Well, it's hard to know if you'll be able to get down to 2.8 or not. It kind of depends on how much power your softbox with use up. My guess is that you'd have a hard time getting down to 2.8 with a b800. However, I use my b400 as a main all the time with the AB 47" octabox, and I can get 2.8 just by pulling the box a few feet away (not 10 or 12).
On the other hand, honeycomb filters and gells eat up a ton of power, so a b800 would probably serve better with these accessories.
I'd say there's not much risk in buying the wrong thing. AB will take anything back for 60 days after purchase. I returned one of my b400s after about a month because I wanted a b800 and they were happy to exchange. After the 60 days expires, you can upgrade any light to a larger size for two years after purchase and only pay the difference in price plus $25. So my suggestion would be to buy the smaller ones and see if it's enough. The b400s are lighter and recharge faster anyway. If they're not enough, switch 'em out for bigger ones. No big deal.
Don't stress out. It's friday. No stress on fridays. Go buy you some lights!
|