Enough light, depends on needs.
Quantium, Norman 200B/C, 400B, Lumedyne, Sunpak, Profoto B1, Elinchrom one and .. happened from a need back in the days when wedding/event/sports photographers needed a higher power portable strobe system. They are rooted in the Strobo Research then sold to Graflex portable strobe systems circa later 1940's. Rated power of 200watt/seconds was intended to replace flash bulbs (not quite enough light output) for 4x5 press photographers. Since that time this concept has evolved into the similar power portable strobe systems of today that incorporate TTL via camera and more control of strobe light output..
There was a time when nearly every wedding/event photographer used a Norman 200B as a portable strobe light. Eventually Quantium introduced a radio remote system to trigger the Norman 200B and others.. Quantium sold LOTs of these back then and they had "issues"...
These portable strobe systems are good for digital, most medium format and for some sheet film lighting needs if the light output and light output from the light modifier is not typical f22. At best these 200watt/second units could do f8 out of a 2 f-stop reduction light modifier at maybe 3-5 feet distance to subject. Portraits are an example were these portable strobe units can work with sheet film if the exposure aperture is about f8 given their up to 200watt/second output and light modifier involved..
This 27" Elinchrom "beauty dish" is set up with a S3000 head, used often to make quick table top images using about 200watt/seconds into the S3000 head produces about f8 at 3-4 feet to subject. Light modifier like this will not easily work/fit with these 200/watt second portable units as they are not designed to fit/support a light modifier like this.
Given 200watt/seconds produces f8, ISO 100:
~400watt/seconds = f11
~800watt/second = f16
~1600watt/seconds = f22
~3200watt/seconds = f32
f32 is just enough for 4x5 / 5x7 table top once bellows factor and other light loss has been "figured in". All that flash/strobe power gets "used up" pretty quick or why these modern portable strobe units simply do not work for these LF sheet film images.. Gets more involved and power needy once more than one light source is applied.
Once the exposure aperture becomes smaller as in the example of product or table top or interior or similar using sheet film and exposure apertures of f16 and smaller, none of these 200watt/second portable strobe system can approach the power levels needed to achieve these exposure apertures with a light modifier added. This is when there is no substitute for these "vintage" studio strobe units..
Elinchrom 3000AS, with two S3000 heads plugged in, lighting ratio is independently controlled to easily adjust light ratio as needed to 0.10 f-stop and it remains consistent per flash and consistent with light color temperature. Remote triggered via Pocket Wizard radios.
Much about what the specific lighting needs are, much like all else in this foto stuff, always a set of trade-offs with none being ideal.
Bernice
Originally Posted by wclark5179
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