rob_h5

September 23, 2012

Would the gobo be positioned to the lower right of the camera? Would the gobo be set to a few stops lower than the main light?

</blockquote>

I would recommend a 3rd light with a mono spot light to handle your gobo lighting to angle it with more light control and efficiency. This is all back ground light / shadows so the mono spot can be a few stops below the main.

September 23, 2012

Here are more selections (apx. over 1000 gobos) from Rosco for your mono spot light if you need more choices for gobos:

<a href="http://www.rosco.com/gobos/index.cfm?goboTypeID=1&categoryID=32&action=browse">http://www.rosco.com/gobos/index.cfm?goboTypeID=1&categoryID=32&action=browse</a>

September 23, 2012

Could I do this shot with these two lights? Is there a link to the Gobo I would need? Never used one before. Is there a particular clue that tells you that it was bare bulb used as fill?

</blockquote>

Yes you can do this with two studio lights although I would recommend at least 3 lights. One for main, fill and a spotlight for the gobo. You can make a DIY gobo from just about anything, simply cut out a shape from a matte board, foam board or cardboard. You can also find some small matte picture frames lying around. However if you are using something beside metal do not leave it on your flash with the model light as it gets hot and it could catch fire. The best light modifier is a dedicated spot light for whatever studio light you are using. For Bowens I would use Bowens Universal Spot Attachment that accepts metal gobos.

<a href="http://www.adorama.com/BZUSAS.html">http://www.adorama.com/BZUSAS.html</a>

<a href="http://www.adorama.com/BZ1879.html">http://www.adorama.com/BZ1879.html</a>

The clue is in the shadows from the light source how soft or hard the shadow is in the umbra and penumbra. A barebulb or reflector will cast the hardest shadow and on the opposite extreme is a heavily diffused softbox, scrim or softlighter. In between is a light modifier like a a beauty dish.

September 22, 2012

OP thanks for sharing this - great examples from a stellar fashion photographer. Yes Ellis and Christian are correct . Most likely the studio lights camera right is bare bulb (fill light) and camera left @ 45 degrees below camera axis level is a gridded beauty dish (main light). The main light is bit low for my taste as it casts a weird nose shadow in one of the photos... but who cares?... it looks great overall. A rectangular gobo was also used. Photo editing wise, except for color tone and/or retouching on the model I doubt any PS was used, at least in the case for the lighting/shadows. There are interesting double shadows that give you a clue to whats going on here. Hope this helps.

September 17, 2012

What I do notice about this lens is a nice smooth bokeh.

</blockquote>

Bigger isnt always better.

Although I am certainly one of the few photographers that have shot with this Olympus OM 100mm f2 ED lens IMO the Zuiko 85/2 will give nearly as good bokeh as the Zuiko 100/2 ED. In fact with B&W there is little or no difference. You can see an example of its bokeh that I shot with the Olympus OM 100mm f2 ED and Canon 5DMKI of this flower below.

Another advantage is weight and focal length. If I had to choose between the 85/2 and 100/2 for travel documentary portrait type of photography I would go with the 85/2, its much lighter, more portable and easier to carry n the Olympus camera and shooting portaits is much more low key with 85/2 than the 100/2. Smaller cameras are always better for travel (this is why Leica is sopopular for travel photography) The 100/2 is just a lot heavier and bulkier. Also the 85/2 is a better choice for portraits in small spaces.

September 11, 2012

I am not sure when this happened (2012?) but it finally looks like Elinchrom officially came out with the "official" speedring adapter including Bowens S mount > Elinchrom speedring adapter. As a photographer who use Bowens lights pack and head and monolights this opens the door to Elinchom legendary light modifiers like Rotalux. There have been 3rd party adapters and DIY adapters (voiding Elinchom warranty) but this is the "official" Elinchom speedring adapter.

My question is has anyone used the Elinchom speedring adapter yet? Anyone use it with Rotalux Indirect / Inverse light modifers? How is the quality and fit?

I like to also hear these Elinchom speedrings work on other lights besides Bowens...there are speedring adapter available for most studio lights now.

<a href="http://www.elinchrom.com/product/Rotalux-Speedrings-Other-Brands.html">http://www.elinchrom.com/product/Rotalux-Speedrings-Other-Brands.html</a>

<a href="http://www.elinchrom.us/product/EL%2B26530">http://www.elinchrom.us/product/EL%2B26530</a>

September 9, 2012

Snap, not so rare after all... But, it is avery nice combination. I've used the 85/2, 100/2.8 & the 100/2 - no contest in my opinion, the 100/2 is a great lens, grab one if you get the chance & make sure you use it.

