Studio Lighting

[peter_cohen]

<p>To <strong>Ralph</strong> and others who have found <strong>Kacey</strong> to be less than responsive, I recently (a month ago) had communication with him that was very responsive -- even at 9PM! In fact, I took it as a good sign that he was personally contacting me at such a late hour. I'm interested in his dish with the Buff adapter.</p>

<p>Here's the contact info from his email signature:<br>

Jerry Kacey<br /> Kacey Enterprises<br /> 425-876-4839<br>

kacey_enterprises@comcast.net</p>

 

[studio460]

<p>Thanks for posting that, Peter. Kacey uses a web-based, e-mail reply form on his site, so I never knew his actual e-mail address. Perhaps it simply wasn't working when I tried contacting him in the past. Hopefully, Kacey will garner a few additional sales from this thread to help make up for my earlier post.</p>

[summerleif]

<p><strong>@Ralph Oshiro:</strong><br /><br />The expensive, super thick, expensive 8ft x 4ft foamcore I was referring to is apparently usually called Gatorfoam.<br /><br />Yes, it is basically a sturdy styrofoam core material, with a foamcore style surface. It comes in white/white white/black white/gray black/black.<br /><br />For example: foamcoreheaven.com wants $800.00 for a carton of 6 1inch thick 8ft x 4ft boards.<br /><br />I have seen studios where they were using the gatorfoam boards with duct tape as their hinges. They seem expensive for something that gets beat up after a while.<br>

That is why I decided to build my much more sturdy plywood v-flat stands with hinges, velcro, and silicon sliders on the bottom, painted matte black, and then attach thin foamcore to them. That way, if a panel gets dirty, I just replace it with another, new, thin, panel of foamcore.<br /><br /><a href="http://artsupply.com/foamcore/gatorboard.htm">http://artsupply.com/foamcore/gatorboard.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.foamcoreheaven.com/48x96x1blgag2.html">http://www.foamcoreheaven.com/48x96x1blgag2.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.foamboardsource.com/gatorfoam-gtrf761.html">http://www.foamboardsource.com/gatorfoam-gtrf761.html</a><br /><br /><br />For smaller sizes that fit onto a calumet or photoflex zipdisc holder, I find that cheap thin 1/4in or 3/16in foamcore works just fine. I purchase the white/white, white/gray and black/black which seem less expensive than the white/black. The links to the holder devices below are basically similar, but each with a slightly different design, intended to be mounted onto a small light stand. The calumet version collapses to a smaller size, but I find myself using my photoflex ones just as much, I have some of each brand. I just leave them setup, but upright, in corner of the studio, ready to move position if needed, and they are needed often to refine shots, prevent flares, reduce shadows and so on.<br>

<br />(calumet zipdisc holder)<br /><a href="http://www.calumetphoto.com/eng/product/calumet_telescopic_zipdisc_holder/mf6860">http://www.calumetphoto.com/eng/product/calumet_telescopic_zipdisc_holder/mf6860</a><br>

<br /><br />(photoflex litedisc holder)<br>

<a href="http://www.photoflex.com/Pro_Products/LiteDisc_sup__reg___sup_/Accessories/LiteDisc_Holder/index.html">http://www.photoflex.com/Pro_Products/LiteDisc_sup__reg___sup_/Accessories/LiteDisc_Holder/index.html</a><br /><br /><br />Anyway, I hoped this sort of knowledge might help people trying to thoroughly outfit a studio for the first time, so that they don't spend months figuring these aspects of studio ancillary but essential equipment. It is the reflected light, rim light, and so on, that give good photographs dimension and character. It is lack of dimensional lighting that makes amateur attempts at studio photography easily discerned from experienced/professional work, IMO. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>

[summerleif]

