opinions on this beginner studio set?

Alan_T

Alan_T

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Alan
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hey guys, looking at maybe taking the plunge on this beginner stuio set on ebay.

what are your thoughts on it? worth the money?

click here

thanks

Alan
 
Without wishing to raise the ire of the mods, a quick search here on TP will bring up quite a few discussions on the merits of that particular kit (y)
 
Wow, i was looking at this exact studio set earlier today aswell.
I started a thread in this section titled 'Softbox/Diffuser Help' and near the end I asked about whether a flash light was good or not, and it is the exact flash light that you get 3 of in this set.
When asking about the value for money side and whether the light given would be better than a speedlight 430ex in a softbox, I was told the following:
Garry Edwards said:
No, that probably won't work better than your 430ex, it still has a built in reflector which can't be removed, so the light can't spread around the inside of the softbox.

It's probably good value, if you're not worried about handling an electronic flash with thousands of volts inside it that hasn't even got an earth wire. At least, from what I can see in the picture, they aren't pretending that it complies with EU standards, which makes a nice change
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Definitely made my mind up.
 
Sorry Graham, as its not branded i didn't know what to search for to be honest!
 
after reading a frew theads on here about the same/similar ones, i'm desciding to bite the bullet and go for the lencarta smartflash set. seems a safer bet but it is more than double the price!

Alan
 
jonesy_ni said:
http://www.fotobyte-uk.com/studio-f...-kit-photography-portraiture-studio-291-p.asp

Same as this by looks of it apart from it being an extra £10

Depends on your budget and what you want from the lights.

Not sure if they are the same lights quoted by Snipet as they seem to be 3 pin for use in the uk.
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I've now deleted this response after receiving a number of emails from a gentleman who feels that my comments are unfair and/or untrue or inaccurate. If in fact my comments have the potential to cause him problems then I sincerely regret that. In an effort to put things right I suggested to him that he sends me one of his lights for testing, and promised to publish those results on any forum of his choice.

Unfortunately however he has made it very clear that he will not take advantage of my offer.
 
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Alan_T said:
after reading a frew theads on here about the same/similar ones, i'm desciding to bite the bullet and go for the lencarta smartflash set. seems a safer bet but it is more than double the price!

Alan
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If your budget allows it, its def a safer bet. Have fun!
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes, they may be different and do seem to have an earthed power supply.

Problem is, the tooling costs for making even a simple case like this is far too high for the backstreet workshops that produce this stuff. As a result, they either hire the tooling so that they can make a batch or they buy in the cases. Because of this there are a lot of similar-looking flash heads available that have different innards, and as they are 'export only' (made down to a price and only sold to foreign buyers) they are unbranded, which makes it impossible to find out just how good (or bad) they actually are. Many are made from recycled parts, so vary from one flash head to the next, never mind from one batch to the next, and nobody seems to bother about fire safety or electrical safety. If the buyer asks for a 'CE' sticker then they get one, regardless of whether or not the product qualifies.

And the quoted specifications are rarely accurate - most vary enormously with every flash, and statements about colour temperature are always false.

You pays your money and you takes your chance...
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For £150 its a good way to start learning. Not everyone has the £££ to spend on kit that they may not use very often and just want to learn about lighting.
 
The use of a twin core mains lead (unearthed unit) isn't a direct indication of inherent quality per say, one of my 200ws heads only has a weedy twin core lead and is most certainly CE approved. Having said that I wouldn't buy any of these generic eBay offerings irrespective of what type of cable was included ;)

Paul
 
I'd rather spend £150 on a single Lencarta Smartflash, cheap stand, shoot-through umbrella and some white reflector card. Plenty you can do with a single light set up. Then it's easy to add another smartflash when you have a bit more cash and are ready to use two lights.

Btw, that's not just theory - it's exactly what I did. I've since added a cheap big soft box as i wasn't always keen on round catchlights and wanted a bit more light control.
 
jonesy_ni said:
For £150 its a good way to start learning. Not everyone has the £££ to spend on kit that they may not use very often and just want to learn about lighting.
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As paul said above.