</blockquote>

I have shot with both chrome and color negative film with the OM-3 and 100mm f2 ED Zuiko many times all with outstanding results. Kodak 160 Portra was my all time color film favorite with the Olympus OM Zuiko 100mm f2 ED. When focusing the Zuiko 100/2 at f2.0 the DOF is very shallow so focusing manual is a challenge hand held. Shooting B&W film though you dont get to take advantage of the color rendition from the ED glass in the 100/2 Zuiko. As I mentioned already, I have shot with 100/2.8 lens and yes I agree... no contest.

And yes it is indeed RARE. You just happen to be 2nd person besides me ever that I know of that has shot with this combo. Actually wish there were more photographers that shot with this combo. ;)

September 6, 2012

Rob H, that OM-3 rig with the 100mm is drop dead GORGEOUS.

</blockquote>

Thanks Tom. Its probably the only photo you will ever see of a Olympus OM3 and Zuiko 100/2 ED lens together. Both are beyond RARE.

The 100/2 isn't too difficult to find, only expect to pay a substantial price.

</blockquote>

Maybe in 1985. Today its probably easier to find a white jaguar than a Olympus OM 100/2 Zuiko ED lens, those puppies are extremely RARE. There are just not many left. See if you can find more than one or two for sale anywhere. I agree with you about the expensive price part though.

September 5, 2012

Tom - do you actually even have a choice of getting the RARE Olympus OM 100/2 Zuiko ED? If so just snag it... the OM Zuiko 100/2 ED. I have used both the Zuiko 100/2 ED and Zuiko 100/2.8 and the 100/2 is just superb, besides a shallow DOF at f2, the color rendition and sharpness is exceptional. I found the 100/2.8 a good lens but nothing like 100/2. Its a bit heavy but not so much you will need a tripod. On a fullframe digital SLR its actually a perfect weight. The 100/2 is very very rare here is photo of it on my camera and a example portrait with the Canon 5D Mark I in my port if you havent seen one before.

The Zuiko 85/2 I hear only great things so if you can NOT get the 100/2 then get the 85/2. The focal length is for classic bread and butter portraits. The only thing is it is not ED glass like the 100/2.<div></div>

September 4, 2012

Thanks Rick. I was just amazed someone was able to fully operate this Carl Zeiss Jenazoom AF 75-300mm ED on a digital SLR! Like I mentioned before the Carl Zeiss Jenazoom AF 75-300mm ED in Canon EF mount only works at max aperture on the full frame digital SLR Canon 5D MKI. It gives the classic Error 99/00 message stopped down at other apertures. Dave from France however was able to fully operate this 20+ year arc-drive AF Jenazoom (Pentax AF mount) with a Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR. It is very interesting to see a decades old AF zoom make it to the Digital age. The example photos in RAW he posted on that last page are exceptional for a zoom lens of the 1990's.

But yeah maybe someday classified documents from Zeiss will be revealed explaining the whole story on Carl Zeiss Jenazooms. :D

September 3, 2012

... there having been a great thread regarding the somewhat rare AF Jenazooms for Canon EOS SLR's over on the EOS forum

</blockquote>

Rick thanks for the compliment, I was the one that started that original great thread on AF Carl Zeiss Jenazooms over 4 years ago and I just ran into your thread today, I know a year late to chime lol ... but better late than never. Since I shoot with Canon or Olympus I just post in those forums and I just now found your post here in the classic manual camera forums.

If you havent already read recent posts on my thread go to the last page, a guy from Europe posted recently in 2012 and was able to operate a AF Carl Zeiss Jenazoom with fully funtioning AF witha digital SLR. Even on the full frame digital Canon 5D I could only get AF to work at max aperture (f4.5). Also check out the exceptional quality of the photos on this page from this APO lens: <a href="../canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00PHCD?start=40">http://www.photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00PHCD?start=40</a>

