Higher End Lighting?

[ErnieR]

Ken, the Profoto lights are very good. You won't regret the purchase. As to the differences between higher and lower end lighting they are subtle and some don't see enough difference to justify the price difference.

I used to own 3 of Paul Buff's Ultra Zap 1600's which are 650 w/s, those lights were very nice.... heavy duty, reliable, fairly small, very good bang for the buck, and the service is out of this world. The problems those lights have are:
*Color consistency, the lower the power setting the more yellow the light was.
*Inconsistent power output at the lower power settings.... lots of over and under exposed shots.
*The accessory mount is the one that the Balcar system lights use. It's OK unless you heed to put a large soft box on it. Very flimsy if there is weight on it, I had quite a few modeling lights and 2 flash tubes get broken when the weight of the box pulled it off the flash.
The Alien Bees lights have the same benefits and problems that the WL's have because they are made by the same company and share components.

When I went looking for a system of lights that offered more, my criteria were a locking mount, they must be very color consistent, and have very consistent output through power settings and I prefer mono lights to power packs.

I looked at Profoto, the Speedotron Force 10's or whatever the name is, DynaLite I was really interested in their DC pack units, and the Elinchrom system.

I got the Elinchroms, they are expensive but they are totally worth it. I got a bunch of the 600 w/s Style 600s units and one of the 1100 w/s Ranger DC packs. I’ve found that 600 w/s is more than enough power for most situations. Unless you are trying to over power the sun or something which requires around 1200 w/s, 2400 w/s would make it look like you were shooting at night under the noon day sun.

Hope that helps,
Ernie

[johnrieger]

Hi Ken,

You've probably already considered this - but I'll add it just in case. You might want to compare the costs of accessories like reflectors & replacement flashtubes between the brands of lights that you are considering. Many years ago, I used the Speedotron Black Line power packs & upgraded to Broncolor somewhere along the line. I have had great experiences with both brands. I love the quality of the Broncolor light - but the flahstubes cost about $450 to replace. Just something else to consider.

John
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