Another "Should I Buy This" Thread

danny_bhoy

danny_bhoy

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Hi all,

First of all I realise this has been done to death but I'm tentatively dipping my toes into the world of portrait photography (had a few requests from friends and family - hoping to branch out thereafter).

Is this kit any good? Kit

I'm aware of the various pitfalls of ebay but for a guy on a budget it's a must I'm afraid.

Obviously I'm not expecting to set the world alight but will I be able to do the basics with this?

Cheers :) ,

Danny.
 
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TBH, I think for that money you'd be better off buying a single, higher quality light and building up as time and funds permit
 
Anyone on here with a half decent set of studio lights will probably tell you to steer well clear of these because if you buy cheap you end up buying twice.

As long as you are aare of the risks and limitations of buying a set like this then I'm sure you'll be happy with it. These are obviously very cheap therefore there is the risk that 1 or more of the lights will break a lot quicker than a better quality set but if you look after them and only give them light use then they could last for years. Also the quality and consistency of the light they provide won't be up to the standards of better studio lights but if you are only dipping your toe in the water then I'm sure you'll be able to live with this.

I'd advice you to give it a shot and go for it.

On the other hand, have you considered buying slightly less kit but better and second hand? Do you really need 3 lights? Will 2 do the job? Do you need softboxes or will brollies do? You could get something better by working out exactly what you need and searching eBay for good used lights.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm acutely aware that this kit will probably be a wee bit flimsy and won't offer as much oomph as more expensive equipment but I guess what I was looking for was something that I could have delivered and be up and experimenting the same day. I'm like a big kid :-)

Now that you've mentioned selecting what I actually need and buying used, better quality, equipment separately it really makes sense.

Just as a starting point for me as I'm an utter novice; what equipment (lights, brollies, reflectors etc) would I need as a bare minimum to get me started? It would really help me out immensely as everyone seems to have a varying opinion on what basics are required.

Thanks again.
 
The package ain't half bad if the purpose is to cut your teeth, find out what's what and learn most/all of the typical set-ups.

It may turn out that your personal lighting preferences require only one or two lights, but that being the case you at least will come to know this from experience.

Over time, you'll have the option to replace these cheaper components with more robust and hard-wearing individual pieces of kit, as these wear out. But you'll be able to do so incrementally, armed with the experience and understanding you've gained along the way.
 
danny_bhoy said:
Thanks for the replies.

I'm acutely aware that this kit will probably be a wee bit flimsy and won't offer as much oomph as more expensive equipment but I guess what I was looking for was something that I could have delivered and be up and experimenting the same day. I'm like a big kid :-)

Now that you've mentioned selecting what I actually need and buying used, better quality, equipment separately it really makes sense.

Just as a starting point for me as I'm an utter novice; what equipment (lights, brollies, reflectors etc) would I need as a bare minimum to get me started? It would really help me out immensely as everyone seems to have a varying opinion on what basics are required.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

You'd have no problem firing them in a few minutes, but that's a long way from knowing how to use the light and getting good results.

That takes time and learning, and IMHO the best way to do that is to start with one light (which you can do a great deal with) and build from there. If you start with all three you'll just end up in a pickle and, almost certainly, some messy results.

For £200, get a Lencarta Smartflash, stand, couple of brollies, reflector, trigger etc.
 
Thanks again for the advice.

Hope you don't think for a minute that I'm brazen enough to think I can get a few lights from eBay and turn into an award winning fashion photographer overnight :-) I know these things take years to perfect, I'm just trying to find my route.

Seems I have a choice to make. Go for the cheaper, more complete kit and go in at the deep end or work from the ground up with better equipment.........

I'm a little bit further forward than I was......but not much :-)
 
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danny_bhoy said:
Thanks again for the advice.

Hope you don't think for a minute that I'm brazen enough to think I can get a few lights from eBay and turn into an award winning fashion photographer overnight :-) I know these things take years to perfect, I'm just trying to find my route.

Seems I have a choice to make. Go for the cheaper, more complete kit and go in at the deep end or work from the ground up with better equipment.........

I'm a little bit further forward than I was......but not much :-)
Click to expand...

you will regret it in the future if you go with the bottom of the heap kit. If you buy more wisely you can grown your knowledge and kit at the same time
 
I would go for that kit
I'm trying out 3 speedlights and ETTL remotes but I need the portability for other things
The other option is go for a decent brand and talk to the lencarta guys on here
see what they quote and see if you get a little more for your money

a good rule of thumb for budget conscious people is..."your 2nd cheapest bottle of wine please"....the lowest cost is often at a price, and upping your ante a little pays dividends.

have you gone to a studio to see what kit you would actually use.
the studio courses I've been on primarily say...start with one light
so a nice quality one with the largest brolly or modifier that you can find!
plus a reflector and work from there
 
My take on this...
That kit is remarkable value for money - so much so that the sellers won't be able to offer you much in the way of customer support, assuming that they even want to.

There are various issues with power consistency, colour consistency and perhaps with reliability, as already mentioned. Other shortcomings though:
1. At 75 watts, the modelling lamps aren't bright enough to show you (clearly) where the shadows fall or to give you a meaningful insight into the depth of shadows.
2. Various people have reported that the power doesn't really turn down to 1/8th - even the cheapest flash heads from Lencarta and Elinchrom turn down to 1/16th, and you need that level of adjustment.
3. The reflectors are built in, which limits the accessories you can fit (severely) and its the accessories, or light shapers, that create the lighting.

Different people have different views on how many lights are needed, and there is no simple answer - but if budget is limited it's a good idea to get one decent one, learn how to use it really well, then add a reflector, go through the process again, then if required add a second light, and start the process again, etc. The more lights you start using at once, the more complicated it becomes.
 
There's some fantastic advice there. Thanks. Just trying to compute it all :-)

I'm not going to get that kit - the impetuous kid in me lost this time.

I'm going to do this properly and start with one light as suggested and build from there.

It was suggested that one good light, large brolly and reflector would be a good starting point. As I'm a total lighting novice, could someone suggest makes/models etc within my budget of about £200-250?

In the meantime I'll just pour through a few more YouTube tutorials........... :-)
 
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