<p><strong>@Jason Williams:</strong><br>

<br />I can and do fully understand your antipathy toward Chinese made products. I am also convinced though, that much of the off brand equipment sold through many sources, including eBay, is made in China, even some that isn't labeled as such. Although the quality varies, some of it actually seems to be of quite good quality, but it is impossible to tell about many such items without testing/trying them out.<br /><br />I was thinking about the political/moral problems involved with many such products even as I wrote my post discussing the beauty dish I use. <br /><br />Even though my Calumet beauty dish is labeled a British product, in some way there may be no way to know where its parts come from.<br /><br />I had considered writing about my political reluctance when I tried out that Chinese made beauty dish from eBay. Actually, it isn't clear where it was manufactured, but I always assumed it was made in China. It also occurred to me how difficult it is to avoid Chinese made products and/or components when using any kind of technology products. All too often, products that call themselves U.S., Japanese, or South Korean, contain parts made in China. Whether the product is a Dell computer laptop or monitor, an Apple iPhone, or a Nikon/Canon camera/lens assembled in Thailand (whose government I dislike), it seems truly difficult to avoid products with potentially problematic origins. Even Boeing airliners now have parts sourced from all over the world.<br /><br />Fortunately, I believe most of my studio gear is either made in the U.S. or in Britain, or is at least a product that labels itself as such. When it comes to core camera gear such as Nikon and Canon, or just about any computer gear, I suspect that there isn't any way to avoid the fact that some of the components in them are produced on Chinese production lines.<br /><br />I agree that these are difficult political problems, and I too wish that such products could be manufactured entirely in the U.S., Britain, and so on, and with reasonable prices, but world economics seem to have made that difficult for many companies. The moral compromises seem difficult to avoid.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p>

[studio460]

<p>Summer said:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The expensive, super thick, expensive 8ft x 4ft foamcore I was referring to is apparently usually called Gatorfoam.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ah, yes. Gatorfoam (a.k.a. "gator board"). Yes, that stuff is super-expensive. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude in pointing that out, but I was pretty sure you were referring to something other than Foamcore.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Anyway, I hoped this sort of knowledge might help people trying to thoroughly outfit a studio for the first time, so that they don't spend months figuring these aspects of studio ancillary but essential equipment.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Absolutely! Your posts are very helpful. Thank you!</p>

[jason_williams14]

<p>@ Summer It is a difficult and frustrating situation and there is no end in sight. All a person can really do is try their best to stick to their principles and support their home economy, even when politicians and large corporations have no qualms about selling us out. I'll do without a luxury rather than buy Chinese, but the really frustrating thing to me is, like you state, when there is really NO other alternative (like with Cameras). I used to work for Leica and even we had Chinese components...<br>

Back to photography :) Those are excellent ideas and you're right, lighting is about more than lights, whether you're like me, a soon to be converted "strobist" with a pile of speedlites, or someone with a $30,000 studio lighting set-up. I use the DOT stands that I bought at an auction to hold formcore, scrims, reflectors, etc... They work great, you can orient the plane of the surface at about any angle you need, and they can NOT be knocked over, even when holding 4x8 sheets outdoors in a breeze. No sandbags required. The engineer in me loves to improvise and come up with my own designs that work. There's satisfaction in that. There should be a thread on that.</p>

[jay_drew]

<p >This is a fascinating thread. But one question keeps coming to my mind. </p>

<p >Why are pack & head units so much more expensive that mono head units? I don't see how the cost of the copper cables could make that much difference. I don't like mono heads just simply due the the much greater weight @ the end of the pole. (I use the term 'pole' to generically cover whatever is supporting it.)</p>

<p >What am I missing? Jay Drew</p>

[jason_williams14]

<p>I have laid out my plan forward and I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to every single person who took the time out of their day to post to this thread and to help me out. I sincerely all the help I have received here.<br>

My best to everyone.</p>

[fotografz]

<p ><em>"Why are pack & head units so much more expensive that mono head units? I don't see how the cost of the copper cables could make that much difference. I don't like mono heads just simply due the the much greater weight @ the end of the pole. (I use the term 'pole' to generically cover whatever is supporting it.)</em></p>

<p ><em>What am I missing? Jay Drew"</em></p>

<p >The question is ... are they so much more expensive? Comparing apples to apples in terms of brand, can be revealing (depending on the brand).</p>

<p > </p>

<p >For example, a Profoto Acute-2 2400 w/s kit with 3 heads and zoom reflectors is $4,277. A Profoto D1 kit with two 1000w/s monos, plus one 500w/s unit totals $4,210 The difference is that you can pump 2400 w/s out of one head/modifier on the Acute 2 if you want/need it. In fact, the Acute-2 D4 pack head will take up to 4800 w/s if you rented a 4800 w/s D4 Pack. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Marc</p>

[summerleif]

