Bowens lighting - advice needed

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Sophie Baker

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Sophie
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Hi,

I have been photographing in a small home set up for 3 years now with cheap lighting.
I'm now converting our garage into a small studio space and looking to buy some "proper" lighting.
However I'm not entirely sure where to start.
I've been looking at Bowens kits, I'm looking to spend roughly £1000 give or take a bit.

I mainly photography alternative portraiture, babies and families.

From personal experience which bowens set would be best for me and why?

Thanks in advance :)x
 
Sophie Baker said:
Hi,

I have been photographing in a small home set up for 3 years now with cheap lighting.
I'm now converting our garage into a small studio space and looking to buy some "proper" lighting.
However I'm not entirely sure where to start.
I've been looking at Bowens kits, I'm looking to spend roughly £1000 give or take a bit.

I mainly photography alternative portraiture, babies and families.

From personal experience which bowens set would be best for me and why?

Thanks in advance :)x
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When I first looked for a set of lights about 20 years ago there were no cheap Chinese lights and Bowens was one of the brands to go for. In fact 20 years later those same lights still work fine. The issue with Bowens is that they did not change much over that time (they have however just announced new lights). The issue is that your £1000 will not buy you a set of their latest lights, you could however pick up a second hand set of Bowens but the issue there is a lack of warranty.

If you are looking at premium brands then Elinchrom would be the brand that can give you a multi head kit within budget but do you need to spend that much?

As others here have suggested Lencarta will fit the bill perfectly adequately and as their equipment is manufactured in the Godox factory you could also look at suppliers of their equipment.

Mike
 
mike weeks said:
When I first looked for a set of lights about 20 years ago there were no cheap Chinese lights and Bowens was one of the brands to go for. In fact 20 years later those same lights still work fine. The issue with Bowens is that they did not change much over that time (they have however just announced new lights). The issue is that your £1000 will not buy you a set of their latest lights, you could however pick up a second hand set of Bowens but the issue there is a lack of warranty.

If you are looking at premium brands then Elinchrom would be the brand that can give you a multi head kit within budget but do you need to spend that much?

As others here have suggested Lencarta will fit the bill perfectly adequately and as their equipment is manufactured in the Godox factory you could also look at suppliers of their equipment.

Mike
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Thanks for replying, I haven't heard of Lencarta, I have been using Bowens at College during my degree and have been advised they were the best to look at, I was particularly looking at bowens Gemini 500r twin head kit and purchasing from wex photographic.

I'll do some research on lencarta though, thankyou :)
 
Sophie Baker said:
Thanks for replying, I haven't heard of Lencarta, I have been using Bowens at College during my degree and have been advised they were the best to look at, I was particularly looking at bowens Gemini 500r twin head kit and purchasing from wex photographic.

I'll do some research on lencarta though, thankyou :)
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As above, that's kinda very outdated advice.

Bowens used to be like IBM, an industry standard you couldn't go wrong with.

But nowadays, unless you really want to buy a premium product (Bron, Profoto) then you're looking at something made in China.

So the choice is about warranties and support vs EBay reseller bargains.

Lencarta are great, but you should also look at what Essential Photo, Photomart and Bessel have too. Or take your chances on cheap warranty less imports.
 
I use these Godox Lights with these Godox Wireless triggers. The lights and the wireless triggers work flawlessly, changing the light output remotely using the trigger means there is less disruption to the flow of a shoot.
I prefer to buy direct from China because of the savings that can be had. For me the savings mean I can afford to buy a spare studio light, something I could not do if I had to pay the price that UK resellers sell these at.
I have had my Godox studio lights for roughly 15 months and they have not missed a beat. I am glad I bought them from china and with effectively no warranty because the reliability of these light means I can use the money I saved to buy a spare Godox studio light.
 
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You won't need anywhere 500ws lights in a garage or small studio.

In fact you may not be able to turn them down low enough to avoid overexposing.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
You won't need anywhere 500ws lights in a garage or small studio.

