What would you choose

[zigzag]

Im going to buy some studio lighting, looking to get a kit of two lights/stands/brolly or softbox/bag with a budget upto £650-700 (though I am happy to go cheaper without any quality loss if anyone can put up a compelling argument) and Ive narrowed the choice down to 2 bits of kit.

Im really looking for any advice/reviews good or bad from those of you that have used this kit, also please dont be shy if you think there is an alternative please suggest it.

The choice as I have it right now is

Lencarta Elite Pro 2 x 300w

Elinchrom D Lite 2 x 400w

Its a substantial investment for me and I dont want to get it wrong and regret it in a few months.

 

[Garry Edwards]

First of all, you can safely disregard the power difference - in practical terms, 300 or 400 Ws is neither here nor there.

That leaves you with
1. Build quality
2. Range of accessories
3. Cost of accessories
4. Quality and consistency of light
5. Size/weight
6. Customer service
7. Personal preference

Build quality. Both are OK, personally I think that Lencarta are much sturdier, with impact-absorbing ABS cases instead of plastic.
Range of accessories. Little or nothing in it
Cost of accessories. Elinchrom are far more expensive on just about everything
Quality and consistency of light. Both are excellent, I feel that Lencarta has the edge, probably because they have twice as many capacitors as the D-Lite. But you may not notice the difference unless you do still life photography, which is demanding.
Size/weight. Elinchrom are considerably smaller and lighter, see my earlier point about the number of capacitors. Size & weight may or may not be important to you.
Customer service. Elinchrom is a large Company and Lencarta is a small one, so inevitably there are differences. All I can say about that is that as I am responsible for Lencarta's customer service I'm a bit biased.
Personal preference. This is the difficult one. Hopefully other people will join in on this thread and will have their own views, which may help you to form your own one.

 

[FlyTVR]

Can only speak for Lencarta. I bought their kit and I am very happy with it.

Also nice to know that Garry is always monitoring lighting threads and giving some good advice.

 

[J4MIE_P]

Look at my for sale thread
I have a 3 head studio kit for sale. Check my signature for the link