Back to the original question of how much involvement Carl Zeiss Jena had in these lenses. Well if you havent seen this photo below of the Sigma 75-300mm APO and Carl Zeiss Jenazoom AF 75-300mm yet this should be proof that they are the exact same lens...and CZJ was definitely involved with Sigma. This actually is one of the earliest AF zooms (arc motor) ever made for Canon EOS. Keep in mind that the Carl Zeiss was the (East Germany) and thats the reason these all these Jenazooms were banned in USA in the 80's. Now did CZJ supervise the lens design with Sigma or just rebadge? No one really knows. My guess CZJ did in fact supervise as the quality of these 3rd party lenses were exceptional for time of zoom lenses of the 1980's and 1990's. Some German engineer(s) must have been involved in the partnership with Zeiss and Sigma. Again no one knows for sure...as CZJ folded in the early 90's and no interviews from any one who was involved exists (yet). Hopefully this helps clear up the mystery of the Jenazooms.<div></div>

May 31, 2012

Tom great examples but you should have a mannequin or a brave model that can move during the flash exposure (instead of boring office items) for this photo experiment. haha :D

As I recall, I started with an exposure time of about 1/200th sec. At that speed the dark halo'ing was almost completely absent.

</blockquote>

So we are all still wondering how Calderon is getting the ghosting @ 1/250s ? It must be a combination of fast panning/telephoto lens/subject movement.

May 30, 2012

Great topic! What Calderon has is classic ghosting. Its caused by a conflict of flash/ambient light. For whatever reason you have ambient light coming in after your flash. It usually always on the edges (looks like a black contour line). Any number of reasons could cause it. Slow shutter speeds with flash and fast subject movement is usually the main reason for ghosting. You say you have a shutter speed of 1/250s and aperture of f16 so that should cut down most the ambient... so my guess is camera shake/subject movement. Michael has the closest answer...

....the ambient light exposing the subject becomes silhouetted on the outer edges of the body by the open sky as the subject moves or the camera (moves).

</blockquote>

<ul>

<li>Shoot with the highest max flash sync speed (this may not work if you have a slow sync camera) or use high speed flash sync flash guns.</li>

<li>Shoot with a tripod or if handheld a standard or medium-telephoto lens to avoid camera shake. No more than 135mm lens hand held if your flash sync speed is only 1/250s or less.</li>

<li>Make sure your subject is perfectly still.</li>

<li>Shoot your subject in the shade, so only fast flash duration will work for you instead of slow sync speed.</li>

<li>Overpower the sun /ambient light /background light with flash 1-2 stops + , where your flash is the key light. This takes a lot of wattage!</li>

<li>Small aperture to cut down ambient light /background light the main cause of ghosting.</li>

<li>Lowest ISO film speed available</li>

<li>Use a second strobe light or light source to light the edges.</li>

</ul>

May 29, 2012

Bud thank you for your first post. Do not feel embarrassed posting your first question, everyone here is trying to help. In fact this question "What strobe lights should I use?" gets asked almost daily here in the Photo.net lighting forum. That said asking professional photographers what strobe light/camera they use or recommend is like asking a rock musician what guitar/amp they like! You will get a variety of answers because everyone has a different style! Just be prepared for a variety of answers most all of which are perfectly right. Take all opinions here with a grain of salt...at the end of the day its what works for you.

So since you asked here is my opinion. Get a pack and head system for heavy duty daily use. Go with tried and true strobe lights that have been around for a while and have been known to last for a decade or two (or more in some cases). I agree with Pete S. and Brooks they are exactly right in getting pack and head systems. Monolights are fine too but heads in a pack/heads are lighter and easier to move. If one breaks you have other heads you can buy/rent in pinch and wont break the bank. A monolight is generally more expensive than a head in a head pack system. Also you can control the lights from the pack individually. Make sure you pack/head is symmetrical/asymmetrical power distribution.

I would stay away from ALien Beez, Flashpoint or any cheap chinese made strobe lights. Yes its tempting to get something really cheap strobe lights but the saying "you get what you pay for" apply here with strobe lights. Get either All-American made in the USA or European made strobe lights. Alien Beez is made in the USA but no major photographic dealers rent ANY of their products.

You have the rare luxury of a 1) a large warehouse location to work in 2) your company is paying the bill. The company is counting on you to get reliable professional gear not cheap strobes that will break down, so spend their money wisely.

I recommend these professional studio lights in no particular order (based on your lighting needs). Every major professional photographic dealer sells/rents these strobe lights:

Profoto Hensel Speedotron Broncolor Dynalite Bowens/Calumet Elinchrom

Whatever strobe light you choose make sure it has a strong light modifier mount system and a large range of light modifiers you can rent/buy.