In fact you may not be able to turn them down low enough to avoid overexposing.
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Really? I'm looking to produce as high quality as possible, in the end I want to get myself into magazines and hope the lights do the job for a few years.
This is what I'm producing so far, but I want my lighting to be sharper! Perhaps the 500 maybe too strong...(sorry for any explicitly)
 
I have recently got a set of the same Godox DE300's as redsnappa - only use them once (I needed a set quickly with very little budget after my wife 'volunteered' that I would do portraits for my god-daughters 16th birthday party), and they worked perfectly, though I was aware that they were 'entry level' devices.

Having lurked on this section of the forum for some time, had I the budget you have I would have definitely gone for a set of Lencarta's - everything I've read here has pointed to them being high quality, and the support and advice that Gary Edwards offers on here is superb,
 
Thanks everyone, will do some research into Lencarta, you've all been really helpful :) x
 
Problem with warranty's is the small print. The legalese they use to make sure they only pay out on a warranty claim if hell freezes over.
 
holty said:
lencarta also offer a 3yr warranty best on the market
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mike weeks said:
So do others

Mike
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mike weeks said:
Then look a bit harder :) http://www.theflashcentre.com/elinchrom-store.html or http://shop.photomart.co.uk/lightin...es-576/godox-qt-ii-600-studio-flash-head.html are just a couple of examples

Mike
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Mike, you really out to point out that you work for Photomart, you're not an advertiser on here and because of this it isn't obvious.
Your Photomart link clearly states, in big red letters, 3 Years Warranty
I thought that that was a pretty good offer, especially as I only know of one Company in the UK who is capable of repairing Godox products, who has a factory trained technician and the necessary parts, and I also know exactly what Godox's own warranty is worth, so I though I would look closer...
If anyone looks at their
Warranties and liabilities page, which you get to by clicking on their terms and conditions page, http://shop.photomart.co.uk/terms-and-conditions#warranties you will find a series of clear and unequivacable statements, which I can't reproduce without their permission because I don't own the copyright, but paragraphs 1-5 make it clear that the warranty is limited to the manufacturer's own dead on arrival policy, that they only act as a pass through agent and that wear and tear is excluded.

As I say, I can't reproduce their warranty, but anyone who clicks on their link can see for themselves whether there really is a warranty or not, and if there is one, whether it really is a 3 Years Warranty.

I'm not picking on Photomart, there are other sellers out there whose warranties deserve to be read carefully. And there seems to be some seller's websites that don't even give any information about their warranty.
redsnappa said:
Problem with warranty's is the small print. The legalese they use to make sure they only pay out on a warranty claim if hell freezes over.
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No, the problem is with the large print, or more to the point, the fact that most people don't bother to read what it actually says.

Just for comparision, this is our warranty page https://www.lencarta.com/lencarta-3-year-warranty and we actually have a tab to it on every page, so that people can find it and hopefully read it. You will see that there is NO small print.
 


Maybe that is why the link says this 3 Year Warranty. All our Elinchrom products are covered by a manufacturer's 3 year warranty

Garry Edwards said:
Mike, you really out to point out that you work for Photomart, you're not an advertiser on here and because of this it isn't obvious.
Your Photomart link clearly states, in big red letters, 3 Years Warranty
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Garry just 2 links pointing out that others also list 3 year warranties as Holty has never seen it elsewhere - the product linked to on the Photomart site is way outside the OP's budget, and just to set the record straight I do not work for Photomart, I have done some work for them, but then I have also done work for other firms in the photo sector, you seem to have missed the bit where I said that Lencarta would fit her needs.

Mike
 
mike weeks said:
Maybe that is why the link says this 3 Year Warranty. All our Elinchrom products are covered by a manufacturer's 3 year warranty



Garry just 2 links pointing out that others also list 3 year warranties as Holty has never seen it elsewhere - the product linked to on the Photomart site is way outside the OP's budget, and just to set the record straight I do not work for Photomart, I have done some work for them, but then I have also done work for other firms in the photo sector, you seem to have missed the bit where I said that Lencarta would fit her needs.

