Continuous Lighting for product photography on a budget.

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Greg
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Long story short I shot bicycles professionally for 6 years with a full Profoto studio set up until I was made redundant last year . I've been approached by a small local bike company to do some product shots but the catch is that I'll need to provide my own equipment.

Camera wise I'm fine (X-T2, 18-55, 56) but I'd need to shell out for lighting. With this being sporadic casual work I'd like to keep costs to a minimum. I'm used to strobes and know that I could manage with a simple 3 flash set up but this would still mean £600/£700 even for a basic set up.

Continuous lighting seems to be a cheaper option, but having never used it I'm wondering if it's a viable option for what I'd be wanting to shoot?

I understand that therell be limitations (more tripod use etc) and that a change of technique will be required, but is it doable?
 
Yes, continuous would be ‘doable’ for someone with your experience, but I think you’ll be frustrated with the quality of the stands etc.

I’d look to put together a 3 strobe kit with cheap Godox heads and inexpensive decent stands and softboxes etc.

I reckon we’ll under £500 if you’re careful, or even S/h, or look at refurb from Lencarta.
 
It is do-able, if all that you want to produce is broad lighting, e.g. from softboxes.
But, if you want to be able to produce more more controlled, directional lighting to highlight the various features, you'll need more than the usual cheap softboxes normally supplied with continuous lighting kits, and this means having S-fit lights. Some continuous lighting is available with S-fit, but it is much more expensive than S-fit flash, so pointless for your needs.
 
Personally I wouldn't there are too many disadvantages. I don't wish to come across as rude, but surely as a photographer with 6 years experience of using strobes and profoto you should understand why you where using them and not just buying cheap continuous lights.

The other thing I don't understand is that you are saying a cheap setup would be £600.00 and surely that's only a day or twos money on a rate for commercial photography.

Buy some proper kit and shoot properly. Personally if I was in a tight money situation and needed more lighting, I'd buy secondhand Elinchroms.
 
Personally I wouldn't there are too many disadvantages. I don't wish to come across as rude, but surely as a photographer with 6 years experience of using strobes and profoto you should understand why you where using them and not just buying cheap continuous lights.

The other thing I don't understand is that you are saying a cheap setup would be £600.00 and surely that's only a day or twos money on a rate for commercial photography.

Buy some proper kit and shoot properly. Personally if I was in a tight money situation and needed more lighting, I'd buy secondhand Elinchroms.
I appreciate what you're saying but when I was shooting the Profoto it was the companies kit, now that I am potentially shelling out my own money for what is (at the moment ) irregular casual work it's a different story. Hence why I'm trying to do it on a budget.
 
I appreciate what you're saying but when I was shooting the Profoto it was the companies kit, now that I am potentially shelling out my own money for what is (at the moment ) irregular casual work it's a different story. Hence why I'm trying to do it on a budget.

No, I understand that. But in any business you need to spend money to make money, and if you understand light and commercial photography, then you'll also know just how a quality light setup contributes to the overall final image.

As much as rate the quality of the likes of Profoto, I don't think they are that much better than Elinchroms when you factor in the price difference.
Whereas there is a huge difference in quality when you go downwards from something like Elinchroms.
Attempting to use continuous lighting would be a mistake.
 
No, I understand that. But in any business you need to spend money to make money, and if you understand light and commercial photography, then you'll also know just how a quality light setup contributes to the overall final image.
If you understood light, you'd know that the photons coming from a flourescent lamp are no better 'quality' than those coming from a flash with 'Elinchrom' written on the side.

There are other considerations of course, but most of your post here is the usual posturing, a bright person would have wound it in by now, no one is impressed, just leave it out.
 
If you understood light, you'd know that the photons coming from a flourescent lamp are no better 'quality' than those coming from a flash with 'Elinchrom' written on the side.

There are other considerations of course, but most of your post here is the usual posturing, a bright person would have wound it in by now, no one is impressed, just leave it out.

Yes. But if you understood photographic lighting, you'd know how important control and consistency is, otherwise there is no way any professional photographer would buy any kind of studio lights, and the company you worked for wouldn't spend thousands on profoto, instead they'd invest elsewhere and just buy a couple of lightbulbs from b&q
 
Yes. But if you understood photographic lighting, you'd know how important control and consistency is, otherwise there is no way any professional photographer would buy any kind of studio lights, and the company you worked for wouldn't spend thousands on profoto, instead they'd invest elsewhere and just buy a couple of lightbulbs from b&q
There is only you who can’t see how ridiculous your posts read. ;)

It doesn’t matter how much you’ve got invested in Elinchrom and Canon 1d’s, if you can’t focus a camera and don’t even know you can’t. All is lost.
:tumbleweed:
 
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Whereas there is a huge difference in quality when you go downwards from something like Elinchroms.
That has to rate as one of the most stupid comments in this section for a long time, lets use the American expression of bang for Bucks, oh dear elinchrom has lost - there is plenty of decent gear out there and there is nowt about Elinchrom in today's market that makes it a standout purchase at its price point

Mike
 
That has to rate as one of the most stupid comments in this section for a long time, lets use the American expression of bang for Bucks, oh dear elinchrom has lost - there is plenty of decent gear out there and there is nowt about Elinchrom in today's market that makes it a standout purchase at its price point

Mike

You should note that I said 'something like Elinchroms' I'm not pushing that as the sole brand.
 
That has to rate as one of the most stupid comments in this section for a long time, lets use the American expression of bang for Bucks, oh dear elinchrom has lost - there is plenty of decent gear out there and there is nowt about Elinchrom in today's market that makes it a standout purchase at its price point

Mike
I wouldn't personally use the word 'stupid' here, but Mike has made a very good point.
10 years ago, Bron was the undisputed go-to for quality, Profoto was a fair way behind them and after that was Elinchrom (innovation), Bowens (build quality) and they were followed by a host of cheap, poor lighting from unknown brands that frankly wasn't worth having.
Bron is still in the same position, they have a tiny customer base in relative terms, due possibly to very poor marketing.
Profoto is as good as it always was, but in terms of value for money and technical innovation, they have been overtaken by the better Godox products, and it's possible that they are now relying on legacy business from people who aren't spending their own money, just as Bowens used to rely on legacy business from schools and the military.
Elinchrom now competes with Profoto, it's arguable that their products are close to Profoto in quality but again they have been overtaken by Godox, who not only are the largest single manufacturer but also produce products for some of their competitors.
And there are several other Chinese firms (although far less than a few years ago) that also produce excellent products.

Businesses change and evolve. BMW used to make crappy bubble cars, but few people today would say that their products aren't up to standard. Volkswagen used to make the Beetle, another very poor product that's now forgotten.

Godox make a mixture of very good and very cheap products. Buyers need to do their research and shouldn't assume that everything that comes out of a factory is equal in quality and performance.
And photographers need to keep up to date with developments and innovation.
Personally I wouldn't there are too many disadvantages. I don't wish to come across as rude, but surely as a photographer with 6 years experience of using strobes and profoto you should understand why you where using them and not just buying cheap continuous lights.

The other thing I don't understand is that you are saying a cheap setup would be £600.00 and surely that's only a day or twos money on a rate for commercial photography.

Buy some proper kit and shoot properly. Personally if I was in a tight money situation and needed more lighting, I'd buy secondhand Elinchroms.
More like half a day's work for a decent commercial photographer in my area.
 
at the risk of opening a whole can of worms, I know a chap starting out in commercial video and he uses FatLama - not just to hire stuff he cant afford (like £5k cameras) but also because he lives in a small flat and hasnt got the room to store all he needs
 
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