May 23, 2012

I can't see why it wouldn't supply fine power for any mono-light/power pack system... it's obviously safe to plug a laptop or cell phone into (via USB port),

</blockquote>

Whoa slow down there... before you go plugging the Vagabond into every strobe light you run across you should read these threads. One guy fried his studio strobe (Bowens/Calumet 750R monolight) plugging it into a Vagabond battery:

<a href="00ZzAz">http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00ZzAz</a>

<a href="00Zv6C?start=10">http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00Zv6C?start=10</a>

<a href="http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-11314-11226">http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-11314-11226</a>

Sure the VMLs will work with some studio strobes....and NOT work with other studio strobes. The point is when using Vagabond batteries outside of Alien Bee strobe lights you do so at your own risk. Do NOT expect Alien Beez to give you a new strobe light if you fry your brand new your strobe light. Please note Alien Bees does not guarantee compatibility with other brand strobes other than Alien Bees strobes with its inverter so you have to roll the dice when using a brand other than ABs as it may or may not work. Powering your cell phone/laptop is very different than powering studio strobes...

I highly recommend you stay either with same brand name for portable batteries OR shop around for a solid battery pure-sine-wave inverter Dynalite XP1100 or Innovatronix.

May 18, 2012

I recommend the Olympus OM-3 camera if you can find it. Its the rarest OM SLR film camera there is after the sister Olympus OM-3Ti. Here is a photo of my Olympus OM-3 camera with the rare OM Zuiko 100/2 ED portrait lens. Its spot meter system (shadow/highlight buttons) is the highlight of this camera (no pun intended lol) :D. It is 100% mechanical and will work with or without batteries...a rare feature in these days of digital.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_OM-3">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_OM-3</a>

<a href="http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/olympus-om3/">http://www.arransalerno.com/blog/olympus-om3/</a><div></div>

May 17, 2012

landscape and portrait photography mostly, but i am very interested in knowing what my quality MACRO lens options...

</blockquote>

Hands down the BEST macro lens ever made by Olympus for the Olympus OM system that will DOUBLE both as a macro lens and a portrait or even landscape lens is Olympus OM ZUiko 90mm f2 lens. It is rare, pricey and sought after so if you see it for sale anywhere you should snag it. It is a TRUE macro 1:2 lens that will work with or without bellows/extension tubes. <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/macrozuikoE.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/macrozuikoE.htm</a>

In the meantime, your Carl Zeis Jena Jenazoom 70-210mm f4./5.6 has semi-macro capability at 1:4 life size. I have shot with Carl Zeiss Jenazoom 70-300 f4.5 /5.6 and that is 1:3 life size. You have to zoom all the way out to use the macro and the quality is OK but nothing like Zuiko 90/2 macro.<div></div>

May 17, 2012

Peter, no problem I am glad I was able to help you out with advice. I wish I had better news for you but Olympus never made a 70-210mm zoom with ED glass for Olympus OM. They did make a cheapo zoom version with near coke-bottle lens quality but you would be better off with a Vivitar Series 1/Tokina ATX/Tamron 3rd party zoom lens. Even the well respected Olympus OM website below doesnt think too highly of the Olympus OM 70-210mm. Here is what they say:

Overall, although this lense (Olympus OM 70-210mm) may not be the absolute choice for many serious OM users who may have other thought, opinions and/or own preferences but given budget constraints...

</blockquote>

<a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/70210mm.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/70210mm.htm</a>

The Angenieux 70-210mm APO is pricy but if you compare that zoom to the latest Canon or Nikon zoom 70-210mm range with L or ED glass the Angenieux zoom is a bargain.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/680103-USA/Canon_2751B002_EF_70_200mm_f_2_8L_IS.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/680103-USA/Canon_2751B002_EF_70_200mm_f_2_8L_IS.html</a>

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/644741-USA/Nikon_2185_AF_S_Nikkor_70_200mm_f_2_8G.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/644741-USA/Nikon_2185_AF_S_Nikkor_70_200mm_f_2_8G.html</a>

The bottom line is : as for zooms made by Olympus for Olympus OM your OM Zuiko 35-80mm ED zoom is as good as it is going to get.

May 11, 2012

Peter & Harold please read this thread on 3rd party zooms, I go over in extensive detail about the Angenieux lenses.

3rd Party zoom lenses for Olympus OM

<a href="00Vdw3?start=0">http://www.photo.net/olympus-camera-forum/00Vdw3?start=0</a>

Angenieux is not associated with anyone except Angenieux. They are one of the best and oldest European lens manufacturers. They have made cinema lenses for Hollywood for decades. Angenieux is located in France.

