Used Bowens or new Lencarta?

The23rdman

The23rdman

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Dean
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That is the question. I've used Lencarta Elite Pros and found them fine to use, but the QC was a little off as the 600ws light wouldn't take an umbrella properly.

Is it worth investing in these new or for similar price picking up some Bowens Esprits/Geminis?
 
If you want an honest opinion. Bowens/Elinchrom everytime. I've used Lencarta (my first set of lights), and didn't like the build quality...

I've used Bowens, and own Elinchrom and Bron gear, you wouldn't go far wrong with either of these.

If you're a working photographer, buy what you can afford, and be able to trust it.
 
Thanks, Danny. It is where I am leaning. I guess the pull of Lencarta is having some security of a warranty.
 
The23rdman said:
That is the question. I've used Lencarta Elite Pros and found them fine to use, but the QC was a little off as the 600ws light wouldn't take an umbrella properly.

Is it worth investing in these new or for similar price picking up some Bowens Esprits/Geminis?
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Well I don't earn a living from photography (aside from the odd paid job), but I'm impressed with the Lencarta lights I use (Smartflash, ElitePro, Safari and before that the universal-fit eBay heads).

What was the problem with the umbrella? Not sure I understand.

I've never used higher end lights for any length of time, but I've not found the Lencarta heads lacking anything.

Phil
 
It's worth buying the best lighting and light shaping you possibly can. In some ways, and within reason, I'd argue more so than lenses or cameras.

Especially in terms of working, compare a Chinese/elemental/lencarta/bessel softbox to a chimera or even a calumet softbox- blows them out of the water and completely justifies the price difference - not having ten minutes of wrestling to put up a softbox makes it completely worth it! Nicer light and better features too...

To be fair, the umbrella mounting on elinchrom heads for over 7mm shafts is also an absolute pain in the arse, terrible design... nice kit though, smaller and lighter than the equivalent bowens.

A while back, the flash centre had some very good prices on the dlites - though of course you might want to stick with bowens for the s-fit mods, though for softboxes you could always just change the speedring...
 
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Mahoneyd187 said:
If you did....you probably would ;)
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In all seriousness, what sort of things would make the upgrade worthwhile? I use the Safari lights regularly (the mains powered less so), and the only irritation I find is that you can't control the power seperately. I get round this easily enough most of the time as I can tweak distance on the rim light to get the correct balance.

Phil
 
philthejuggler said:
In all seriousness, what sort of things would make the upgrade worthwhile? I use the Safari lights regularly (the mains powered less so), and the only irritation I find is that you can't control the power seperately. I get round this easily enough most of the time as I can tweak distance on the rim light to get the correct balance.

Phil
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It really depends what you compare it against. The Ranger RX is Elinchroms offering for dedicated location shooting, and offers a shed load more power (more than double), amazing build quality (you can rest the bloody thing in a few inches of water even), improved recycling times/flash duration, advanced features like the RX digital controls which allows power adjustment from camera position or via PC/MAC using a usb adapter.

You pay more, you get more :thumbs:
 
itsdavedotnet said:
:)

To be fair, the umbrella mounting on elinchrom heads for over 7mm shafts is an absolute pain in the arse, terrible design... nice kit though, smaller and lighter than the equivalent bowens.

A while back, the flash centre had some very good prices on the dlites - though of course you might want to stick with bowens for the s-fit mode, though for softbox you could always just change the speedring...
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You say that, but it's part of the reason why I love the elinchrom system. Using the deflectors in the centre, utilising the central umbrella mount gives modifiers a whole new lease of life! :cool: The combinations you can achieve from something like a deep octa is great :thumbs:
 
philthejuggler said:
Well I don't earn a living from photography (aside from the odd paid job), but I'm impressed with the Lencarta lights I use (Smartflash, ElitePro, Safari and before that the universal-fit eBay heads).

What was the problem with the umbrella? Not sure I understand.

The little plastic housing for tightening the umbrella wasn't fitted correctly so you couldn't get an umbrella in easily or at all in some cases.

I've never used higher end lights for any length of time, but I've not found the Lencarta heads lacking anything.

Phil
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So, Bowens: Are the geminis that much better than the older elites?
 
philthejuggler said:
In all seriousness, what sort of things would make the upgrade worthwhile? I use the Safari lights regularly (the mains powered less so), and the only irritation I find is that you can't control the power seperately. I get round this easily enough most of the time as I can tweak distance on the rim light to get the correct balance.

Phil
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The upgrade path from the safari is... expensive. The quadras are nice but small, a bit flimsy and only 400ws. Bowens travelpak is slow to recycle, clumsy system but you do.get individual head control. Ditto your existing heads and a tronix battery pack, but that also comes with the.dangers of running mains on location.
Anything else, brace your wallet as it's going to be an expensive ride.... profoto, elinchrom ranger or bron Mobil or hensel porty. Not gonna be getting a system for under 2k really.