Mike
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But doesn't that 3 Years Warranty statement on that particular product page indicate that that particular product is covered by a 3 year warranty?
Mike, I accept that only part of your income is derived from Photomart, and I fully respect you as a person, but you linked to Photomart as a firm that offers a 3 year warranty, which, if you read their warranty section, doesn't seem to me to be the case.
 
Sophie Baker said:
Thanks for replying, I haven't heard of Lencarta, I have been using Bowens at College during my degree and have been advised they were the best to look at, I was particularly looking at bowens Gemini 500r twin head kit and purchasing from wex photographic.
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The Bowens kit isn't ideal as a starter set, the heads work fine (although they don't have the reputation for reliability that the older Gemini models have) but you'll be paying a large premium for what amounts to digital adjustment and a slightly higher technical specification. I would have said a Gemini 400 Rx set would be a better way to spend your budget if it's Bowens or bust.

Unless you have very specific needs don't worry so much about what flash head you're using and worry about the modifiers you'll be using, that Bowens kit includes a 80x60 softbox and a 90cm umbrella which is OK but you'll really want to have a few different things (a set of reflectors, a couple of differently shaped softboxes, 5in1 reflectors etc).

Regardless of if you buy that kit or not you should budget with more modifiers in mind, you don't have to spend a fortune to get decent ones anymore which is also a bonus. Put another way, you won't notice the difference between someone using a Bowens, Lencarta or Elinchrom flash as they all do the same basic job but you will notice the difference between modifiers.

Sophie Baker said:
I'll do some research on lencarta though, thankyou :)
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Lencarta is a UK company that imports Chinese hardware, that could actually describe Bowens these days too so you shouldn't hold that against them unless you want to hold it against most major lighting companies. They're so very highly recommended because the stuff works well, it's considerably lower cost than most of the larger competitors and avoids the main problem of buying Chinese stuff i.e. a decent warranty and enough QA to filter out the lemons.

You'll find plenty of people here using Lencarta for those reasons, your money can go further with them than many other companies.
 
I have always worked with Elinchrom lights but if I was starting over again Lencarta would be my first choice. Not only are the products well built the price is right and the 3 year warranty is a bonus. Also Garry Edwards is one of the most knowledgeable person who I have come across and is always willing to offer advice. He will point you in the right direction of what kit suits you best and not try to sell you the most expensive if it doesn't meet your needs.
 
Not going to recommend the lights I use as they are considered by most to be far too expensive (made in Germany for the last 65 years, with a three year warranty on heads :)) but will just say that if I was starting from scratch I'd be looking toward Elinchrom with their wide range of studio heads to fit most pockets, proven track record and growing number of third party accessories at very low prices.

Paul
 
Sophie Baker said:
Really? I'm looking to produce as high quality as possible, in the end I want to get myself into magazines and hope the lights do the job for a few years.
This is what I'm producing so far, but I want my lighting to be sharper! Perhaps the 500 maybe too strong...(sorry for any explicitly)
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@simonbarker has said it already.. really, it's down to the modifiers and how you use them. The lights themselves are less important so long as their power and colour temperature doesn't wander around too much and they don't fall apart. In a small studio you will need lights which go dim enough; many do - and many don't. And in a small studio you may find grids for your modifiers very helpful.

There seem to be more S-Fit (aka Bowens fit) modifiers available than other brands, and at a wider range of prices. I'd avoid Elinchrom for that reason alone - even though most of the studios I know use Elinchrom. Lencarta are S-fit fwiw and would be my first choice too.
 
juggler said:


There seem to be more S-Fit (aka Bowens fit) modifiers available than other brands, and at a wider range of prices. I'd avoid Elinchrom for that reason alone - even though most of the studios I know use Elinchrom. Lencarta are S-fit fwiw and would be my first choice too.
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[SIZE=3]Seems a rather bizarre reason to reject a whole brand!

