Strobes

[tom_davis3]

<p>Can somebody give me an idea as to higher end compared to lower end strobes. I know different brands all have different size and quality but generally what I am looking for is what are the higher end brands compared to the lower end brands. ie;--- this brand is the Cadillac, and this brand is the Ford, or Chevy, or gosh forbid the Vega. Thanks.</p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>Price is going to tell you alot, since the better "Cadillac" brands are higher priced. It also depends on if you're looking at pack head systems or monolights. Speedotron, Bowens, Hensel, Elinchrom--they all have some high quality lights in their lineups. White Lightnings are also good, durable, and have a long track record. They're not digital like some of the other brands, so I guess you could put them in the middle of the pack, but they're still very good and very reliable. I own them and love them. Alien Bees would be the most cost effective of the reliable brands, so maybe the "Ford". Affordable and dependable.<br>

Basically anything else that's priced very cheap, or has a name you don't recognize and isn't mentioned alot by people in these forums will be the "Vega" brands to avoid if you're looking for quality.<br>

You can learn alot about reliable quality brands just by reading these forums and seeing what other people use. Everyone has a favorite brand, and of course there will always be those who don't like a particular brand for one reason or another. You really can't go wrong with any of the names mentioned above, and it really depends on your needs and what type of shooting you plan to do.</p>

[summerleif]

<p>Tom the list of deficiencies in low end strobes in very long and not at all like trying to compare car brands. There are huge technical and practical differences between cheap amateur strobes and quality professional units.</p>

<p>Consistent color temperature is something only available in higher quality strobes, and getting it involves sophisticated electronics, which are digital in the best of current strobes. The color temperature should be between 5300K-5600K.</p>

<p>Shortness of flash. Even in quality brands, one pays extra for shorter flash, I use Bowens Gemini strobes, and even within the Bowens line in monolights, the duration ranges from 1/900sec to 1/2900sec in the monolights and is 1/3600sec in a pack and head system that runs about $6,000.00 for a pack and some heads. A Bowens monolight with 1/2900sec flash starts at about $750.00 for a 500ws monolight and up from there.</p>

<p>Output adjustment increment. A quality profesional strobe provides adjustment in 1/10 f-stop increments. Cheap monolights usually provide output in large proportional step of 1/4 or 1/8 output (THAT IS NOT 1/8 f-stop).</p>

<p>Profesional strobes now have some form of built-in wireless triggering system. For example, the latest Bowen-Pro system uses a plug-in module for which they make trigger receivers for a variety of trigger brands including PocketWizard.</p>

<p>Many Professional strobes include a radio remote control to adjust output levels. In a studio that is a feature whose advantages become apparent during the first day of work. Otherwise it can be necessary to get on a ladder to climb up and adjust the output on a strobe monolight when setting up a shot, which can occur repeatedly.</p>

<p>Quality strobes - monolight or pack and head - are made with heavy duty metal housing and high-impact polymers for the non-metallic portions. Cheap lights are often made of cheap physical materials in addition to having cheap electronics.</p>

<p>The ability to operate on AC power on using a large battery unit for outdooe shoots where power is not otherwise available. This is a big reason I chose the Bowens line for my work.</p>

<p>The electronics are important because a strobe flash involves high voltage capacitors that need to fire consistently for years at a time.</p>

<p>The list of the features and aspects of strobes goes on and on and could take me hours to describe, but these are just a few important ones to consider.</p>

<p> </p>

[chad_hoelzel1]

<p>You might also want to look at the cost of light modifiers that fit on that strobe. Sometimes your sort of stuck not only spending lots on the strobe but also lots on the simplest of light modifier.</p>

[frolickingbits]

<p>I like playing with analogies, so here's what I can come up with (disclaimer: this is probably not very accurate)<br>

Broncolor: Mercedes, top of the line, all the whistles, accessories are twice the cost of any other brand.<br>

ProFoto: BMW, also top of the line, but slightly more affordable than the Broncolor<br>

Hensel: Audi,<br>

Elinchrom: VW<br>

Speedotron: Armored Car, no whistles and bells, but indestructable<br>

Bowens: Toyota<br>

White Lightning: Honda, cheap, dependable, not fancy<br>

Alien Bees: Chevy<br>

Novatron & Norman: tie for Hyundai<br>

Photogenic: Kia<br>

All those 'no-name' eBay flashes from China-Huffy Bicycle</p>

[savas_kyprianides]

<p>What kinds of photography is very short flash duration good for?</p>

[sd_woods]

<p>I'm going to hazard a guess here(I don't know the first thing about lighting) but sports maybe?</p>