often see the B1600 lights selling on eBay for $325, and they cost $369 new!<br>

You could fire the B800 using your SB-600 to trigger the built in optical slaves. If you are going to be using big softboxes etc. I would go with the heavy duty stands. As for the CyberSync triggers, they are excellent. I think they are better than Pocket Wizards. They are much more compact, solidly built, and I've never had a misfire. The transmitter is tiny and slides into the camera hotshoe. There are no wires attaching it to the camera unless you want to use your PC connection.<br>

Kent in SD</p>

[frolickingbits]

<p>As the other posters have said, AlienBees provide a great price/performance ratio. They aren't the most rugged, powerful, consistent or full featured lights out there, but they are the best light you can get for the money. I have three White Lightnings (a step up from the bees), as well as 5 Speedotron heads and two packs, and the Speedos are definitely better lights, but they also cost about 50 percent more than the lightnings.<br>

For the most part, you will be better off buying accessories seperately, rather than getting an "everything included" kit. The kit you linked above is based on junk strobes, and the accessories are even worse. I wouldn't be suprised if it broke down on you in a year or two, and you ende up buying the Bees anyways, which would make them $900 more expensive, since you would have wasted $550, plus the frustration of working with junk lights.<br>

Get the best light stands you can afford-I would avoid the air cushioned light stands, because I dislike having to wait for my lights to lower. Having heavier stands also makes your lights more stable with large modifiers, like the octobox. I would very highly reccomend getting a barndoor and a set of grids for your second light. The octobox is a nice modifier, but you may find you want to work with harder light every once in a while, especcially for men, and the grids provide a wonderful shaped light. Grids are also great for background lighting if you want a splash of light. The barndoor will let you set up a nice rim or hair light without spilling light on your background.</p>

[pge]

<p>Start with a good set of wireless triggers, you will end up there anyways, save yourself the frustration and do it from the start.<br /> <br /> Shooting in the studio is supposed to be fun and creative, at least that's why I do it. Anything less than a good reliable wireless trigger is going to detract from the "fun and creative" part imo.</p>

<p>Phil</p>

[bob_osullivan]

<p>That skaeser kit looks dissapointing. You won't save $350 because you'll end up replacing that entire kit fiarly soon. The flash tube replacements alone will negate your savings very quickly. The AB flash tubes will last 10 to 25 times as long. </p>

<p>AB gets good reviews because they make a very capable light for a very reasonable price. Some of the accessories are great, others are a bit lame. But overall the product line is solid. </p>

<p>If you aren't shooting fashion or work that demands the highest accuracy light color, these are fine. They are workhourses. And the company stands behind the product.</p>

<p>Lastly, the ABs are compatible with other modifyers/softboxes via speed ring adapters, as many popular brands are. I doupt that you'd be able to fit a chimeron box to a skaeser light.</p>

[jim_stewart3]

<p>The kit you linked to has a recycle time of up to 5 seconds (2 seconds someone quoted is for the smaller light). This is a lifetime, especially for 300 w/s. The little ones also only have 2 f-stop of adjustment</p>

[ronald_olsen]

<p>WL/ AB have the best customer service, technical department, and repair service around. Not just in the lighting industry, but in ANY industry. I'm not going to repeat the litany of happy experiences I've had with this company again, you can do a search and read them elsewhere. What is it about a 60-day no-questions-asked return policy that makes you hesitate about buying these with confidence ?</p>

[jtk]

<p> Calumet and Elincrom offer high quality, inexpensive, fast-recycling alternatives to AB... recycle time and portability may be issues for you, may not. </p>

[sean_mcdaniel]

<p>Thanks to everyone for their responses. I am going to go with the Alien Bees. The Elincroms look great too, but a little out of my price range (maybe after the cash starts flowing better). I wanted to get the Radio Popper JrX radios, but they're not out yet, so will probably go with the Alien Bees as well. Thanks again folks!! I really appreciate all your help!!!</p>

<p>-Sean</p>

[john_crosslin1]

<p>fast recycle</p>

[sean_mcdaniel]

<p>Ok, so here's what I ended up getting and it's a great starter kit.</p>

<p>From <a href="http://www.alienbees.com/">AlienBee</a> :</p>

<ul>

<li>2 Alien Bee <strong>B800 </strong> lights (with heavy duty stands for each - <strong>LS3900</strong> )</li>

<li>1 Alien Bee <strong>B400 </strong> (with a background light stand - <strong>LS1100</strong> )</li>

<li>1 47" Octabox (<strong>OB47</strong> ) </li>

<li>1 32" reversible umbrella <strong>(</strong> <strong>U32SW) </strong> </li>

<li>1 CyberSync CST <strong> (Wireless Transmitter)<br /> </strong> </li>

<li>1 CyberSync CSR+ <strong>(Wireless Receiver) </strong> </li>

</ul>

<p>Off <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/SP2750-PREMIUM-PHOTO-BACKDROP-STAND-BACKGROUND-MUSLINS_W0QQitemZ310128158402QQihZ021QQcategoryZ79006QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262">Ebay</a> :</p>

<ul>

<li>1 SP2750 10' Background stand</li>

<li>1 10' X 20' Muslin Backdrop (Black)</li>

<li>1 10' X 20' Muslin Backdrop (White)</li>

</ul>

<p>These worked fantastic for me. Here's my opinions:</p>

<ul>

<li>I think the umbrella from AlienBees is a little cheap - light seems to seep through, but not a huge deal.</li>

<li>Octabox is friggin' huge, but I love it.</li>

<li>Wireless transmitters and receivers are excellent (will buy more when I get the budget)</li>

<li>Lights are fantastic (as everyone already knows). I use the 800s for main and fill and 400 for the background. This was actually serious overkill for me (I don't come close to using them at full power), but I'm glad I got these as I will eventually need the extra power.</li>

<li>Both Backdrop stands were dented (in the exact same place, so I figure it's a problem on assembly line or something). I was tempted to return these, but figured it wouldn't be a huge problem for just holding the backdrop. </li>

<li>The stands from Alien Bee are superior, but once the base is extended to be wide, it's kind-of hard to get them back in. I have a friend who has Manfrotto stands and his are just as difficult. </li>

</ul>

<p><strong>REALLY </strong> <strong> </strong> glad I didn't go with the Steve Kaiser lights. Thanks to everyone for all the advice!!!<br /> </p>