Studio Gear

[Fraser Euan White]

This has already been answered in threads you were part of, yes you can easily see power adjustments between shots but probably not in isolation. I also get the impression you're assuming only one light.



That's down to the photographer on the day isn't it?

Have you got a link to that thread to post here Simon - I don't recall the OP being involved in it and he may wan't to review what others said? (I couldn't find it)

 

[riddell]

Can people really notice a 1/10th of a stop? (I'm curious rather than questioning it)
If so is it important?

Yes, very important, though as Simon Barker correctly says you are unlikely to notice it in isolation, but in the middle of a collection of images, very noticeable, especially if its a specific light setup to reduce shadows in a dark area.

It can also have other effects as well, say you are shooting products and perfectly set everything up, including wanted shadows. Then the lights are inaccurate and not only is your product being lit inconsistently, your shadows can move about and get darker or lighter.

To put it into context. My worst experience ever of using some awful lights in a studio on a 10 hour fashion shoot meant about an extra 3 or 4 hours editing eyeballing, tweaking, analysing, eyeballing, and more tweaking a large number of images to ensure they were all balanced properly. It wasn't just as simple as brightness, I had a 5 light setup and all 5 lights were inconsistent, meaning one image was darker on the left, the next on the right. Then the next image the background was darker, the next background brighter on the left, model brighter on the right.

 

[Fraser Euan White]

Yes, very important, though as Simon Barker correctly says you are unlikely to notice it in isolation, but in the middle of a collection of images, very noticeable, especially if its a specific light setup to reduce shadows in a dark area.

It can also have other effects as well, say you are shooting products and perfectly set everything up, including wanted shadows. Then the lights are inaccurate and not only is your product being lit inconsistently, your shadows can move about and get darker or lighter.

To put it into context. My worst experience ever of using some awful lights in a studio on a 10 hour fashion shoot meant about an extra 3 or 4 hours editing eyeballing, tweaking, analysing, eyeballing, and more tweaking a large number of images to ensure they were all balanced properly. It wasn't just as simple as brightness, I had a 5 light setup and all 5 lights were inconsistent, meaning one image was darker on the left, the next on the right. Then the next image the background was darker, the next background brighter on the left, model brighter on the right.

Yes, very important, though as Simon Barker correctly says you are unlikely to notice it in isolation, but in the middle of a collection of images, very noticeable, especially if its a specific light setup to reduce shadows in a dark area.

It can also have other effects as well, say you are shooting products and perfectly set everything up, including wanted shadows. Then the lights are inaccurate and not only is your product being lit inconsistently, your shadows can move about and get darker or lighter.

To put it into context. My worst experience ever of using some awful lights in a studio on a 10 hour fashion shoot meant about an extra 3 or 4 hours editing eyeballing, tweaking, analysing, eyeballing, and more tweaking a large number of images to ensure they were all balanced properly. It wasn't just as simple as brightness, I had a 5 light setup and all 5 lights were inconsistent, meaning one image was darker on the left, the next on the right. Then the next image the background was darker, the next background brighter on the left, model brighter on the right.

You guys are the Pro's and know what you need - thanks for the replies Simon & Paul

 

[Kieranstandishphoto]

Most cheap and small flashes are not consistent at all, either in power or colour temperature. This is why many studios invest in the likes of profoto.

Having made the mistake of hiring studios with cheap lighting, I know just how annoying it can be spending extra hours balancing images because they are a 1/10th stop out or the colour has wavered.

I can see this inconsistency when I use my flashgun at events.

Glad to be one of the many studios that invest in Godox, and LED

 

[simonbarker]

Have you got a link to that thread to post here Simon - I don't recall the OP being involved in it and he may wan't to review what others said? (I couldn't find it)

That thread wouldn't benefit the op, too much bickering but I think I stated the basics reasonably well?

To clarify, the importance is down to the individual photographer's requirements, what's crucial for one may not be important to another so there's no single right answer to is it important.