Best value studio flash?

[danuneken]

Hi!
I have been out of the business for a decade and am setting up a new portrait studio with a 4x5 view camera. I am in Norway.
I'm interested in opinions about the best value for money studio flash set. I'm looking at a small version, perhaps 200 Ws with a bright variable modelling light (I used to use the modelling light just as much as the flash, especially with smaller formats).
In the past it used to be Multiblitz and I was always very happy with it.
Thanks very much!

[sergiob]

Nobody beats AlienBees quality/price wise. They are cheap, very consistent, fun, reliable, lightweight, and what is best, you can also plug them into a small inverter with battery. These are the only lights that I know of that can be sanely used both ways. Their 1600 watt is stronger than most 1600 out there, somthing like 2000 watt.

[Frank Petronio]

In Europe the most popular brands would be different, but light is light and it seems that most of the improvements have come with finer controls, not any particular light quality. ProFoto has focusing heads which do provide more control than other lights that are dependent on the shape of their flash tube.

Also the large beauty dishes and overall harder light sources have become more popular for portraiture.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy quality used equipment from a brand that still provides service.

[Allen in Montreal]

If you can purchase a 220v version (not sure if they make one)
Dyna Lite is a great light weight inexpensive, very reliable system.
I love Profoto, but they cost an arm and leg.
My Dyna Lites have traveled half way around the world me and never failed.
I would go Dyna Lite, or go all the way and go with Profoto.

[VictoriaPerelet]

Hi!
I have been out of the business for a decade and am setting up a new portrait studio with a 4x5 view camera. I am in Norway...In the past it used to be Multiblitz and I was always very happy with it.
Nothing changed in studio lighting during past decade, so whatever system you used before - Multiblitz should be fine now (+- minor upgrades).


... I'm looking at a small version, perhaps 200 Ws with a bright variable modelling light (I used to use the modelling light just as much as the flash, especially with smaller formats)....
Thanks very much!

200W/s for LF? Unless you’re in to "wide open" or mug shots:) 200w/s will hardly get you below F8. Modern Canon/Nikon Speedlites are equivalent to 250-300W/s bare bulb flash. IMHO 4Kw/s total is probably good start for studio LF.

[Ron Marshall]

These are good value: http://www.paulcbuff.com/einstein/preorder.html

[argos33]

Another vote for AlienBees/Whitelightning lights. And if you ever have any problems/need anything else the company is great to work with.

[Frank Petronio]

While they're good lights, I kind of doubt New Jersey made Dyanlites or Tennessee-made Paul C. Bluff units have much of a following in Europe. Think Balcar, Elinchrom, Bron, ProFoto, Hensel, etc.

[Ash]

I'd say Bowens.

Someone is bound to disagree, but their prices are reasonable for what they offer. There are a lot of 3rd parties making the light modifying accessories. If you buy into the new Gemini range then you can always buy a battery pack as well at some point.


If you want to go 'pro' it seems that most people only buy Elinchrom or ProFoto. Both are well out of my budget, and I like Bowens.

[cjbroadbent]

Profoto is just round the corner from you (If you don't mind swedes). I've used Profoto daily for twelve years with never a hitch. I've been through (worn out) Elinca and Balcar and prefer Profoto because it is lasting longer and the bits and pieces and the electronics are straightforward without useless features.

[danuneken]

Thanks everybody! I will check out the Profoto in Scandinavia. Perhaps a second hand set is a good choice.

[cowanw]

I choose Henzel as they had the strongest modelling light at the time.
Regards
Bill

[Scott Davis]

I've been quite happy with my Bowens-made Calumet gear. I've had my monolights for over fifteen years and never had a problem, even though I'm an infrequent/irregular user. Same with my Calumet Elite 2400 w/s pack/heads kit. There are thousands of accessories out there that fit the Bowens S-mount, which is a factor worth considering. The other systems I would consider, in order of cost from least to most would be Hensel, Profoto and Broncolor. Had I a spare $10,000 or so to spend on lighting, I'd get a Broncolor outfit without hesitation.

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Not that would recommend it, but...

I recently helped a friend in Russia purchase a 9600Ws (2x 4800Ws boxes and one 9600Ws head) Speedotron kit. He needs a lot of power, and noted that European brands would cost more than 6x the amount he spent on the Speedotron system, even with shipping more than 50kgs from the US to Russia and purchasing the transformers. Of course, getting repair parts from Chicago may take a long time.

