Lencarta 3-Head Studio Flash Kit + Softboxes reflectors

[Dave Pickett]

May be one for Garry!!

I am looking at this kit as a start point initial use would be photgraphing children's portraits at the nursery my wife manages.

It seems to me this has everything apart from the background ( I have slide viewing screen that would hold a background sheet nicely), Has anyone experience of this outfit, or is there a better kit for this purpose?

 

[Captain Morgan]

Dave,

I have the 300J heads and they are blooming great. We shoot Children and babies (not literally) and they are plenty good enough operating at less than 1/2 power most of the time.

 

[Garry Edwards]

It's horses for courses really.
I believe that the 3 head kit sold (only) on Ebay is the best there is of its type and it will certainly do want you want it to do without problem - but it's limited because
1. The reflectors are fixed, therefore it doesn't produce the best possible quality of light when fitted with softboxes
2. Although a lot of accessories are bundled with it, you cant get any others, which means that more specialised tools like narrow angle honeycombs, fresnel spots, focussing spots, beauty dishes can't be used with it.

Whether that matters or not will depend on your needs. As I said, it meets your needs now, but if the lighting bug bites you (which it has a nasty habit of doing) then it won't, and you'll be better off with the ElitePro range (which you can get from www.lencarta.com) because it has none of those limitations and can be expanded indefinately - if Lencarta doesn't have a particular tool then you can get it from someone else, and you can shop around for variations and to compare prices. Also, much better softboxes are available for the Bowens fit ElitePro range. There are now some kits on the website that include backgrounds etc.
Feel free to ring me on the Lencarta customer support 'hotline' if it will help.

 

[Dave Pickett]

Thanks both Good honest advice, looks like the 300j are worth the extra.

Capt Morgan, how many lights have you got and what would a typical starting set up be? (ie where do you position the lights and what umbrellas/softboxes etc do you use?)