<p><strong>@Jay Drew:</strong></p>

<p>The biggest feature it seems like one is usually paying for with a high end pack/head system is the ability to achieve extremely short flash duration, plus a huge f/stop range from max power down to little more than candle light, in 1/10 f/stop increments.<br /><br /><br />As stated earlier in this thread, I use monolights.<br>

The monolights I use also enable me to use them with dedicated battery packs when AC isn't available.<br /><br />I have never had a problem with putting the monolights I use on a boom. <br />I just use sandbags, with all stands especially outdoors and with casters in studio, with or without booms. That is a safety concern. In the corporate studio where I work, we even have all electrical outlets coming down from the ceiling, to avoid trip hazards on the floors. <br /><br />I like the precise individual, digital control, that the monolights I use provide.<br /><br />The monolights I use also have a remote control that lets me adjust them without having to either climb up or bring the lights down. For a gazillion bucks, as an alternative, there is always Profoto Studio Air for wireless lighting control though.<br /><br />Since I am not doing specialized work that requires extremely short flash duration, I don't see any need for a pack and head system.<br>

<br />I work both in a corporate studio, and I have my own studio.<br /><br />Even with the generally lower cost of many monolights, just in monolights and battery units alone at the office, at the retail prices of 8 monolights (some 500ws some 250ws) plus four battery units (for outdoor locations), was still an investment of almost $8,000.00 purchase price. But as discussed throughout this thread, the cost of light units is only a minor portion of the total studio investment cost, not even counting the physical facility itself.<br /><br />I would rather invest in lenses, than pack/head lights anyway.</p>

<p> </p>

[rob_h5]

<blockquote>

<p>The difference is that you can pump 2400 w/s out of one head/modifier on the Acute 2 if you want/need it.</p>

<p>The biggest feature it seems like one is usually paying for with a high end pack/head system is the ability to achieve extremely short flash duration, plus a huge f/stop range from max power down to little more than candle light, in 1/10 f/stop increments.<br /><br />The monolights I use also enable me to use them with dedicated battery packs when AC isn't available.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Jay, both Marc and Summer have given you great advice and they are both right! <strong>I use BOTH pack and head flash systems as well as monolights.</strong> In fact I use the hybrid/tribrid pack and head Bowens Explorer 1500ws with 2 pack heads and the Bowens 750R AC/DC monolight. High end pack and head systems have a short <em>flash duration</em> and gives images a crisp feel and have a fast recycling time. Another thing to consider is <strong>portability</strong> as they make both DC portable pack and head systems as well as AC/DC monolights. The Bowens Explorer 1500w/s is such a portable DC pack and head sytem AND has two extra port connections for the AC/DC Bowens monolights for 3000w/s total power capability.</p>

<p><strong>A nice feature about the Bowens pack is that you can dial in and display the exact flash durations.</strong> This is very rare feature seen only in a handful of pack and head systems. In fact Broncolor is the only other one I am aware of where you can also do this. You can also dial in the exact wattage asymmetical or symmetrical anywhere in 1/1o increments from 31w/s to 1500w/s through one or two pack heads.</p>

<p>For the Bowens Explorer 1500 just a single pack head, on Channel A the flash durations that can be dialed and displayed on the digital screen are as follows:<br /><br /><strong>1500w/s = 1/4,170s <br />1000w/s = 1/5,700s <br />0750w/s = 1/5,500s <br />0375w/s = 1/5,000s <br />0188w/s = 1/4,500s <br />0094w/s = 1/4,000s <br />0048w/s = 1/3,580s <br />0032w/s = 1/3,380s</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>More great reading on portable pack and head sytems including Profoto, Hensel and Elinchrom!</strong></p>

<p><a href="http://www.timothyarmes.com/blog/2009/05/choosing-a-battery-pack-flash-system/">http://www.timothyarmes.com/blog/2009/05/choosing-a-battery-pack-flash-system/</a></p>

<p>As great a review as it is they left out Speedotron Digital Explorer 1500 and Broncolor Mobile 1200ws pack/head which are amazing pack and head systems. I also shoot with Profoto and Speedotron pack and head systems and highly recommend these and all the pack/head systems in the review. :)</p>

<p>BTW thanks Marc on emailing Kacey Enterprises , I will check into this, I want to be able to use Elinchrom octoboxes and stripboxes on Bowens studio lights asap.</p>

<p>So whatever studio light you choose be it pack and head systems or monolights just make sure it suits your type of photography style! Have fun!</p>

