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 Post subject: Lighting Recommendation
PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:05 am 
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Hi guys,

Been a while since I posted in here. I need some advice about strobes. I'm slowly moving into product photography and have started shooting products in small scale. My Canon system with 5 600ex-rt works fine with small to medium sized products. The last product I shot was a full length canoe oar. I had very little difficulty fixing the corner as that's where the light falloff started showing. I probably can adjust a few things to fix that as I'm shooting but that made me rethink about what I should do about getting new gear to accommodate for medium to large items.

Considering my budget, I can't afford to pick up Elinchrom or Prophoto strobes. I'm considering getting the Alien Bee 400's, at least 3 or 4 units. Now, I have very little experience working with these lights but I know they're powerful enough to get the job done at a slightly lower price. So here are my questions:

1. Will these lights do the job if I were to take photos of large objects like, motorcycles, canoes, bikes? Can you suggest others?

2. Speedrings, do I have to get them from PaulCBuff or can I get the 3rd party speedrings locally and fit any type of light modifier like striplights, softboxes, etc. from another manufacturer?

3. What tx/rx should I be getting for a Canon 5D3?

I know there's the forex to consider and it sucks now, and also the shipping and customs that I'll to pay. Price point, do not take in consideration shipping and customs. I have family across the border that I visit occasionally that I can pick these up from.

I really appreciate the input guys.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2016 12:38 am 
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I've had my Alien Bees AB800 x 2 and ABR800 for quite a few years now, and I've yet to change a bulb. One of my AB800s I got used in 2010 and they all work fine. I know that some people report issues with colour shifting between intensity of light output, as well as between lights but if you use it a grey card or colour chart card for corrections in Lightroom you should be fine. Check Kijiji for lights. I don't know if the AB400s will be enough for light a vehicle and staying at a lower ISO and 160th shutter speed. I would consider at least AB800 or even AB1600 if you choose stick with Alien Bees.

One thing I do not like about the Alien Bees is no sound chirp to let me know the light is fully charged when shoot at full power (outside or big light modifier). Maybe consider Einstein lights or also the Adorama Flashpoint lights are budget friendly in the lower wattage. I can't answer the speed ring question as I have all PaulCBuff modifiers. I can't answer the trigger question, as I use PW Plus II to shoot, as I bought them back when I bought my lights (very pricey back then).


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