If you want to learn, learn properly and cheaply, then I think just one Lencarta Smartflash for £107 is the way to do it. Seriously, less is more when you're starting out, and even if you've got ten lights going, there will almost always be just one that is doing the lion's share of lighting the main subject. Build from there.

For under £200, you can get a Smartflash, a decent softbox and stand, a reflector etc. I don't have Lencarta but that's basically what I use for simple portraiture, even though I have a pile of other stuff to hand.

Having said that, not all e bay stuff is rubbish. Though none of it is as good as Lencarta IMHO, some is better than others. Problem is, you don't know what you're getting with unbranded or over-branded kit.
 
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paulcamcas said:
I'd rather spend £150 on a single Lencarta Smartflash, cheap stand, shoot-through umbrella and some white reflector card. Plenty you can do with a single light set up. Then it's easy to add another smartflash when you have a bit more cash and are ready to use two lights.

Btw, that's not just theory - it's exactly what I did. I've since added a cheap big soft box as i wasn't always keen on round catchlights and wanted a bit more light control.
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HoppyUK said:
As paul said above.

If you want to learn, learn properly and cheaply, then I think just one Lencarta Smartflash for £107 is the way to do it. Seriously, less is more when you're starting out, and even if you've got ten lights going, there will almost always be just one that is doing the lion's share of lighting the main subject. Build from there.

For under £200, you can get a Smartflash, a decent softbox and stand, a reflector etc. I don't have Lencarta but that's basically what I use for simple portraiture, even though I have a pile of other stuff to hand.

Having said that, not all e bay stuff is rubbish. Though none of it is as good as Lencarta IMHO, some is better than others. Problem is, you don't know what you're getting with unbranded or over-branded kit.
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I agree, thats a good way of building up a kit bit by bit. But, at end of the day its still adding up to a good amount of money by the time the kit is built up. Some people dont want to spend that type of money whether its right now or over the next year.

I personally went for a set of ebay lights, over 2 years ago now. Was a full kit of 3 x 500ws lights, 2 softboxes, umbrella and a few other modifiers. Bowens type fittings, although I havent wanted to change or buy any other modifiers anyway. The lights have been brilliant, consistent and reliable. Cost me well below half of what any branded alternative would of been.

Everyone has different budgets and uses, a friend had a cheap stable imaging kit, he was well happy with that.

I obviously cant comment on the lights posted by the OP as I havent got them, apart from the fact they are getting good seller feedback on ebay.

Having said all that, I am currently eyeing up the Bowens 500C :bonk:
 
jonesy_ni said:
For £150 its a good way to start learning. Not everyone has the £££ to spend on kit that they may not use very often and just want to learn about lighting.
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I fully accept that. After all, we all have different amounts of money available, different needs and different priorities. But I feel that there are a couple of important considerations that are worth at least thinking about.

1.
a good way to start learning.
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This isn't a boast, it's a statement of fact that I think everyone here knows to be true... I'm experienced when it comes to studio lighting. Because of that, I can not only anticipate (and avoid) lighting problems but I can also identify them immediately if they occur. Therefore, if I can't turn the power down far enough I know how to deal with that particular problem. If my lights produce wildly different colour with every shot I immediately know that the fault lies with the lighting and not with me (even though there's nothing very much that I can actually do about it, other than firing the flash at full power to get as much consistency as possible and reducing the power using ND gels). Same goes for colour consistency, although with inconsistent colour there is absolutely nothing that can be done. If the lights have fixed reflectors and I can't use the light shapers that I really need to use then I can bodge, and still get pretty much the same results.

But these lights are marketed at beginners who don't have the knowledge or skills that I and many others have, and their shortcomings make it very difficult to use the lights as a learning tool. More than anyone, it's beginners who need good tools.
2. Safety. Search this forum and you'll find accounts of lights catching fire, blowing up, dripping burning oil from the capacitors - there may or may not be a risk of electrocution, but for me, the fire risk (especially when used in a house with a carpeted floor and very likely where, unlike a professional studio, there are no fire extinguishers) is enough.