[fotografz]

<p>Yep, same here ... Use both packs and Monos. Monos mostly for background lights and accent lights, rarely as the key lighting.</p>

<p>In studio, I like to work with packs ... usually only need one 2400 w/s pack with 3 or 4 heads. The pack usually sits right a my feet next to the camera stand, so I can control the light from an overhead boomed soft-box which I can't easily reach to adjust (unless it was a D1 AIR mono ... which I'd have to adjust with the channel selector and up-down levels buttons ... big PITA compared to just twisting the dial, beep, and shoot).</p>

<p>Unless the mono-head has radio controlled levels, they are a real PITA with some soft-boxes where the head is buried inside diffusers. Also, the body of a Mono is almost always longer, bigger which limits height in smaller studios or rooms with low overhead. </p>

<p>Both have their place, but gun to head, I'd pick a pack system over a mono for studio work any day, they are just faster to use.</p>

<p>Marc </p>

<p> </p>

[summerleif]

<p>As another Bowens user, like Rob H., for those trying to make comparisons, download the PDF manuals from the Bowens web sites. They include detailed information that allows for good comparison between the Bowens monolights and Bowens pack/head systems like the Explorer and Quadx. The Bowens Explorer and Quadx systems are great systems for people doing specialized product photography where short flash duration is extremely helpful in achieving stop motion results. The Quadx can flash as short as 1/7100th second, to enable shots that create precise motion capture, and can recycle fast enough to capture multiple shots of motion through a path over the course of a couple seconds. By comparison, the Bowens monolights I use have a 1/1000th second duration, although some monolight units range from about 1/750th to 1/2500th second. For the work I do 1/1000th is more than adequate though.<br /><br />On another topic, to the best of my knowledge, it seems that only Bowens, Broncolor, and Profoto currently have remotes for control of light output levels and so on. Without the remotes, one has to lower stands or climb up on a ladder to make adjustments. With the Bowens lights, I can verify light output levels from the digital LED displays on the units, make setup shots, and diagrams, with precise indications of the output levels for each strobe.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.broncolor.com/broncolor/">http://www.broncolor.com/broncolor/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bowensusa.com/">http://www.bowensusa.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.profoto.com/us/">http://www.profoto.com/us/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.profoto.com/us/products/monolights/d1/d1-air-500">http://www.profoto.com/us/products/monolights/d1/d1-air-500</a><br /><br /><br />When I was making choices, among the important considerations, it was the digital control, and the "travelpak" battery system that sold me on Bowens lighting. After much usage of Bowens monolights, it has become easy to appreciate their durable construction, all metal housings with quality rubber grips, and so on, with the design intent of creating a product that can stand up to all day shoots and transportation to remote locations too. Since Bowens monolights can also be controlled with a remote, they eliminate climbing on a ladder to adjust them, or lower their stand to adjust them. <br /><br />Bowens lights are also one of the various brands that I find available for rental when needed. Companies like Profoto, Bowens, and Broncolor/kobold, have been around a long time, and all seem focused on making solid products that they build right in their own European factories.<br /><br />Another consideration is recycle time. When considering equipment, a short strobe recycle time, less then half a second, and really good focus follow in the camera are essential for certain types of shoots. With the customizable audible and visual feedback from the Bowens system, when I hear the recycle sound, I know I can snap the shutter again (as does the model/subject), often a couple times a second. The focusing system in the Canon 1Ds MarkIII is very good for that. It is nice to see that a good/fast focus system is being added to the 5Diii as well.</p>

 

[michaelmowery]

<p>Dynalites are a nice $$$ entry into pack and strobe system and they are very portable. If you are an umbrella and softbox guy then this is perfect. Yes they do make a beauty dish. I have used them for over 18 years and know many others who do the same. You will not regret or wish you spent more . Good luck </p>

[fotografz]

<p>Summer ... FYI ... Elinchrom and Hensel also allow full remote control of lighting. Hensel being the most advanced with the inclusion of their own Strobe Wizard, the amazing Freemask system and ... <strong>Profoto AIR</strong>. This triple remote radio choice is available on the Hensel Porty Lithiums, their Expert Monos, and Nova D pack systems. I use any combination of Hensel and Profoto with full control using the Profoto AIR transceiver.</p>

<p>-Marc </p>