Studio Strobes VS SpeedLights - What do i need???

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Hi All,

Stumbled across this article & thought it would be a good share considering the number of people who come up with this question as to what's right for them.



What is a Speedlight?

A speedlight (sometimes referred to as a “flash gun”) is a portable flash that can be fired on the hotshoe of the camera, or fired wirelessly on a cold shoe. The real advantage of a speedlight is that it can be less expensive, and much more portable. Because speedlights almost always run on AA batteries, they are easy to chuck in your camera bag so they are available whenever needed.
The disadvantage of using speedlights is that they are not as powerful as a studio strobe. A studio strobe can generally pump out at least double the light compared to a speedlight. Also, speedlights have a slow recycle time, which means that you often have to wait between 1.5 and 5 seconds between pops of the flash when the flash is turned up to full power.

What is a studio strobe?

A studio strobe is a larger light that is powered with AC power. You have to either plug it into the wall, or carry a large battery pack (think small car battery) to power it. Studio strobes have lightning fast recycle times, so the photographer never has to wait for the flash to catch up.
Strobes sound great on paper, but they can be quite a bit more hassle to use than a speedlight, because they are not nearly as portable. Also, studio strobes are quite expensive. A quality studio strobe costs between $500 and $1,500. That price increases even more when you consider that lighting modifiers (like umbrellas and softboxes) are more expensive for strobes because they have to include a heavy metal speedring. The price of strobes is increased EVEN MORE when you consider that you’ll probably want to purchase a battery pack so that you can use your strobe when no power outlet is available to you.


CREDIT/SOURCE - http://improvephotography.com/5898/speedlights-vs-strobes/


Further Comparison
Thanks to @WayneF

FEATURESpeedlightStudio Strobes
Automatic TTL operationMostNone
PortabilityHigh Low
Ability to Follow Fast ActionVery High with TTL automationVery Low
Power CapabilityLow High
Recycle TimeSlow Fast
Duty Cycle / Cooling - Repetitive flashingLow High
System ExpandabilityLow High
System VersatilityLow High
White Balancemore blue at low powermore red at low power


SOURCE - Speedlights vs Studio Lights
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
I'd love to have some studio strobes. Right now the difference for me is $$$$$$ vs $$$.

I'd be interested in the price point for strobes that function relatively well and don't break my bank.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
I'd be interested in the price point for strobes that function relatively well and don't break my bank.

There are many cheap studio light imports. My own notion and choice is that "function well" (and fully featured) would imply Alienbees (Made in USA, no doubt from imported parts).

An Alienbees B800 has about 5x the power of a SB-700, for a little less price.
 

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Yea for folks in USA, i think getting the AlienBees is a no brainer.
In fact, i wanted to import them & after paying shipping and import costs, they were almost at par with the more expensive ones.
But i held back, cos PCB said that if there is anything wrong with the any of the items, they would replace it no problem..... but i would have to bear the to & fro shipping costs..
which again is a no brainer :D
 

WayneF

Senior Member
The comparison chart seems a great idea, I will probably steal that for myself. :)

The category of System Expandability and Versatility is really speaking of the Commander system and/or TTL, not affecting ordinary manual mode speedlights.
 

STM

Senior Member
Another thing that is different between "speedlights" and studio strobes is that in most cases the number of power settings in manual is less in studio strobes. My largest studio strobes are limited to Full, 1/2/ 1/4 and 1/8.

But they DO have something that essentially no "speedlights" have; modeling lights which are proportional in intensity to the power setting of the studio strobe!
 

WayneF

Senior Member
But they DO have something that essentially no "speedlights" have; modeling lights which are proportional in intensity to the power setting of the studio strobe!

One problem is that the light output intensity of an incandescent bulb is about proportional to the cube of the voltage. I'm not sure of the exact math, but when you turn one down to be proportional to a 1/8 power flash, a 150 watt bulb doesn't have much left. Maybe it is still proportional, but it's hard to see it. :)

Fortunately, digital lets us just snap a test shot, and look at it.
 

STM

Senior Member
One problem is that the light output intensity of an incandescent bulb is about proportional to the cube of the voltage. I'm not sure of the exact math, but when you turn one down to be proportional to a 1/8 power flash, a 150 watt bulb doesn't have much left. Maybe it is still proportional, but it's hard to see it. :)

Fortunately, digital lets us just snap a test shot, and look at it.

Most of the time when I shoot in the studio, the only illumination I use is that of the modeling lights. I really don't trust what I see on the LCD because when you look at the image in PS, it is often noticeably different than what was portrayed on the LCD. And a lot of time I am shooting film with the Hassy anyway so an LCD is a moot point. I have mulled over getting a Polaroid back for the Hassy but studio quality film is nearly impossible to find and there is no use in getting the cheap stuff.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
My setups always have to be set up new, so I rely on the Nikon LCD quite a lot as a check, esp its zoom. I'm not comfortable with the modelings lights, so dim when tracked, so I leave them turned up. I can see some basic stuff then, but I depend on the light meter for ratio, and then double check it in the LCD (speaking digital). The modeling light is very handy for aiming the hair light. :)
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
When I attended a photo workshop, just about everyone were using PCB (Einstein and AB). It appears that these are the more popular strobes. Everyone brought their own strobe and battery pack.


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