I've quite often been asked to recommend kit and over the years I've used Bowens, Bron, Hensel, Multiblitz & Elinchrom and a few others. Elinchrom has proved itself time and time again to me in use and I always recommend this as a starting place to others, though I do also suggest they check out Lencarta's offerings as well & that is based on the shear number of recommendations and happy users on here! However, I've never used a Lencarta head or even seen one in the flesh, also there are some design feature I don't like, so wouldn't be my choice - but then every system I've used over the years has had an element in their design that I've found annoying, it just comes down to what you're willing to put up with.

Paul[/SIZE]
 
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Historically perhaps, but there are loads of non-OEM options, just type in Elinchrom fit reflector in that well known auction site and you'll get several hundred items returned, more if you go worldwide, order them by price and I got loads of reasonably priced options. There was a an absolute bargain S/H narrow angle high performance reflector, but I've just bought that (happy to cut off the mount and graft on another - from my perspective, Elinchrom is really rather reasonable, then again some Multiblitz modifiers make Profoto seem cheap! How about Calumet Genesis (Elinchrom fit) Standard reflector on sale at the moment at £8, don't forget the Interfit EX range use EL bayonet & they won't be selling those at Elinchrom prices, Lencarta Softboxes & Beauty Dishes generally have an Elinchrom Fit option at no extra cost - just got to put a bit of effort into getting things you want at the right price...

Paul
 
juggler said:
Elinchrom modifiers tend to be way more expensive than the generic S-fit equivalent, and grids for Elinchrom modifiers even more so.
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Elinchrom's own-brand modifiers are more expensive, same as Bowens own-brand S-fit are too. But most third-party modifiers are available in both fittings and interchangeable-mount modifiers are increasingly popular to fit almost anything. I've been using Elinchrom for the last ten years or more, never had a problem getting what I want at the right price, and most of the modifers I have are at the cheaper end (basically because I think they're just as good as expensive ones).
 
All of which is going a bit off topic for the OP, Suffice to say, just gather opinions' by all means, but you are the person who has to use the items, do buy what you are most comfortable with - for me that's been Multiblitz for over 30 years and I just have to accept I'll have to pay a premium for specialist modifiers (or make my own).
Paul
 
paul williams said:
All of which is going a bit off topic for the OP, Suffice to say, just gather opinions' by all means, but you are the person who has to use the items, do buy what you are most comfortable with - for me that's been Multiblitz for over 30 years and I just have to accept I'll have to pay a premium for specialist modifiers (or make my own).
Paul
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The interchangeable mounts used by Lencarta include Multiblitz https://www.lencarta.com/multiblitz-p-softbox-speedring-adapter Exactly the same adapter rings are used by many other brands.
 
HoppyUK said:
The interchangeable mounts used by Lencarta include Multiblitz https://www.lencarta.com/multiblitz-p-softbox-speedring-adapter Exactly the same adapter rings are used by many other brands.
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Yes, I have a few of their Speedring converters - nice quality cast items, which is fine for softboxes and a few of the other items that use them, but won't address my need for basic light modifiers, such as; umbrella, wide-angle, high performance reflectors and their associated grids, diffuser & barndoors. I do have a third party snoot for instance, but because it is made to accommodate interchangeable speedrings it's huge compared to the genuine article which is far better in use, but was three times the price. That snoot is out on loan at the moment to an Elinchrom user where it isn't so different from the OEM one. All comes down to market share in the end, of which Multiblitz's is probably quite small, so not enough to stimulate the Chinese business model, though it looks to me like the Adorama's Flashpoint 'M' series heads use the Multiblitz 'V' mount though delivery is way too expensive to buy one ($55 for a $5 reflector) and try. Anyway, again going off topic, but rest assured if I decided I needed one of those folding Beauty Dishes for instance then Lencarta would be my first port of call...

Paul
 
Paul, you're right. You need to stick with Multiblitz for most modifiers, things like softboxes and beauty dishes are the only exceptions that I can think of.
 