I echo what others have said. It's far better to buy one decent flash head with a stand, and to use a 5 in 1 reflector or a bit of white card, than to buy a set of cheap flashes. And 1 flash is also a much better learning tool.

I'm not trying to flog Lencarta gear. Keeping up with demand is a constant battle, and the SmartFlash heads are about to go out of stock again - although thankfully only for a few days. If budget is tight then please consider buying a second hand flash head from another major manufacturer such as Bowens, Elinchrom, Hensel, Multiblitz (there are plenty of other good ones but these are the more affordable makes)
 
No-one will question your knowledge of how lighting works, I know I wouldn't as I am still learning.

So what you are saying Garry is, if its on a budget, and if its below the price of Lencarta then is going to drip burning oil on your carpet, or worse its going to catch fire or possibly electrocute you?
 
jonesy_ni said:
So what you are saying Garry is, if its on a budget, and if its below the price of Lencarta then is going to drip burning oil on your carpet, or worse its going to catch fire or possibly electrocute you?
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Interesting interpretation of what was a very straightforward statement from Garry.

I can't find the bit where you seem to think Garry has said "if its below the price of Lencarta then is going to drip burning oil on your carpet, or worse its going to catch fire or possibly electrocute you?".

What I do see is a recounting of several accounts that have been posted before.
 
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Michael Sewell said:
Interesting interpretation of what was a very straightforward statement from Garry.

I can't find the bit where you seem to think Garry has said "if its below the price of Lencarta then is going to drip burning oil on your carpet, or worse its going to catch fire or possibly electrocute you?".

What do see is a recounting of several accounts that have been posted before.
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"2. Safety. Search this forum and you'll find accounts of lights catching fire, blowing up, dripping burning oil from the capacitors - there may or may not be a risk of electrocution, but for me, the fire risk (especially when used in a house with a carpeted floor and very likely where, unlike a professional studio, there are no fire extinguishers) is enough"

The ONLY time this comes up is if its cheap, if this post had of come up in a post about Bowens, Elinchrom etc with a known name the number "2" would not of been put on a public forum.

This is a forum, with different sections that people post in with lots of different ideas, budgets, lenses, bodies.

However, this is the only section on the forum that if you do not want to spend decent money you very quickly get advised that something will go wrong, everything else below a certain price will be rubbish that may harm you.
 
jonesy_ni said:
No-one will question your knowledge of how lighting works, I know I wouldn't as I am still learning.

So what you are saying Garry is, if its on a budget, and if its below the price of Lencarta then is going to drip burning oil on your carpet, or worse its going to catch fire or possibly electrocute you?
Click to expand...
I've said nothing of the sort. If you want to buy cheap lights then go ahead and do it, you may be perfectly happy with them - and I hope that you are. As you said earlier,
Not everyone has the £££ to spend on kit that they may not use very often and just want to learn about lighting.
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Strange though that you should make this post... I've had some very unpleasant emails from a gentleman who seems to think that I've made some unfair statements about lights that he apparently sells. As a result, I went back to my first post in this thread and deleted it, because I would hate anyone to misunderstand what I explained in that post.

In an effort to help the gentleman, I offered to test whichever light he sells and see whether or not it matches up to his ebay description of it, but unfortunately he declined, in very strong terms.
 
jonesy_ni said:
"2. Safety. Search this forum and you'll find accounts of lights catching fire, blowing up, dripping burning oil from the capacitors - there may or may not be a risk of electrocution, but for me, the fire risk (especially when used in a house with a carpeted floor and very likely where, unlike a professional studio, there are no fire extinguishers) is enough"
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Which still doesn't actually state a price point that has anything to do with Lencarta items, as you asserted earlier
 
jonesy_ni said:
"2. Safety. Search this forum and you'll find accounts of lights catching fire, blowing up, dripping burning oil from the capacitors - there may or may not be a risk of electrocution, but for me, the fire risk (especially when used in a house with a carpeted floor and very likely where, unlike a professional studio, there are no fire extinguishers) is enough"

