Would this set up work OK

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nikonuser

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Dave
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I am thinking of purchasing a Bowens 400w as my main light, then use my existing Portaflash 180w as a Fill light with my 2nd Portaflash 180w being used to light my white vinyl backdrop.......would this setup work OK?? .....with the option of getting another Bowens 400 as a fill light later
All fired wirelessly from a radio trigger
Thanks
Dave
 
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No.

Your Bowens light (or any other quality light) will produce very good colour consistency and will also have fast recycling. Your Portaflash lights are the opposite - they may seem OK to you at the moment but you'll end up with problems if you combine them with better lights.

Also, if you want to blow out a white background you'll need more power on the background than on the main subject, so the only way that this would work would be to use the more powerful light on the background
 
Are you happy with what you are currently getting from your Portaflash units? In which case what you are suggesting will 'work' fine.

You should have plenty of power to light a white background, but you'll need two heads to get it evenly lit over a decent area, unless it's just for a solo head shot. You should be okay with just the Bowens for the front, and use a reflector for a bit of fill.

In terms of 'light' you can mix and match different brands and types of flash. Triggering and control is sometimes more tricky when you want to work in hot-shoe guns for example, but there's always a way.
 
I have had the Portaflash units for some time but only used them a few times as I could never get my Grandson to stand still for long enough!! Now that he is a little older, I want to get back into studio lighting and get some quality gear, hence the question about the Bowens (I know other cheaper light units will also do a good job).
So if I bought 2 Bowens 400 for the main and fill light and used the 2 Portaflash lights for the background then would this be my best option.
Appreciate any help
thanks
Dave
 
Still no.

Leaving aside the slower recycling on the Portaflash (they take much longer before they are ready to fire again) the colour temperature inconsistency won't matter much if they are just used on the background BUT using 400 Ws lights on the subject and less than half that power on the background is just a waste of your 400 Ws lights, because more power is needed on the background than on the subject.

Or, to put it another way, consider buying cheaper 200Ws lights instead of 400 Ws ones. What you're proposing is similar to this - you want to drive in convoy along the length of the M1. Your slowest vehicle is an old Transit - do you really need a BMW 530 to keep up with it?
 
LOL.....I see what you mean Garry, thanks for your detailed explanation.
Dave
 
Dave,

I really think we both need to getup to Bradford on one of Garry's courses. lol

Malcolm
 
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Bolton? :)
 
Sorry Garry............................. it was late and the day was catching up with me!

BRADFORD BRADFORD BRADFORD
 
I think you may be right!! Malcolm, lets see how the Stoke and Birmingham shoots go first
Dave
 
Yep ....................... unfortunately the November training in Bradford is not available and not sure if Garry is doing a December one. Probably have to wait till the New Year

Malcolm
 
I've been thinking about this. We have to stop during the winter months because a lot of the people travel very long distances to take part (on todays workshop, several of the people had travelled for many hours) and it doesn't seem fair to arrange them for dates when the weather might make travelling impossible.

But hopefully the weather next year won't be as bad as this last winter, so I'm going to start the series again in March, on the 2nd Sunday of each month. I don't yet know about the 'doon sooth' workshops in Maidstone.
 
2nd Sunday in March is the 13th then, that suits me fine, so will look out for the registration period........1st Sunday (the 6th) is the start of Focus on Imaging at the NEC
Dave
 
Lencarta has a stand at Focus and I'm bound to be involved there, so it looks like a busy week for me...
 
so long as your portaflash give a constant colour temp (from what I've read they do) then yes you can mix them. using the lower powered lights as main means you won't be able to fully utilise the power of the bowens. You'll also have to wait for the PF flashes to recycle as they are slower than the bowens.

nikonuser said:
I am thinking of purchasing a Bowens 400w as my main light, then use my existing Portaflash 180w as a Fill light with my 2nd Portaflash 180w being used to light my white vinyl backdrop.......would this setup work OK?? .....with the option of getting another Bowens 400 as a fill light later
All fired wirelessly from a radio trigger
Thanks
Dave
Click to expand...
 
Garry Edwards said:
I've been thinking about this. We have to stop during the winter months because a lot of the people travel very long distances to take part (on todays workshop, several of the people had travelled for many hours) and it doesn't seem fair to arrange them for dates when the weather might make travelling impossible.

But hopefully the weather next year won't be as bad as this last winter, so I'm going to start the series again in March, on the 2nd Sunday of each month. I don't yet know about the 'doon sooth' workshops in Maidstone.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I am blinking knackered today (had to get the car in for its service and MOT by 8.30 this morning as well)... But honestly it was an absolutely great day, well worth the price. I was a little wary before I went as I am a cynical wotsit and thought Lencarta would be shoved down our throats but it's not like that at all. Garry is really knowledgeable (and a really nice bloke actually) - Cassie the model was the most lovely girl you could ever hope to meet (and an absolute trooper considering how cold it was yesterday) and all in all the entire day made me think about things a lot. It also gave me ideas of what I need to buy to start me off. :thumbs:
 
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