The good thing about the likes of Lencarta offering 3 year warranty on the goods they buy from China is that is give myself and others the confidence to buy the same goods direct from Chinese suppliers and enjoy the financial saving.
The way I look at is, If the photo gear Lencarta imports from China was unreliable, Offering long warranties on that unreliable stock would financially cripple small company like Lencarta, who rely heavily on importing Chinese made photo gear.
Even though I have never bought Lencarta goods I have to thank them for helping me helping me to save money.
 
redsnappa said:
The way I look at is, If the photo gear Lencarta imports from China was unreliable, Offering long warranties on that unreliable stock would financially cripple small company like Lencarta, who rely heavily on importing Chinese made photo gear.
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I see your point but I would have said it's not that they're inherently unstable that's the issue but more that there's a lack of quality assurance (it's one of the ways they cut costs) so you have better odds of finding a lemon and a harder time resolving any issues when dealing directly.

I feel we've veered off the original subject somewhat, I wouldn't recommend a beginner to buy directly from China unless their main goal was to save money which the op clearly stated is not the case as they have a more than ample budget.
 
simonbarker said:
I see your point but I would have said it's not that they're inherently unstable that's the issue but more that there's a lack of quality assurance (it's one of the ways they cut costs) so you have better odds of finding a lemon and a harder time resolving any issues when dealing directly.

I feel we've veered off the original subject somewhat, I wouldn't recommend a beginner to buy directly from China unless their main goal was to save money which the op clearly stated is not the case as they have a more than ample budget.
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Yes, we've gone way off topic, but I do feel that I need to address Redsnapper's latest 'offering',and then maybe we could stay on topic?
redsnappa said:
The good thing about the likes of Lencarta offering 3 year warranty on the goods they buy from China is that is give myself and others the confidence to buy the same goods direct from Chinese suppliers and enjoy the financial saving.
The way I look at is, If the photo gear Lencarta imports from China was unreliable, Offering long warranties on that unreliable stock would financially cripple small company like Lencarta, who rely heavily on importing Chinese made photo gear.
Even though I have never bought Lencarta goods I have to thank them for helping me helping me to save money.
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You keep saying things like this but you've never addressed any of the points that I've made in response.
It's pretty clear to me that you're happy to evade import duties and VAT by buying from dodgy foreign sellers - OK, that's just a morality issue, we aren't all the same.
"The good thing about the likes of Lencarta offering 3 year warranty" There is in fact no "likes of Lencarta", there's just Lencarta, we stand alone, with the possible exception of Bowens, I don't know what they are doing these days. AFAIK the only other firms selling imported Chinese gear, who offer any kind of warranty, offer warranties that are far from what they appear to be. Just for example, 2 that I've looked at don't include wear and tear, which means that the warranty doesn't cover people who actually use them... And one "3 year warranty" is in fact only as long as the warranty offered by the Chinese factory, which is 12 months on some components and nothing on others.

You clearly don't understand how business works. Some suppliers just go for volume, selling to members of the public, fair enough. They'll get the odd repeat order, but because most of the stuff they sell is beginner level, they rely more on new people taking up the hobby than on repeat business. We're the opposite, we have an extremely loyal customer base, and our average customer places 11 repeat orders with us. Our customers include amateur and pro photographers, the very biggest studio chains, Education, military, HM Government - all these people expect and get both a high level of technical support and good customer support, so for our business model to work, we need a real warranty.

Yesterday, for only the second time in over 4 years, one of our customers had one of our totally unique, patented light stands fail. The cost of replacing that, as a % of the number sold, is totally insignificant. But complex electronic equipment does fail and we either repair or replace it, no quibble, for 3 years, and after that we repair it at cost. The only reason that we are able to do that is that we've sent our engineers to the factories to learn how to carry out these repairs, we've got the spares, the technical and human resources and the factory drawings, which nobody else has, AFAIK. If we hadn't spent this money then we wouldn't be able to offer our warranty, end of.

Also, we spend money on product development. We see weaknesses, which sometimes are obvious to everyone except the factory, and sometimes they become apparent through actual use, and because we are photographers we identify and fix problems that others haven't seen, and we're willing to pay extra to get better components in our lights where these are needed.

So, the failure rate of many of the Chinese made lights is way higher than you think. You wouldn't believe how many people, who think that they're saving money just like you, get in touch with us when their expensive equipment goes wrong. It doesn't do them any good of course:)
 
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