The ONLY time this comes up is if its cheap, if this post had of come up in a post about Bowens, Elinchrom etc with a known name the number "2" would not of been put on a public forum.
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That's not right. Various people have posted in this forum about their own experiences. I'm sure that if well-known makes had caused safety problems then they would have said so.


jonesy_ni said:
However, this is the only section on the forum that if you do not want to spend decent money you very quickly get advised that something will go wrong, everything else below a certain price will be rubbish that may harm you.
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That's not right either, people often advise other people to avoid cheap equipment in other forums too. And people often don't advise against cheap equipment in this forum, people try to genuinely help by giving them the benefit of their experience. Sometimes they advise doing things very cheaply, sometimes they advise solutions that may be different to what the OP had in mind, whether the advised solution works out at the same, lower or higher cost is neither here nor there. It isn't about money, it's about giving useful advice and expecting that people will receive it in the same spirit as it is given.
 
Garry Edwards said:
I've said nothing of the sort. If you want to buy cheap lights then go ahead and do it, you may be perfectly happy with them - and I hope that you are. As you said earlier,

Strange though that you should make this post... I've had some very unpleasant emails from a gentleman who seems to think that I've made some unfair statements about lights that he apparently sells. As a result, I went back to my first post in this thread and deleted it, because I would hate anyone to misunderstand what I explained in that post.

In an effort to help the gentleman, I offered to test whichever light he sells and see whether or not it matches up to his ebay description of it, but unfortunately he declined, in very strong terms.
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I dont know why my first post is strange, nor do I actually remember what you said in your first post, or why you felt the need to delete it. And why would someone want to send a set of lights to you for testing?
 
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Michael Sewell said:
Which still doesn't actually state a price point that has anything to do with Lencarta items, as you asserted earlier
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Ah, ok then, so why do you think the need to bring up safety, burning carpets, fire extinguishers, electrocution has had to come up at all in this thread?
 
jonesy_ni said:
Ah, ok then, so why do you think the need to bring up safety, burning carpets, fire extinguishers, electrocution has had to come up at all in this thread?
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Because it comes up regularly on the forum, and the fact the OP asked about the heads, indicates he wasn't aware of the earlier posts.
 
Michael Sewell said:
Because it comes up regularly on the forum, and the fact the OP asked about the heads, indicates he wasn't aware of the earlier posts.
Click to expand...

So the heads the OP linked to us have actually caught fire or burnt a carpet or electrocuted someone?
 
jonesy_ni said:
So the heads the OP linked to us have actually caught fire or burnt a carpet or electrocuted someone?
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I doubt if the OP actually linked to the actual heads that actually caught fire, as the damage would be seen in the image, surely?
 
Michael Sewell said:
I doubt if the OP actually linked to the actual heads that actually caught fire, as the damage would be seen in the image, surely?
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Oh ok then, so someone that bought lights the "same" but obviously not the ones in the picture caught fire?
 
jonesy_ni said:
Oh ok then, so someone that bought lights the "same" but obviously not the ones in the picture caught fire?
Click to expand...

Search the Forum


Alan_T said:
after reading a frew theads on here about the same/similar ones, i'm desciding to bite the bullet and go for the lencarta smartflash set. seems a safer bet but it is more than double the price!

Alan
Click to expand...
 
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There's actually plenty regarding these actual lights.
Do you mean there isn't the word fire mentioned in the posts you found?
Or do you mean you found no reference at any point to these lights?
As mentioned above, Alan seemed to manage the search function quite well.

I'm going to have to leave shortly, as I have a very early morning shoot, and a full day of meetings, along with a couple of other shoots
 
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Michael Sewell said:
There's actually plenty regarding these actual lights.
Do you mean there isn't the word fire mentioned in the posts you found?
Or do you mean you found no reference at any point to these lights?
As mentioned above, Alan seemed to manage the search function quite well.

I'm going to have to leave shortly, as I have a very early morning shoot, and a full day of meetings, along with a couple of other shoots
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I still don't see any mention of safety or anything like it from that post? I am not being awkward, but I can't find any safety issues from the original supplier in this link or the website I quoted with the extra £10.
 

