Tim, thanks! I took a look at the White Lightning website (guess it's the same parent company as Alien Bee) and the WL X3200 is out of my budget. However, comparing the WL X1600 and the AB1600, I can't really make out much of a difference, other than the 7-stop range. I'm not sure how much more this will be useful. All of the other specs seem the same. Physically, the WL X1600 is heavier and larger than the AB1600 as well. Are there any other benefits? The X3200 is out of budget, but I may be able to pony up for the X1600. One big benefit I see is that it seems more durable.
Edit: Oops, the X1600 also has a brighter modeling light as well. I'm guessing that this will be useful when composing/focusing on the ground glass!
Peter and Frank, forgive me for asking such a beginner question, but why umbrellas over the octabox? I really don't know the difference between the two! I'm not even sure why I feel this way, but I would prefer a "shoot through" method rather than bouncing the light off an umbrella (though I'm aware that you can also you shoot-through umbrellas as well). I guess I was heavily influenced by the Ovation video special on Timothy Greenfield Sanders. I just remembered seeing a large octabox and it seemed to work well enough for him
BTW, for the time being, I don't think I'll ever shoot more than 4 people at once. I'm just hoping that the light I choose will be powerful enough to light 4 people... just in case. Photography is just a hobby for me, but I know once I invest in a strobe/light, family members are going to be asking for family portraits
Thanks for your help guys!
Jason
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