No pack and head system lets you control the power separately really, as it'd need way more circuitry.
 
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Well, I've used and still use Bowens and have used others previously. I've also used Lencarta.
I'm making the shift over to all Lencarta.

Regarding the Ranger RX as being able to stand in a couple of inches of water. The same is true of the Safari generator (been there, done that, and no frizzy hair or singed eyebrows!), although I'm sure Garry would discourage it.

At the end of the day, we choose what suits our shooting style and preferences. Asking for advice tends to be a little self defeating as opinions can be polarised. Does Danny shoot in a similar style and scenario as Phil or myself? I doubt it, and I also doubt my preferred equipment would suit either of them, except i think Phil would be fine with it :)
 
Advice is always taken as opinion, Michael. :)
 
Michael Sewell said:
Well, I've used and still use Bowens and have used others previously. I've also used Lencarta.
I'm making the shift over to all Lencarta.

Regarding the Ranger RX as being able to stand in a couple of inches of water. The same is true of the Safari generator (been there, done that, and no frizzy hair or singed eyebrows!), although I'm sure Garry would discourage it.

At the end of the day, we choose what suits our shooting style and preferences. Asking for advice tends to be a little self defeating as opinions can be polarised. Does Danny shoot in a similar style and scenario as Phil or myself? I doubt it, and I also doubt my preferred equipment would suit either of them, except i think Phil would be fine with it :)
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I appreciate what you're saying, it of course depends on your requirements, style and budget.

Though with a budget that could allow something like a ranger rx or profoto acute b or similar, I wouldn't see any reason to adopt the safari over these...?
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
You say that, but it's part of the reason why I love the elinchrom system. Using the deflectors in the centre, utilising the central umbrella mount gives modifiers a whole new lease of life! :cool: The combinations you can achieve from something like a deep octa is great :thumbs:
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Wait what? You put up an umbrella...inside a softbox?! :D

My issue isn't with that but the retarded bent piece of metal on the same screw as how you change the angle of the head - move the light and the umbrella falls out!
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
I appreciate what you're saying, it of course depends on your requirements, style and budget.

Though with a budget that could allow something like a ranger rx or profoto acute b or similar, I wouldn't see any reason to adopt the safari over these...?
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I find the 1,100 full power pops from the Safari to be quite a compelling argument :)

A lot of my work is location based, and even with that amount of juice to play with, I still need a spare battery.
 
Michael Sewell said:
I find the 1,100 full power pops from the Safari to be quite a compelling argument :)

A lot of my work is location based, and even with that amount of juice to play with, I still need a spare battery.
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Hmmm I'd like to put that 1,100 full power pops to the test one day, I'd love to be proven wrong, but I have my doubts...

Most people that run location kits have extra batteries, it's pretty much a standard issue, but obviously I know what you mean :)
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
Hmmm I'd like to put that 1,100 full power pops to the test one day, I'd love to be proven wrong, but I have my doubts...

Most people that run location kits have extra batteries, it's pretty much a standard issue, but obviously I know what you mean :)
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I don't expect you to take my word for it, but done it.
There was an article posted on here a good while ago, from a chap who ran an all day location teaching session. Had all the students blatting away in turn, and all pretty much at full power as it was essentially about overcoming the ambient etc. He quoted a figure for exposures/pops which was close to the top end quoted by Lencarta, and he still had charge left.

Mine's not necessarily crushing the ambient, but very careful fill on sunny days etc, and both heads going, so frequently at the top end of the output scale.

I'd happily guarantee you will get the quoted number
 
Michael Sewell said:
I don't expect you to take my word for it, but done it.
There was an article posted on here a good while ago, from a chap who ran an all day location teaching session. Had all the students blatting away in turn, and all pretty much at full power as it was essentially about overcoming the ambient etc. He quoted a figure for exposures/pops which was close to the top end quoted by Lencarta, and he still had charge left.

Mine's not necessarily crushing the ambient, but very careful fill on sunny days etc, and both heads going, so frequently at the top end of the output scale.

I'd happily guarantee you will get the quoted number
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I have no reason to disbelieve you Michael :)

Anyway, we've well and truly deviated from the thread, sorry Dean lol :bonk:
 
It's never a problem for me if the thread meanders. I love lighting talk. ;)
 
itsdavedotnet said:
It's worth buying the best lighting and light shaping you possibly can. In some ways, and within reason, I'd argue more so than lenses or cameras.