In the 1980s they became the only European lens manufacturer to 100% design/manufacture 3rd party lenses for Japanese cameras. Even Zeiss partnered with Sigma & Cosina and Japan to make lenses for Japanese cameras.

I managed to find & purchase the Olympus 35-80 2.8 ED lens. I am looking to extend the range beyond this to capture distant elements...

</blockquote>

The only zoom lens that could compete with your Olympus OM Zuiko 35-80 2.8 ED lens is the Angenieux 70-210mm f3.5 Macro 1:2.5 zoom and Angenieux 35-70mm f2.5-3.3 zoom in Olympus OM mount. There is also the Angenieux 180mm APO lens. With the exception of the Olympus OM 35-80mm f2.8 ED zoom lens Olympus only made "average zooms" for the Olympus OM system. Your best bet would be to get a Olympus 2X Teleconverter for your Zuiko Angenieux made these two zooms in following camera mounts:

Angenieux lens camera mounts available

Canon AF VERY RARE

Canon FD uncommon but somewhat RARE

Olympus OM VERY RARE

Leica uncommon but somewhat RARE

Minolta

Nikon AF

Here is French Angenieux brochure from the 1980's.

May 9, 2012

...and currently use both a wide angle 24mm & 35-80 zoom lens for landscape

The Carl Zeiss Jenazoom II 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 is very sharp and is available in OM mount...

</blockquote>

Do you actually own the RARE Olympus OM 35-80mm f/2.8 ED zoom ? If so, you wont get a finer "zoom" lens for landscape from the Olympus OM system.

If you were talking about primes I could give you a whole laundry list of OM primes, my favorite that I have shot with are the OM Zuiko 18/3.5 and OM Zuiko 21/3.5 ultra wide angle lenses. There are also a whole range of OM telephoto primes and a few with ED glass including the OM Zuiko 100/2 ED lens which I have also shot with and is also good for landscapes.

Olympus OM 35-80mm f/2.8 ED zoom lens

<a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/3580mm.htm">http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/3580mm.htm</a>

As for zoom lenses outside the OM Zuiko system I have shot with the Carl Zeiss Jenazoom II 75-300mm f4.5-5.6 and it is indeed a very sharp zoom...but no where near an Olympus OM 35-80mm f/2.8 ED. Your other option is the RARE Angeniuex 35-70mm or 70-210mm in Olympus OM mount.

May 8, 2012

I forgot to mention Broncolor , also lots of light modifiers to choose from.

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=broncolor+fresnel&N=0&InitialSearch=yes">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=broncolor+fresnel&N=0&InitialSearch=yes</a>

May 8, 2012

Price is not really an issue (yay!)

Usually, the more comprehensive Brands have the most variety of light shaping tools.

</blockquote>

I would just like to add to the excellent advice already given especially by Marc and Rodeo Joe.

Well first of all you have a very real advantage in with regards to a unlimited budget. That said you should still spend it wisely as its company money and they are depending on YOU to get the JOB done right with whatever TOOLS you need.

Because you are shooting (product photography/still life) fragances (perfumes/colognes) you have two workable choices between continuous lights and strobes lights. As Marc mentioned continuous lights (hot lights) have real advantages. They also have real disadvantages. The advantages is you can shoot video and you see the light in real time so you can adjust the lighting easily. The disadvantages is you will be shooting at a slow shutter speed which wont give you those high speed action shots (perfume spray for example), these lights are HOT. This also means all your light modifiers (softboxes for example) need to be able to withstand the heat and need to be suitable for hot lights. Unless you plan on spending a lot on Arri HMI or other HMI lights you will be working with tungsten which means you will need to always set your digital camera WB to tungsten (or shoot with tungsten balanced film). I have shot with the Mole Richardson lights and they are great for still life/product photography ...but they get HOT!

I personally would go with strobe lights (cool lights). Go with Profoto, Hensel, Bowens or Speedotron. They all make the Fresnel Spotlight light modifiers for their strobe lights. I shoot with Bowens lights pack and heads and I have always wanted to shoot with the Bowens Fresnel 200 Spot . With the brand lights I mentioned ALL of them make the Fresnel attachment you can buy/rent with your strobe lights.

