What would you choose

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yoshi

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Been looking around the net and reading an awful lot of reviews on studio lighting.

I have narrowed my choice down to 2 different makes (no names mentioned)

My question being, for portrait shots of couples and kids which would you choose.

A quick recycle time
OR
Power adjustable modeling light

with all other things considered equal :)
 
yoshi said:
Been looking around the net and reading an awful lot of reviews on studio lighting.

I have narrowed my choice down to 2 different makes (no names mentioned)

My question being, for portrait shots of couples and kids which would you choose.

A quick recycle time
OR
Power adjustable modeling light

with all other things considered equal :)
Click to expand...

Well you can have both.....

(The Lencarta Elite Pro series have a power adjustable modelling light and are quite quick on recycling time).

Steve
 
If you're new to studio lighting, then the adjustable modeling lamps may be more beneficial, though arguable that now with digital, you can check your lighting pretty easily.
Personally I'd always go for as faster reycling times as I can afford, especially if shooting people or animals. :)
 
A quick recycle time
OR
Power adjustable modeling light

with all other things considered equal
Click to expand...
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Fast recycling is VERY important for your type of subject, because the best shot is always of the expression immediately after you've taken the last shot...

A proportional modelling lamp may be important to some people but not to others. If it ever is important, it can only be important if it's bright enough to be useful/if the room is dark enough for the modelling lamp to actually do anything. I've been testing a flash head with a proportional modelling lamp that's only 50W at full power, which means that it's useless at full power and invisible at anything much less than full power:'(

One of the problems is that all other things aren't always equal even if the published specs indicate that they are. I believe that things like consistent colour temperature and consistent flash energy are far more important than recycling speed and whether or not the modelling lamp is adjustable. Problem is, you can easily measure recycling speed and it's clear whether or not the modelling lamp is adjustable, but it's much harder to check whether seller's claims about the quality of the light are true or not.
 
A proportional modelling light is nice, but fast recycling is absolutely essential.

Perhaps surprisingly, portraits are often very fast moving - expressions and gestures can come and go faster than you can frame and shoot, and they may not return.

With young children especially, sometimes you only get one chance before it all goes south :eek: and that's your lot. You don't want to miss that, and apart from being very frustating when the kit lets you down, you look a total amateur.
 
Recycle every time.

I like modelling lights. I especially like proportional modelling lights. But I certainly don't use them for kids portraits and not usually for real people either. The room has to be uncomfortably dark to use them effectively which is OK for models, not so much for 4 year olds.

But I've never ever used a flashgun and thought "you know, this recycles just a bit too quickly for me".
 
Modelling lights are very useful for controlling the dilation of the pupil, esp on close-ups.
 
Garry Edwards said:
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Fast recycling is VERY important for your type of subject, because the best shot is always of the expression immediately after you've taken the last shot...
Click to expand...
Never a truer word spoken :thumbs:

Just got a pair of Elinchrome 500's and the recycle time is very acceptable :D
 
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