Totally confused.com

L

littlel

Messages
10
Edit My Images
Yes
So im trying to get into studio portrait works and need a lighting kit. I've got around £500 to spend.. Maybe a touch more if needed. However, there are so many coming up on ebay and gumtree, i just dont know which way to go. I've been told octoboxes are good, so would like a couple those... However i know that will notch up the price somewhat...
So which should i aim to look out for..
Elinchrom, Bowens, Lencarta, or the others selling on ebay, however i did get a couple of un-named brand umbrella's and the quality was rubbish, one has already split..

I have a marque, which we are using as a studio, but not an awfull lot of space, probably 10ft width, Height max 10ft although that's on an Apex, and length 25-30 ft..

So any suggestions please...
 
I don't own studio lights, but everything I've read on here says avoid the ebay stuff like the plague. I did look at Lencarta starter kits when I was looking a couple of months ago and when I eventually do go for some heads/boxes, I will be buying Lencarta - primarily due to three factors: price, reputation and Garrys support on here (look for the posts by Garry Edwards).

One thing I would say is if you have to store the softboxes, you should probably go for folding ones unless you have loads of space for storage.
 
I bought eBay lights year and a half ago as that is what my budget allowed.

Have worked great, consistent power and colour temp.

My only advice is to go with what you can afford. Your budget will certainly get you a decent enough kit.

If I decide to upgrade any lights I will prob go with bowens.
 
Ebay is basically a dumping ground for junk, sold to people who know even less about studio lighting than the people who sell it. The chances of getting something usable from an Ebay-only seller are pretty poor, and at your budget you don't even need to try.

If you want a pure white background effect you need a minimum of 3 lights, because 2 will be needed just for the background. If you don't want a lit background then you can manage with less.

Octa softboxes aren't especially good, they're just a shape that you either like or you don't, and they produce a catchlight shape that you either like or you don't - it's just personal choice. If you're planning to use 2 lights on the subject then a good starting point is one fairly large softbox (of your preferred shape) and an umbrella for fill - which is cheaper and IMO better than 2 softboxes.

One thing I would say is if you have to store the softboxes, you should probably go for folding ones unless you have loads of space for storage
Click to expand...
.Definately - folding softboxes are quite a bit more expensive than non-folding ones but well worth the extra if you can't leave them assembled.
 
I bought an Elinchrom D-Lite 4 about a year ago and absolutely love it. I looked at cheaper light sets but I wanted something that had a reputation to last. One of my friends bought a cheap chinese set and the housing melted at the first session.

Bowens are also excellant products and do have the advantage that their mount is pretty much the universal standard so there is quite a range of modifiers out there.
 
So would the census be to buy new? There is a bid going at the moment for Interfit lights, any good?
 
+1 on the Elinchrom D-Lite 4, great bit of kit!
 
littlel said:
So would the census be to buy new? There is a bid going at the moment for Interfit lights, any good?
Click to expand...

My advice would be to buy a good make new, if your budget allows.
If it doesn't allow, then it would be better to buy a good make secondhand than a cheap make new. Probably the only thing worse than a cheap make new is a cheap make secondhand...

The problem with second hand is that
a. there is no warranty and no customer service entitlement
b. it may have been worked to death and about to give up the ghost.
c. Fleabay is a mad world, second hand flash heads often sell for far more than they're worth, and often more than the new price.
 
On topic, its rule of thumb "Buy cheap buy twice" if you are happy with this then ebay has a wide range of options, or there is Elemental/lencarta in the budget area or Bowens, elichrom :) or you could buy a few bits now and a few bits later on if you can get away with it (which is what I did/do).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This should help you with your choice of modifiers. Apart from clearly knowing his stuff, David Hobby is also very good at telling the world what he uses and why. That blog post is a good read.
 
kiteninja said:
But is it in his budget ?


On topic, its rule of thumb "Buy cheap buy twice" if you are happy with this then ebay has a wide range of options, or there is Elemental/lencarta in the budget area or Bowens, elichrom :) or you could buy a few bits now and a few bits later on if you can get away with it (which is what I did/do).
Click to expand...



If he's got £500 to spend then i'd be happy with anything above £450 I guess, although will check flebay and the likes to see what the going rate is.

Decent bit of kit (not that I've used it) but sadly got to sell it :(


Ed
 
hey all, thanks for all your post.. Been a complete minefield out there, but have finally got the following, Interfit Stella 300 kit, brought not brand new second hand but never been used, and you can tell that as well, and i really dont know why as the Interfit kit is more than enough, but a Bowens 82 and 41 flash head.. :shrug:

however now all i need to know is how/what to purchase to sync them all up together..







p.s. im a woman ;):LOL:(y)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top