Just after some advice on studio lighting

Matt L

Matt L

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Will be looking to invest in some studio lights in the near future.

They will be mainly used in a converted garage studio (when i get round to doing that) but also for outdoor shoots (so ideally could do with them overpowering daylight if thats possible).

Been having a quick look today and tbh not overly sure what im looking at really so thought id ask you lot as your bound to know more than me :lol:.

Kits i have seen so far

Interfit INT176 Venus 300 Watt Two Head Softbox / Umbrella Kit

Elinchrom D-Lite 200/400 Twin Head Umbrella Kit

SmartFlash Twin Softbox Starter Kit

SmartFlash 3-head Softbox/umbrella Kit

now the last two appear to be the best to me in terms of kit that comes with it and the fact they are the only two that say they are fan cooled as i cant find any info on the other two about them, they also look a bit easier to use tbh on the back and they come with the wireless trigger thing by the looks of it.

So just after opinions on what you lot would think is the best.

2 heads should be ok but if you suggest lencarta then id hopefully get the 3head as the more the better :thinking:
 
The better quality brands are Elinchrom, Bowens and Lencarta. I use Elinchrom, as do others on here, equally Bowens and Lencarta. Lencarta is popular because Garry Edwards works for them and offers a lot of good advice on here. They are also good value, but apart from than the leading brands are much of a muchness TBH. The Elinchrom D-Lites did not have cooling fans at launch, but they do now.

I would guard against getting too many lights, certainly at first - you just don't need them, or even want them most of the time. Spend any spare cash on a really nice big softbox.

However, if you want to shoot with blown white backgrounds which is so popular these days, then you will need three lights - two of them just for the background.
 
I'm not exactly impartial because, as Richard says, I work with Lencarta.

The tech specs as posted (or not posted) by advertisers can be confusing, but the things you need to look at, apart from fan cooling, are
Recycling speed
Power of modelling lamp
Colour temperature consistency
Material used for constructions.
And I'd say that even if Lencarta didn't come top, and give all the info you need as well.

I agree with Richard that it's a good idea to use the minimum number of lights possible - after all, there is only one sun, and the trick is usually to make the shots look as if they've been shot with one light and just use other lights/reflectors as needed to mitigate shadows etc. But you save so much money by buying a kit that it makes financial sense to buy the 3 head kit if you're going to need a third light sometime in the future.

Take a look at this article on how to choose studio lighting, and there are a couple of videos on Youtube too
 
Another useful thing to consider is flash duration - depends what you are doing. I find mine a tad slow at times at around 1/1000th. Not sure of the ones posted but I'm sure Garry will know :)
 
Whether flash duration is important or not depends on the type of photography you do.
Flash duration is typically quoted as t.5 (that's the industry standard) and refers the the length of time that it takes for half of the flash to be discharged - the rest tails of very gradually and usually has no real effect.

Elinchrom D-Lite = 1/1200th
Lencarta SmartFlash = 1/1800th
Interfit - don't know, as I don't know who makes this particular head
 
I've had various outfits over the years and the one thing that hasn't been mentioned is modifiers, particularly available range and availability.

I would go with a Bowens S fit type fitting as there are a lot of aftermarket suppliers of this fitting out there with a massive range of items at different price points.

I have had Elinchroms, Bowens and Lencarta lighting over the recent years and for me the Lencarta ones are more than adequate for what I use them for. You get more bang for your buck with Lencarta which will allow you to get additional modifiers and make your lighting kit more versatile.

I also agree with Hoppy, practise with one light and a reflector first, learn to set your main light to give the lighting you want before bringing other lights into play.

Also budget for a decent flashmeter, yes you can set your lighting up by looking at and checking your histogram, but it becomes all so much easier with a flashmeter.
 
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