Especially in terms of working, compare a Chinese/elemental/lencarta/bessel softbox to a chimera or even a calumet softbox- blows them out of the water and completely justifies the price difference - not having ten minutes of wrestling to put up a softbox makes it completely worth it! Nicer light and better features too...
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Have you actually tried the current Lencarta range, and especially the folding softboxes? One of my concerns when I first got involved with Lencarta was that the softboxes were no better than the usual Chinese offerings, but that's all in the past now. And apart from the improved quality of the design and build, I've personally seen nothing that's as easy to put up/take down as the Lencarta folding softboxes, and the speedrings are interchangeable to, allowing them to be used with all the main makes of flash heads. Personally I think they're also much better value for money than both the cheap imports and the high priced competition - and this from a man who, in the past, always bought Chimera softboxes....

As for the flash heads themselves, I think that it's all about personal preferences. Nearly all flash heads are now made in China or India, but that no longer matters - what matters is that they are built up to a standard, not down to a price (which is what you get with the re-branded ones).

The new Safari Li-on is pretty much the same as the Quadra - 50% more power but similar in design, recycling speed, same power distribution, almost the same size and weight etc so again it comes down to personal preference, price and the cost of accessories. The symmetrical power distribution of the Classic Safari has never been a problem for me, after all nobody ever shoots anything with identical modifiers at identical flash-to-subject distances so really it's a non-issue for the users, it's only an issue for the people who market the products.
 
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Have you actually tried the current Lencarta range, and especially the folding softboxes? One of my concerns when I first got involved with Lencarta was that the softboxes were no better than the usual Chinese offerings, but that's all in the past now. And apart from the improved quality of the design and build, I've personally seen nothing that's as easy to put up/take down as the Lencarta folding softboxes. Personally I think they're also much better value for money than both the cheap imports and the high priced competition - and this from a man who, in the past, always bought Chimera softboxes....
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Yep, the folding boxes from you guys are the one that I haven't worked with, and if they're anything like the bessel umbrella-folding octo that I've got (and I assume they at least function in the same way), they're great, it's the one non chimera/calumet box that I'll be keeping partly because it is so damn neat! and also the chimera octos and elinchrom rotalux boxes and similar are crazy money :bonk:


On the other hand, there is more to go wrong in them, rather than just some poles in some fabric - quite how long it'll last is yet to be seen I guess.
 
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Michael Sewell said:
Dean, the same offer is extended to you if you want a play with the ringflash specifically, or the full kit as a whole
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Cheers, mate. Bit of a trek though from Leeds. :)


EDIT: Actually, not a trek at all!
 
The23rdman said:
Cheers, mate. Bit of a trek though from Leeds. :)


EDIT: Actually, not a trek at all!
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And you'd be surprised how often I have assignments over your way.

[user]Garry Edwards[/user] ain't that far from you either
 
To be fair though I never for a second suggested I was after location lights. I am in the future, but just for now it's studio units I'm after.
 
The23rdman said:
To be fair though I never for a second suggested I was after location lights. I am in the future, but just for now it's studio units I'm after.
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I have Lencarta's at the studios, but you could always ask Garry if you can visit. It's something he's quite happy to accommodate, unless his workload is such that he can't.
 
The23rdman said:
To be fair though I never for a second suggested I was after location lights. I am in the future, but just for now it's studio units I'm after.
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The come over to my studio (by arrangement) and have a play - hands on experience is always much better than other people's opinions.
 
Garry Edwards said:
The come over to my studio (by arrangement) and have a play - hands on experience is always much better than other people's opinions.
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lol, I knew I should have waited another second or two :bonk:
 
The23rdman said:
To be fair though I never for a second suggested I was after location lights. I am in the future, but just for now it's studio units I'm after.
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hah yeah, the thread kinda crept... :D


Up to you really. The bowens are a known standard in terms of quality and durability, but do of course come with an increased price tag. If you want to take them on location, occasionally, you can always buy a travelpak which is a lot cheaper than a full portable solution.

As for which model... I've used most of them and they're all pretty similar really :/ Can't remember what kind is which, so couldn't give a model name! The ones with two dials are neat though, but the single dialled smaller new ones are quite a bit smaller.
 
Garry and Michael, I've used the Elite Pros fairly extensively as a friend has some. :)
 
The23rdman said:
Garry and Michael, I've used the Elite Pros fairly extensively as a friend has some. :)
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So really, the only thing now is to weigh up the running costs regarding flash tube and modelling bulb replacements, bearing in mind the second handers will have an indeterminate lifespan, whereas the brand new ones will have a full life ahead of them
 
Yes, that is the rub. Do the Elite pros have the option of being run off battery packs like the Gemini's?
 
Not per se, but Lencarta have a battery pack akin to the Godox Leadpower that is due for release late this year (hopefully!).
Having said that, you can use any of the third party battery packs such as the aforementioned Trionix Explorer etc
 
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