paul_piazza

Dear Yaakov,

None of the above.

Those monoheads are powerful, fragile and too expensive. I struggled with this same question. I settled for a Novatron 440 plus and one head.Total cost was $470 at the Great A camera Store in Chicago (they are on the net) Incredible power! Compact and really well built. The Novatron heads are really light and compact. Mono heads get top heavy, hot and can fall over if you load em up with too much stuff. The Novatron is actually cheaper because if you want more than one monolight you have to buy a whole new monolight. Where as with the Novatron you just buy another head, a lot cheaper. A 1000 watt second Novatron with two or three heads will easily light up a cathedral.

Rent first to see what you like. Good shooting!

Dear James,

If you don't mind wires and going to the trouble of setting

lights up I recommend a Novatron. Hands down the most bang for the buck. Forget about batteries. Batteries will always fail you. I use to have the Metz 60-4 and those packs can develope memory problems. They are really over priced too. After all, they are all made of plastic. The novatron is built like a destroyer. Anyway, A plug in unit like my Novatron will give you much more control and better pictures. The kick in the seat of the pants is a used Novatron is about the price of a Metz 60. The great irony of equipment is most people spend way to much money on Cameras and lens. The lighting is far more important than most amatuers realize. To improve your picture you have understand light. Start with A Novatron 500 watt second unit and just one head and you will be amazed at what you can do. The downside is more set up time and a good flash meter. The upside is f16 with 25 asa film.

The best advice is rent first, then buy. That way you are not locked into something you find isn't for you. Good Shooting!