Bowens Fresnel 200 Spot <a href="http://www.bowensusa.com/index.php/fresnel-200.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.bowensusa.com/index.php/fresnel-200.html</a> Speedotron DeSisti 10" Fresnel Focusing Spot <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/759204-REG/Speedotron_12343I_DeSisti_10_Fresnel_Focusing.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/759204-REG/Speedotron_12343I_DeSisti_10_Fresnel_Focusing.html</a>

With Profoto for example you have so many options for light modifiers. With your fragance products you have 1) reflective surfaces metal/glass 2) transparent glass 3) non transparent fragance bottles. Get plenty of reflective backgrounds/surfaces, black matte boards, white foam boards, flags...to control reflections. I would start with these light modifiers: soft boxes/strip boxes, spotlights, beauty dish, reflectors, snoots, grids, gobos...ect. If you can get the Fresnel attachment thats a plus too.

May 2, 2012

...beautiful photographs of flowers which have very dark or black background. Can someone share their knowledge and tell me how to achieve this, especially out in the gardens and not in studio.

</blockquote>

Yes you CAN photograph flowers with only natural lighting and a very well maintained garden. I have done it. Do some research on the great Impressionist painters, VanGogh, Monet, Cezanne, Renoir...ect these masters used nothing but natural light.

You will need a good macro lens. I shot this poppy in just 2 mins. Granted it was full frame digital camera and a Zeiss macro, a very good garden and at the right time of day. Any camera will do film or digital. However if flower photography is your thing, I highly recommend a macro lens and a macro ring flash. Tip: shoot on a non-windy day, shoot in the morning or late afternoon (golden hours) if you want a dark background, you will have more chances of deep shadows from trees, buildings or other objects for a dark background.<div></div>

April 22, 2012

For now my advice to you is to get decent studio strobe lights (cool lights).

</blockquote>

I found that I don't really shoot on the go.

</blockquote>

Ray, based on what you are saying it sounds like you are screaming for studio strobe lights. Just go ahead and start with a good studio strobe light kit. I would recommend getting either a pack and one head studio light kit or a one monolight kit. Speedlights are great for outdoors and on the go, weddings and events. But for the studio shooting all day long you want studio strobes. Photographers such as myself will tell you pack and head lighting systems are better because you can control everything from the pack. Pack heads are also generally "lighter and smaller" than monolights, this is helpful because as your lighting gets more complex and you use many lights you will find its easier to mount pack heads on stands/booms/light modifiers. Weight becomes a real issue in complex light set-ups. Make sure the pack you get is asymmetricial/symmetrical light distribution. Monolights are usually less expensive but in some cases if you look around it can be roughly the same price as pack heads.

Since you already mentioned Profoto just start at the top! There are often clearance/rebate promotion/demo/used sales at dealers and dont overlook buying used. Profoto holds their value very well so you should be able to get most your money back when you sell to upgrade to a better unit. Good studio lights will last you decades so look at it as an investment.

Also dont get into the hype of "buying everything". After you get a pack and one head (or monolight) start renting as much a as possible. Buy only item(s) you either use a lot or items so rare no rental studio has it to rent. The good thing about brand names besides being professional, reliable, servicable is rentability... every pro studio rental has these studio lights for rent. You can rent an extra head or ringflash as you need it based on the clients needs or for your photographic assignments.

Used Profoto Acute Pack and 2 heads <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800843546-USE/Profoto_Acute_12_Power_Pack.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800843546-USE/Profoto_Acute_12_Power_Pack.html</a>

I recommend these professional studio lights in no particular order (based on your lighting needs):

Profoto Hensel Speedotron Broncolor Dynalite Bowens/Calumet Elinchrom

Whatever strobe light you choose make sure it has a strong light modifier mount system and a large range of light modifiers you can rent/buy.

April 21, 2012

As Gary said continuous lights can be hot (tungsten/HMI) , warm (CFL) or cool (LED/HID/CDM).

For now my advice to you is to get decent studio strobe lights (cool lights). Profoto is one of the best studio lights in the world.

You CAN mix and match with cool/warm/hot studio lights but as Gary mentioned be careful about color balance. When you get more advanced and when done correctly you can actually mix light sources for very nice visual F/X or color tones.

For still photography, strobes are the most practical but if you are still bent on continuous lights Profoto does have them:

HMI continuous lights from Profoto

<a href="http://www.profoto.com/prodaylight/prodaylight-800-air">http://www.profoto.com/prodaylight/prodaylight-800-air</a>

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Posts posted by rob_h5