studio strobes vs speedlights

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Pietrach

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I am considering buying two studio strobes for tabletop photography, however, i have difficulties with working out their power. I am looking at various manufacturers and their basic models are usually 200 watts. What does it mean in relation to something i am familiar with - a typical speedlight.Is such 200 light stronger then typical speedlight or the only difference is the control, mains power, availability of modifiers and modelling light?
 
A speedlight doesn't directly compare to strobe but is general seen to be roughly 60watts per second equivelant. A 200watt head therefore is around 2 stops brighter so 1 200 watt head will output the same light as between 3 & 4 speedlights.
 
Pietrach said:
What does it mean in relation to something i am familiar with - a typical speed light Is such 200 light stronger then typical speedlight or the only difference is the control, mains power, availability of modifiers and modelling light?
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Yes! A speedlight is max 50~60 w/s as the studio light in this case is roughly 5x the power.

To reduce eventually the power of the strobe to that of the flash, 3 strategies:
• use ND gels as used on the lens but heat resistant,
• use scrims as in movie making, heat resistant,
• use the inverse square law (no heat resistance required!).

Here are my thoughts:
• strobes will permit smaller apertures
• strobes have a modelling lamp
• if you invest in a strobe system, it will be usable on location as well.
• eventually, both may be used together, speed lights at closer range

I have and use both formats and mix them in studio setting the speedlight at
end of layout for precise inclusion of high lights
 
Just to add to what Craig said about the power:

Yes the biggest advantage will be the modelling lights and availability of modifiers, budget for lots of options, but remember that bits of black and white card, masking tape, Spring clamps etc will be loads of use to you. Not sexy at all or expensive but vital.
 
And one of the biggest advantages of studio flash is that (apart from the junk ones) they don't have a built in reflector. This means that modifiers such as softboxes, beauty dishes, spots etc work as expected. With hotshoe flashes, the built in reflector stops the light from spreading as it should within softboxes etc, affecting the quality of the light.
 
Pietrach said:
Hi
I am considering buying two studio strobes for tabletop photography, however, i have difficulties with working out their power. I am looking at various manufacturers and their basic models are usually 200 watts. What does it mean in relation to something i am familiar with - a typical speedlight.Is such 200 light stronger then typical speedlight or the only difference is the control, mains power, availability of modifiers and modelling light?
Click to expand...

You probably won't need much power for table-top but making comparisons is not easy. Flash guns quote Guide Numbers, and studio heads are rated in Watt-seconds (not Watts) but neither is an accurate measure of total light output and accurate comparisons are impossible. The only way is to measure them side by side in identical conditions with the same softbox on each, and as someone who has done that with dozens of guns and heads for my work, I would put the higher-end flash guns (usually with a GN of 58-60 or so) at somewhere around 100-120Ws equivalent.

The advantages of studio flash is less about ultimate power these days, and more about fast recycle time, the modelling lamp, and the ability to keep going without over-heating and cutting out (or worse). If you have mains power available, studio heads win every time. They're not even expensive, either.

NB In a studio situation, if you need more power you can effectively increase that just by bumping the ISO - every doubling of ISO doubles the effective Ws, in exposure terms. Modern cameras are very good at higher ISO, within reason. On the other hand, if you want to reduce brightness, flash guns go much lower than studio heads. Suggest phone Garry Edwards (of Lencarta, above) and discuss your exact requirements in terms of distances and light modifiers - both can make a big difference to the amount of power you need, especially at close range.
 
Unless you like recharging batteries very often, or plan on using this setup very infrequently, I'd suggest your money is definitely better invested in the studio strobes. Especially as you cite indoor use as your primary purpose.
 
Speedlights are pretty good if used correctly BUT i do like a good well composed studio inage
 
Shooting tabletop I'd actually consider going with speedlights, unless you have a large space to work in. You've less power to work with, which isn't a problem close up, and you can use much smaller / convenient stands and grip for supporting the smaller flashes, booming them over the top, etc.

If you plan to shoot more, though, your decisions get trickier :)
 
Might be worth your buying a flashmeter, it saves all the hassle of banging shot after shot to get the correct exposure.
 
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