[erie patsellis]

Profoto is just round the corner from you (If you don't mind swedes). I've used Profoto daily for twelve years with never a hitch. I've been through (worn out) Elinca and Balcar and prefer Profoto because it is lasting longer and the bits and pieces and the electronics are straightforward without useless features.

Exactly why I still use my Bron 304 and 404 packs, they just work without the 1/10 f-stop adjustments, etc. The only downside is that at times with my digital SLR I have to use an ND filter due to the lowest power being 1/8 power. (200 ws)

[Peter De Smidt]

The Speedotron black line is a very good value for the money, at least here in the states. Both Profoto and Bron are, um, slicker. Our studio won't have anything to do with Balcar.

[Hector.Navarro]

Please note that unless you are in the USA or "Canada, and US Possessions (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Guam)", AlienBees is practically non-existent.

http://www.alienbees.com/nonus.html#newintcust

I find it extremely odd that nowadays there can be a business that says no to new customers.
Guess what, even if they would ship outside of their comfort zone in the near future, I wouldn't deal with them.

[mpirie]

danuneken, I would recommend Bowens kit too. I recently bought a set of 3 Traveler flash units complete with stands, brollies, soft box etc from the dreaded auction site.

The shipping and taxes were extortionate but I think the kit was well worth the money and seemed to be hardly used.

Mike

[Armin Seeholzer]

Richter is also a very good company from which I switched from Hensel!
In EU its a pain to use 110 voltage so you always would use a transformer!
http://www.richterstudio.de/

They are really made in germany and not like Hensel made in China!

Cheers Armin

[Rick Tardiff]

I don't know about "best value" but I recently purchased two Bowens kits, with the Esprit Gemini 500 GM500 strobes, came with light stand, umbrella, 7" reflector, and the travel-pak+ battery. All in a handy carry case. These are British I think, I got them from Jim at Midwest camera. I have since used them in my makeshift studio(spare room) and took one out into the middle of a field. No problems. I bought a 3x4 softbox and am fairly happy with this set-up. Cost was $550.00 per kit.
www.bowens.co.uk

[ThePhilosopher]

I'm a fan of Bowens and Speedotron. I have Speedotron pack systems and Bowens monolights. I really should get rid of the Speedotron gear and get a Bowens pack.

[gd whalen]

I can't believe anyone would seriously recommend AB's for professional quality work. I rented AB's for two days once (I have Profoto's at my studio) and there simply is NO comparison between the quality of build, light and consistency between these two systems. AB's might be fine for a raw beginner but that is about it - in my opinion.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I have a home studio and I like the older Broncolor units. I have the Hazylight, 303, 404, several 606s, and the monolights as well. I have a complete Impact flash system also, I'd highly recommend that as well. All work well together and quite user friendly despite their older ages. Some have come to me at bargain-basement prices, which is good, my studio is in the basement of my home :)

[MITCH FALK]

For the money you can't beat Adorama's Flashpoint Mono Lights, they're built like tanks (East German made, I believe - Bosh) pretty consistent and recycles quickly. They also have a decent amount of accessories (speedrings that fit any standard or octagon softboxes) No remotes that I know of though, sorry.

[Henry Ambrose]

Please note that unless you are in the USA or "Canada, and US Possessions (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Guam)", AlienBees is practically non-existent.

http://www.alienbees.com/nonus.html#newintcust

I find it extremely odd that nowadays there can be a business that says no to new customers.
Guess what, even if they would ship outside of their comfort zone in the near future, I wouldn't deal with them.

Kinda thin-skinned aren't you?
Do you have any idea how complicated it is to do business outside of one's home jurisdiction? Different rules every time you cross a different border. They're a small company - admitting their limitations is a wise move.

[Lee Christopher]

I would suggest looking to see if Multiblitz is available in your country and more importantly, if there's good after-sales and parts support for it.

Barring that, any reputable brand flash with good after sales support and parts availability in your country.

By reputable brands, I would suggest restricting definitions to what small to medium sized professional studios have been using for say, the past decade.

[jnantz]

ive used monoblocks by novatron professionally since the 90s and never had trouble with them.
they are made in tx and the company sells refurbished units. they have some that are 500+ WS and refurbs are about 1/2 the price of new ... more than likely, they can convert it from 110v to 220v.

it might be worth an email to tx ...

