Alienbee B800 or Calumet Genesis 400 package?

[kenneth_nguyen]

<p>Hi, i'm new to photo.net, and i need help selecting which monolight package is better. I will be using for family portrait.<br>

Calumet Genesis 400 1-Light Kit http://www.calumetphoto.com/item/CF0514K/<br>

or <br>

Alienbee B800 package. http://www.alienbees.com/beginner.html<br>

I have heard many people recommend Alienbee, but Calumet package " features digital, variable flash-output controls that allow you to adjust power levels over a 5-stop range and An audible flash-ready alarm lets you know when your Genesis is fully charged and ready to go."<br>

any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.<br>

Thanks in advance</p>

 

[derrickdehaan]

<p>Alienbees are adjustable over a 5 stop range and I think they have the audible alarm too. I know they can be setup to use the model lights as a way to know when they are recharged. </p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>The Alien Bee folks are working on a new flash with digital controls. But they're not out yet. From the Alien Bees site:</p>

<p><strong>Einstein™<br /> Anticipated release date 2009. . . Price to be determined</strong> <br>

Einstein™ is an entirely new series of Paul C. Buff professional monoflash units.<br>

Most current “digital” flash units are merely analog units with digital controls added. Paul C. Buff designed Einstein™ from the ground up in conjunction with The Technology Kitchen (Austin Texas) to fully exploit the capabilities of digital technology as it applies to photographic lighting.<br>

The capabilities of the Einstein™ system are far too numerous to mention here, but suffice it to say Einstein™ promises to redefine the art of professional studio flash in no uncertain terms.</p>

[wayne_f1]

<p>The Einstein will be in a different price class however.</p>

<p>The Alienbees don't have the audible alarm, but probably don't need it. The B800 spec says recycle is 1 second maximum, and the Genesis says 3 seconds maximum. That would get my attention. I have B400s and B800s, and operated normally at low power, they seem near instantaneous.</p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>I have Alien Bees, too. They are rugged, light, and their customer service excellent.</p>

[bob_osullivan]

<p>AB cannot sound a beep but they do use the modeling light to notify you of recharge. It's really a moot point because they recycle so fast, even at full power, that you won't be able to push the shutter fast enough to outrun them. </p>

<p>Other than that these two sets seem to be very comparable.</p>

<p>I don't think you can go too far wrong with either of these. They are both fine systems. I use AB and WL for monoblocks. I can vouch for thier service as being excellent. Don't know first hand about Calumet but they do have a good reputation as well.</p>

[nathan_stiles]

<p>Both of these lights seem pretty comparable. The B800 is faster, the Genesis 400 has more consistancy in color. The Bee has a Balcar fit, and the Genesis uses the same mount as Elinchrom.</p>

[papa_carlo]

<p>I had both. Overall a very hard call which light is better.<br>

Genesis is better built, compatible with Elinchrom modifiers, has digital controls, preflash skip, cost less and comes with very decent stands and umbrellas. Most importantly the color consistency when dialed down is much better than that of Alien Bees. Exposure consistency between shots also is very good. <br>

AB on the other hand has a better flash duration, shorter recycle time and is an analog light. That means it is very undemanding to the power and can be used with wider range of inverters should you ever want to go portable. The ownership cost is also lower due to regular household bulb in the modeling light and lower cost flashtube. I din't have to replace any though.<br>

At the end I decided to keep Genesis due to its color consistency but again the overall value is very similar.</p>

[zafar1]

<p>Surprisingly no one has mentioned the power difference between the two. The genesis in question is fully half the power of AB 800. Shouldn't this be compared to AB 400? Do I understand the correctly?</p>

[papa_carlo]

<p>So you too was mislead by Paul Buff's trick :-). AB800 is 320WS light despite the unit name suggests a much more powerful light.<br>

Genesis 400 is 400WS light exactly as the name suggests.</p>