Advice needed on these lights purchase please!

chouglez

chouglez

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Thinking of getting more seriously into portraits especially of my own kids and within family to start with. I was wondering if these http://www.theflashcentre.com/elinchrom-d-lite-rx-24-umbrella-kit-i9810.html are good for beginners or is there a better alternative or is it cheaper buying separately or even a pre-owned?

Any help is much appreciated and many thanks in advance.
 
Elinchrom have a reputation for good quality. the only issue that I have is that the mount for the modifiers means you will have less choice for 3rd party modifiers.

Garry Edwards is on her often as Lencarta are an advertiser here - they do kits like this http://www.lencarta.com/lighting-store/studio-lighting-kit/twin-head-mains-powered-starter-kit-504 which would also give you what you need

Another choice might be iLux http://www.photomart.co.uk/Catalogu...RD-300-SERIES-SOFT-BOXUMBRELLA-KIT-ILRD300KIT

The advantage of both of these makes is that they have the standard Bowens S mount which will allow the use of modifiers from the largest range of suppliers.

Mike
 
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Thanks for sharing all the links on this thread. I used to have an entry level Interfit a couple of years ago and I seemed to have always struggled assembling up the rectangular softbox. I wonder if I would struggle the same way with Lencarta or the iLux ones hence my leaning towards the Elinchrom model which has no softbox but both umbrellas.
 
You can get the umbrella option with the ilux. One of the members on the thread i linked to works for them, read it and pm him, he'll help you out.
 
You can also get umbrella type softboxes at Lencarta. They will quote you for switching, but the umbrella type are very easy. and the product is first rate.
 
There is no problem getting good quality, affordable modifiers in Elinchrom mount. Look at Bessel, Interfit, Lencarta, Wex-Pro, amongst others, some with interchangeable mounts. If you want easy to put up/down (and I don't blame you) then get the push-up-umbrella style softboxes, eg Bessel Speedbox, Lencarta Profold.

If Elinchrom is in budget, they are the better option. If it's family portraits, Elinchrom D-Lite Ones have sufficient power and higher performance/spec than anything else at that price.
 
I have been reading other studio lighting posts and now I am confused as to what wattage lights I should go for considering reading wattages from 150w way up to 600W :help: :gag:
 
chouglez said:
I have been reading other studio lighting posts and now I am confused as to what wattage lights I should go for considering reading wattages from 150w way up to 600W :help: :gag:
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Ws is a measure of power stored in the capacitors, which is not necessarily the same as light output, but it's usually not far off and is the best measure manufacturers give (guide numbers are usually misleading and hard to compare). In round figures, 400Ws will give you something close to f/22 in a 100cm softbox, at 1.0m, ISO100.

That is more power than you need for regular portraits, 200Ws will give you one stop less, 100Ws one stop less again. So even with the little Elinchrom D-Lite Ones, you would be shooting at somewhere between f/8 and f/11, depending on the softbox. And that's at ISO100, though if you need more - maybe for small groups where you need to move the lights back - then bumping the ISO by one stop effectively doubles the power output, one stop more and it doubles again, and so on.

If you go for 600Ws heads, there's a good chance you won't be able to turn them down low enough at lot of the time. Also, studio heads tend to work best at max power, where flash durations are shortest and colour and exposures shot-to-shot are most consistent, though that's maybe less of a problem for most people.
 
mike weeks said:
A softbox gives infinitely more control than an umbrella so a good starting point would be a set with one of each. Most suppliers offer an umbrella style softbox.
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The softboxes in kits from Elinchrom are basic single diffuser square 63x63, so an umbrella set as the OP suggests is a good starting point, and from there some superior softboxes such as the Lencarta Profold - so easy to put up and take down are good additions if you are putting your lighting gear away every time ( with Elinchrom adaptors)

For me, as a dealer for Elinchrom, Bowens and Lencarta, the best value for money head in terms of versatility is the Lencarta ElitePro 300: I agree with Hoppy that the Elinchrom DLite One is the best light among them, but there are going to be times when that extra power that the 300w offers will be invaluable, and the price advantage and simplicity of the Lencarta model gives it the edge over the Dlite One's more powerful stable mates.

There's never any correct answers to these posts..... You have to look between the disasters that some will mention, and the dogmatic support of others and arrive at your own decision.
 
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I've just got some Lencarta Lights and for the money they are pretty good, I need more than 2 lights and over all it was better for me to go for the Lencarta

There is a bit of a trade off between the Ep300 kit and the Elinchrom 200/400 D-Lite RX Umbrella Kits

The Lencarta are heaver and bigger in size 2.7kg
The Umbrellas are refectors, good quality but you will need to add Shoot-Throughs to get closer or softboxes or go up the softbox kit ( not pop-up) no refectors another £20) that is £550+ which then brings it up to the Elinchrom 200/400 kit with Umbrellas, 1 is refector 1 shoot-through


Elinchrom 200/400 kit is lighter, you get kit bags that you don't get with the Lencarta and could cost you up to another £100 ?

The Elinchrom has the Skyport controller, this is great and worth £100 on it's own

If I only wanted 2 lights I would have gone for the Elinchrom and added pop-up softboxes from Bessel 2 with grids for around £150
BARGAIN

You could play around with the specs on the other kits to save a few £s here and there but you won't get the skyport, maybe the skyport is over the top for just 2 lights but if you add more later it will be handy

I don't know about ILux so not commented

Helen

Edit
Doing some maths

Ep300 kit with Umbrellas £400. (The softbox kit is not pop-up @£550)
As you want pop-up Softboxes, Bessel 2 or £150. Bags £100?
£650 no Skyport

Elinchrom £535? + Bessel softboxes 2 for £150
£685 but with skyport

Not much in it but for me the Elinchrom wins

H
Edit 2
The top iLUX CD 500 SERIES OCTABOX KIT is £550 or iLUX CD 300 SERIES SOFT BOX KIT £400 so also maybe worth looking at
 
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Another vote for Elinchrom
Though I have no experience of the specific kit, I bought my 1st Elinchrom kit (3x EL500) in 1985, apart from the odd replacement tube & capacitor I'm still using them for work, one of them did 25 years work before it needed repair. Great kit.

As for softboxes vs umbrellas I prefer softboxes. even if not as convenient as umbrellas.

If going the umbrella (softbox) route its worth noting that Elinchrom only accept a 7mm shaft, & some of the independant makes have 8mm shafts that wont fit.
 
SpikeB said:
Another vote for Elinchrom
Though I have no experience of the specific kit, I bought my 1st Elinchrom kit (3x EL500) in 1985, apart from the odd replacement tube & capacitor I'm still using them for work, one of them did 25 years work before it needed repair. Great kit.

As for softboxes vs umbrellas I prefer softboxes. even if not as convenient as umbrellas.

If going the umbrella (softbox) route its worth noting that Elinchrom only accept a 7mm shaft, & some of the independant makes have 8mm shafts that wont fit.
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Elinchroms have had dual umbrella slots for a few years now. The central one is 7mm that will take an umbrella and it also allows you to fit central deflectors and diffusers for some clever tricks that I think no other brand offers. Then there's a standard 8mm slot incorporated into the stand mount.
 
HoppyUK said:
Elinchroms have had dual umbrella slots for a few years now. The central one is 7mm that will take an umbrella and it also allows you to fit central deflectors and diffusers for some clever tricks that I think no other brand offers. Then there's a standard 8mm slot incorporated into the stand mount.
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Big D'oh, particularly since the both the mini S heads & Style Monoblocs i've got have the stand mount slot. :bonk:
 
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