You have quoted that twice now but still doesn't actually mean anything related to this thread?
 
"Often times you will hear many bad things on the internet about inexpensive studio equiptment that is, or is assumed to be, made in China. Sometimes these poor reviews are from people who actually have used such equiptment and had a bad experience. Though more often than not I have noticed they are written by people without any first-hand experience. Instead these reviews are often based on what the reviewer "read somewhere"

That bit seems about right
 
If anyone wants to send us lights to test then we can do it, several staff members shoot professionally.

As for Garry's posts, he recommended second hand equipment from several brands, none of which where lencarta, as well as offering his thoughts on cheap parts, I don't see the problem with that, I do exactly the same with products in my field.
 
There will always be snobbery with things like this, be it photography, fishing, music, anything when there are multiple choices for your weapon of choice.
I have a similar set of lights http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=220812835191&index=2&nav=SEARCH&nid=87573807739
i have used them only for about six hours total, and can honestly say they are great! Sure they ain't top flight branded, they don't pretend to be and i don't pretend they are. But, they fire every time, have no noticeable fluctuating output and do exactly what i want. I don't make money with my photography so if i suffer a failure then its no big deal! If i was a professional i would invest in professional equipment. My business would deserve it.
 
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jonesy_ni said:
You have quoted that twice now but still doesn't actually mean anything related to this thread?
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It's related to the thread because :
A) The OP requested information about cheap lighting
B) The link I posted was to an article regarding factors that should be taken into account when choosing cheap lighting.
C) The linked article appeared to me to be fairly sensible in regards to the advice given, and was posted on the very site most people would use to purchase cheap lighting equipment.
D) Considering the merry-go-round of this thread, an outside overview regarding the purchase or appraisal before purchase of cheap lighting equipment, seemed a worthwhile link to those who may use the search function for threads or postings regarding cheap lighting equipment. Particularly from fleabay.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a shoot shortly, and not likely to return till around 2200hrs :wave:
 
Simon photo said:
There will always be snobbery with things like this, be it photography, fishing, music, anything when there are multiple choices for your weapon of choice.
I have a similar set of lights http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=220812835191&index=2&nav=SEARCH&nid=87573807739
i have used them only for about six hours total, and can honestly say they are great! Sure they ain't top flight branded, they don't pretend to be and i don't pretend they are. But, they fire every time, have no noticeable fluctuating output and do exactly what i want. I don't make money with my photography so if i suffer a failure then its no big deal! If i was a professional i would invest in professional equipment. My business would deserve it.
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:agree:

An oultook many of us took as we started out, and our choice of equipment changed along with our abilities and the amount of income provided by the use of said equipment.
Mind you, when I started, there wasn't quite the mind bending array of cheap equipment so readily available :bonk:
 
jonesy_ni said:
"Often times you will hear many bad things on the internet about inexpensive studio equiptment that is, or is assumed to be, made in China. Sometimes these poor reviews are from people who actually have used such equiptment and had a bad experience. Though more often than not I have noticed they are written by people without any first-hand experience. Instead these reviews are often based on what the reviewer "read somewhere"

That bit seems about right
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I have a sneaking feeling you work for one of these cheap Chinese knock off flash producers or you flog there **** on ebay I can't quite put my finger on it.
So far all you have done is pick at people knowledge and disregard peoples advice regarding the cheap lights.
I can see how there are no links to evidance that the lights have caught fire or caused burning capacitor acid onto carpets but these are things that can happen if there are no proper safety measures in place & seeing how very few of these super cheap lights have CE approval I would bet money they have no safety guards built in either, no overload safety or thermal managment or overload management. If you knew anything about electronics or safety or had common sense then you would think twice about buying something that could cause you great harm.

Exploading capacitor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8gFgIQl2HI
Capacitor catches fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWIEVOyNoEA

Very crude videos but this is what could happen inside your cheap lights but they will be using much bigger capcitors so the reaction would be bigger, for me I'd rather save some pennies and pay more.
 
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