[Scott Davis]

Another good gauge of what to consider is what the rental houses stock - at least here in the US, most rental shops are carrying Profoto as a first brand. If you buy into what the rental houses have, if you ever need an accessory and can't wait for/can't afford to buy it, you can rent it, and if yours breaks down you can keep working without waiting for the repair shop.

[Hector.Navarro]

Kinda thin-skinned aren't you?
Do you have any idea how complicated it is to do business outside of one's home jurisdiction? Different rules every time you cross a different border. They're a small company - admitting their limitations is a wise move.

Mr. Ambrose, please don't get personal. "Do I have any idea..." as a matter of fact I do, that's why I do not agree with you, but I won't try to convince you.

[sergiob]

I can't believe anyone would seriously recommend AB's for professional quality work. I rented AB's for two days once (I have Profoto's at my studio) and there simply is NO comparison between the quality of build, light and consistency between these two systems. AB's might be fine for a raw beginner but that is about it - in my opinion.


I disagree respectfully:), with this statement. I worked professionally for many years using Norman P2000D. A workhorse, incredible power house, but heavy, dangerous when old, and they draw a lot of juice, which is a big issue if you work in places where good electricity is not available.

I bought a 5 head kit from AB thinking on using them as small portable travel lights. They are the only lights I found at the time that do not need expensive systems to operate on batteries. All brands have portable systems, but as of the time Ab were the only ones that can work pretty well with small true sine wave inverter and a small battery, and they can also be plugged to the outlet. According to the manual, it's something about using multiplier circuits instead of voltage transformers.
Yes, they are funky looking, and use polycarbonate. I didn't give them serious attention when I bought them, but let me tell they have performed heavily way beyond my expectations.

I am not the kind of photographer that thinks that having expensive brands as your gear makes you a pro. Maybe it will make me look like one, but not so sure it will make me one. Till now they have proven to be reliable. I cannot care less for brands. I care for reliability, so I can get the job done. The proof is in the pudding. And yes prophotos are great lights, broncolor too, as well as many others, but not indispensable for making good photography.

[Michael Graves]

I've used Norman and Speedotron. I've never had a Speedo power pack arc or blow up like I have a Norman. So now all my studio gear is Speedotron Black Line. I would like it a lot better if the outfit was about 100lb lighter.

[Ari]

I don't much care which brand it is, all I know is my Dynalites have never given me trouble, and the occasional maintenance bill is pretty low. I've worked with (other people's) Profotos a lot, and they do make Dynas feel pretty cheap, think 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass vs 2006 Audi, but so far they've never let me down.

[richardman]

I know this thread is 4 years old, but I am now looking at the same issue. I am doing studio and on location large format portrait and my pair of Profoto E-600 light (*) (one with a 3 ft softbox) is only giving me at most F8 and often that is just not enough in terms of subject sharpness (people move, grrr....)

I am looking at the Paul Buff White Lighting X3200 which goes up to 1300 Ws. Will a single one with the softbox give enough light for at least F11, assuming reasonable subject distance (e.g. 6'-8')?

Thanks for advice.

(*) About 10 years ago, Profoto ran a Christmas special of packaging 2 600Ws lights and a pack for just $1000. I didn't know what a bargain I had until I inquired the price for a head ($800+) thinking about adding a 3rd light.

[richardman]

Ah, Paul Buff's site has a "expected output" calculator. The X3200 should work reasonably well enough...

http://paulcbuff.com/output.php

[JosephBurke]

I have a couple of the X3200s that I've had for years and you can get far more light than F11. I assumed when I bought them I'd need far more power for large format (I was just starting to shoot 8x10), at say f22 or more, than
the smaller units could provide. I've rarely needed quite that much power but I'll say I've never been lacking for power with an X3200.
BTW, Paul Buff has the best repair and customer service policy on the planet. When the x 3200s came out I had also ordered a couple of x 2400s. Apparently
there were parts supply issues with the x2400 and he called me and told me what was up, what my planned use was (power requirements) and just asked if
he could send more x 3200s in their stead at the x2400 price. Can't beat that!
--Joe Burke

[richardman]

Thanks Joseph. I will call them Monday. Sounds like it will work fine for my need! Here's one I wish I have more than F8 (for printing 17x22):

http://richardmanphoto.com/PICS/20140517-Scanned-334.jpg

[Scott Davis]

That looks like it about hit the spot - I don't know that I'd want to stop down much past f8 - the background would start getting sharp at f16.