Studio flash kit

pragmatist

pragmatist

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Matty
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Right, I have a budget of around £600 so can anyone recommend a good kit, I have seen the elinchrome Dlite 4 it and also a Bowens Gemini, Both around the same price, The Elinchrome does come with softboxes a well as skyport whereas the Bowens only has umbrellas. Thoughts?
 
pragmatist said:
Right, I have a budget of around £600 so can anyone recommend a good kit, I have seen the elinchrome Dlite 4 it and also a Bowens Gemini, Both around the same price, The Elinchrome does come with softboxes a well as skyport whereas the Bowens only has umbrellas. Thoughts?
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Have you looked at the Lencarta kits ? (www.lencarta.com)

This kit is quite useful, 2 x 300 watt heads, softbox etc. I'd suggest a second softbox. You can mix & match the kits if you want to.

Steve
 
That's the problem with reading random stuff on the web. No way of knowing how hey are being compared and whether the person comparing them knows anything about lights.

D-Lite 4s are quite nice and work pretty well. Also very small and light so easy to carry around. They look and feel a little like toys though. I only know of one studio where they use them and they had to replace one recently (after I used it....)

Bowens are generally a good workhorse make. Generally unexciting but they get the job done day in day out. Never owned any but I've used a few.

Lencarta are cheaper but really seem to work well - for the money I'd buy Elite Pros (but check my signature ;)
 
pragmatist said:
Steve i believe i read somewhere on here that the Lencarta kit was quite a way down the line compared to the Bowens and Elinchrome kits
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My take on this, from testing/using just about every popular flash head on the market...

The light quality from Elinchrom D-Lites is slightly better than Lencarta, which is slightly better than Bowens. The differences are measurable but not noticeable.

The build quality from Bowens is a bit better than Lencarta which is better than most Elinchrom.

I don't claim to be impartial but Lencarta is far cheaper than both Elinchrom and Bowens. Most people will be perfectly happy with whichever one they choose, so it's very much a case of 'You pays your money and takes your choice'
 
The Lencarta Elite pros do look nice. As you say it's very difficult choosing when so many people have different opinions. I guess i'm trying to get an idea on the most popular ones. I know the flash centre let you try before you buy but is that only if you live nearby or do they post to you?
 
To add to my original comment, if you have a good look through this section you'll see what people are buying and how they get on with them. I've been impressed by the Lencarta gear, it is cheaper than Bowens & Elinchrom but the build quality of the "Elite Pro" lights is very good.

The one thing I like with the Lencarta packages is that you can order the two head kit with 2 x softboxes, and just pay for difference between the softbox and brolly.

I will be buying some additional light shapers and another head/stand in the near future.

Steve
 
At the end of the day at the enthusiast / part time pro level all of the flash heads mentioned are going to be fine! One make will trade some features for another some will trade features for price but it makes no difference it's how you direct and shape the light that makes the photo. A professional photographer with years of experience sculpting light with the cheapest flash heads is going to get better results than a newb with top line gear.. simple.

You have a budget weigh up the pros and cons of each make and model then decide which best suits your needs. I decided to go with D-lite 4's precisely for the fact that they are small and light and the features but the biggest plus for me was the built in receivers..
 
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