Studio lighting kits

PeteMo

PeteMo

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Has anyone bought a studio lighting kit from Fotobyte UK on Ebay ?

They have a few kits ranging from 2 x 180w, 3 x 180w & 3 x 300w. Anyone used any of these ? :shrug:

I'm shelling out this week and have pretty much decided to buy from Elemental as they have some good offers on at the minute. Just thought I'd ask before I take the plunge. :eek:
 
I am looking for something similar which fits my budget for home use.

I like Elemental but another £100 for the three light setup is too much for what I would use it for. The only downfall for these ebay sets is the modelling lamp, is only 50w or 75w. Still I reckon I will be buying a similar kit of ebay (probably the 3 750w kits) as it is right price for home use.
 
Yep, know what you mean. The Elemental kit has a 150w modelling lamp but the Fotobyte stuff only 50w :thumbsdown:

Looks like elemental then :thumbs: unless anyone knows better ?? :shrug:
 
Check out Lencarta on here :)
They do discount for TP members aswell, really good quality at a great price too :D
 
Thanks Aimee but haven't heard too many complimentary things about the Interfit stuff :shake: I think the build quality is questionable :shake: but having not owned don't know for sure :shrug:
 
J4MIE_P said:
Check out Lencarta on here :)
They do discount for TP members
Click to expand...

They have kept it quite if they do, if you buy Elemental or Lencarta for a decent budget lighting setup you won't go far wrong, as you say Elemental have some good offers at the moment :)
 
TG. said:
They have kept it quite if they do, if you buy Elemental or Lencarta for a decent budget lighting setup you won't go far wrong, as you say Elemental have some good offers at the moment :)
Click to expand...

I'm sure Lencarta did 10% discount for members? Or am I confusing them with another member on here :s
 
J4MIE_P said:
I'm sure Lencarta did 10% discount for members?
Click to expand...

I think Garry Edwards does 10% discount for his tutorial videos, but i've never seen anything indicating discounts for Lencarta gear.
 
Looking at the riginal post, I would say you only need two heads, so spend the extra money on two heads of better quality. After all Zack Arias does allright with one!

I looked closely at the lencarta lights and can honetly say the quality over the interfit stuff is much much better. The power control dial feels like a quality unit, unlike the interfit which felt terrible...

Look closely at the specs, the capacitors are the important factor and one which Lencarta has worked hard to get rght.. Well worth the money..

You could then add another head at a later date. They are also Bowens S-fit compatible.

Radio triggers are also included, which is an excellent touch. Cases are a much more solid ABS over the cheap plastics of Interfit too...
 
aye, elemental or lencarta will blow the ebay cheapies out of the water, namely because you can attach 'real' modifiers to the heads, eg proper softboxes etc, whereas the built in reflector on the ebay ones will mean a worse dispersion pattern in softboxes etc.

higher resale % if you get bored of them too.
 
Thanks guys :clap: I was swaying toward Elemental because they've a bit of a sale on at present and liked the look of the Mk1 Genesis 2 or 3 kits at those prices. They always seem to get positive comments whichever forum you look on too which bodes well. :thumbs:

Not fan cooled though, like the Mk 2 models, but I don't envisage that being a problem as they wouldn't get heavy use.
 
Just seen this as I've been away for a couple of days...

Sorry, Lencarta does NOT give discounts - but IMO is much better value without a discount than other equipment sold with a discount :)

IMO the things you should take into account when buying studio lights are
1. Consistent colour temperature
2. Consistent flash output
3. Fast recycling
4. Efficient fan cooling
5. Good build quality
6. Powerful modelling lamp (which requires efficient fan cooling)

If a light has all of those things then other features are just - well, features, that won't affect the quality of your work but which may or may not be important to you
 
Right I've decided who I'm buying from but I'll keep that to myself after following the "Lencarta Smartflash v Elemental Genesis" thread :eek:

Anyway, just wondered whether you would advise a simple 2 light kit or go for a 3 light kit from the start. Mainly shooting small kids either individually or in very small groups.

Probably 200 or 250w strobes. Would 2 be enough ?? :shrug:

Let's keep it simple and not mention brands if poss and just advise on initial set-up :thumbs:

Cheers,
 
Cheers Simon, I think that's what you advised earlier on in the post.:thumbs:
 
PeteMo said:
Right I've decided who I'm buying from but I'll keep that to myself after following the "Lencarta Smartflash v Elemental Genesis" thread :eek:

Anyway, just wondered whether you would advise a simple 2 light kit or go for a 3 light kit from the start. Mainly shooting small kids either individually or in very small groups.

Probably 200 or 250w strobes. Would 2 be enough ?? :shrug:

Let's keep it simple and not mention brands if poss and just advise on initial set-up :thumbs:

Cheers,
Click to expand...
In an ideal world, you should buy a single head with a standard reflector, then learn all of the possible variations with it (there are about 75 distinct possibilities).
Then add a reflector, and work your way through all of those variations.
Then buy a softbox or an umbrella, and start the whole process again.
Etc etc etc.

That's the best way of learning, but unfortunately most people don't have enough thirst for knowledge, patience or understanding to follow this method.
And another thing that stops them is that it makes economic sense for manufacturers and sellers to sell kits, so the kits are usually heavily discounted, with the result that people save money by buying kits.

That's the long answer. The short answer is to buy a good quality 2 head kit and learn to use it well before buying a 3rd or 4th head, assuming that you don't want to produce white background shots, which need 2 heads just for the background.
 
I started with a two head Elemental kit, fantastic it is too.

However, I soon realised I needed a third head, so went for a Lencarta one, fantastic it is too.

Not that I'm sitting on the fence or anything :D:D

I'd definitely recommend three heads though.
 
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