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<blockquote data-quote="WayneF" data-source="post: 353957" data-attributes="member: 12496"><p>I would pass. Those are not flash, they are CFL continuous lights, which are much dimmer than flash. If your camera does well at ISO 800 maybe, for indoors, but that's not what you want, and would be unacceptable outdoors competing with sun. Don't know how easily those softboxes break down and reassemble for transportion.</p><p></p><p>It says "up to six 50 watt CFL lamps". So that would be 300 watt units.</p><p>Flash and CFL have comparable high efficiency (converting electricity to light).</p><p></p><p>Math is: Continuous: A 1/100 second shutter speed would pass 1/100 x 300 watts = 3 watt seconds of light to your picture. Continuous is only of any use while the shutter is actually open. They are 300 watt heaters the rest of the time.</p><p></p><p>A 300 watt second flash is faster than the shutter speed (shutter just has to be open - use 1/200 second) and would pass all 300 watt seconds. So at ISO 100 and f/10, you probably turn your close main light down to 1/16 power level (instead of turning your ISO up so 1/60 f/2.8 almost works.) That is really too much power indoors, but other cases - greater distances and competing with full sun - needs more. I prefer to use a 160 watt second flash in the main light (large softbox, close, and still turned way down).</p><p></p><p>Saying, there is a huge difference in continuous and flash power. Seems important.</p><p></p><p>Continuous lights could be great for still life subjects, table top, product photography, etc, where long shutter speeds are very acceptable. CFL could be a little white balance issue. </p><p>But humans move, and IMO, you want flash. Just how it is done. Flash is normally faster than any shutter speed.</p><p></p><p>By the way, for any solution, add a white balance card for WB correction. WhiBal card is good, I have a couple, but I use the $5 Porta Brace card from B&H.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Those are similar specs to Alienbees, except they also offer 240/120 VAC operation (important outside North America). I would have no objection, but I did choose Alienbees. Alienbees support is legendary... if you ever need a repair or spare part, the situation simply could not be better.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I have no experience with LED, except small flashlights... LED is small and expensive. And neither LED or CFL have a continuous spectrum (affecting perfect white balance). Both have limited spectrum lines, partially corrected with phosphorus coatings on inside of bulb, perhaps OK, but simply not perfect. Sun and incandescent and flash are pretty much perfect.</p><p></p><p>This dim continuous stuff is better suited for video cameras (requiring continuous), but the flash is better for still portraits. It seems very clear, IMO.</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Which one? The manual is probably still on the Sekonic site.</p><p></p><p>Set it to read in tenth stops, and you will have no fraction problem.. Then it is trivially done in your head.</p><p></p><p>See <a href="http://www.scantips.com/lights/vs.html#setup" target="_blank">Speedlights vs Studio Lights</a> (to do that manual setup) about using the meter, and about tenth stops.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="WayneF, post: 353957, member: 12496"] I would pass. Those are not flash, they are CFL continuous lights, which are much dimmer than flash. If your camera does well at ISO 800 maybe, for indoors, but that's not what you want, and would be unacceptable outdoors competing with sun. Don't know how easily those softboxes break down and reassemble for transportion. It says "up to six 50 watt CFL lamps". So that would be 300 watt units. Flash and CFL have comparable high efficiency (converting electricity to light). Math is: Continuous: A 1/100 second shutter speed would pass 1/100 x 300 watts = 3 watt seconds of light to your picture. Continuous is only of any use while the shutter is actually open. They are 300 watt heaters the rest of the time. A 300 watt second flash is faster than the shutter speed (shutter just has to be open - use 1/200 second) and would pass all 300 watt seconds. So at ISO 100 and f/10, you probably turn your close main light down to 1/16 power level (instead of turning your ISO up so 1/60 f/2.8 almost works.) That is really too much power indoors, but other cases - greater distances and competing with full sun - needs more. I prefer to use a 160 watt second flash in the main light (large softbox, close, and still turned way down). Saying, there is a huge difference in continuous and flash power. Seems important. Continuous lights could be great for still life subjects, table top, product photography, etc, where long shutter speeds are very acceptable. CFL could be a little white balance issue. But humans move, and IMO, you want flash. Just how it is done. Flash is normally faster than any shutter speed. By the way, for any solution, add a white balance card for WB correction. WhiBal card is good, I have a couple, but I use the $5 Porta Brace card from B&H. Those are similar specs to Alienbees, except they also offer 240/120 VAC operation (important outside North America). I would have no objection, but I did choose Alienbees. Alienbees support is legendary... if you ever need a repair or spare part, the situation simply could not be better. I have no experience with LED, except small flashlights... LED is small and expensive. And neither LED or CFL have a continuous spectrum (affecting perfect white balance). Both have limited spectrum lines, partially corrected with phosphorus coatings on inside of bulb, perhaps OK, but simply not perfect. Sun and incandescent and flash are pretty much perfect. This dim continuous stuff is better suited for video cameras (requiring continuous), but the flash is better for still portraits. It seems very clear, IMO. Which one? The manual is probably still on the Sekonic site. Set it to read in tenth stops, and you will have no fraction problem.. Then it is trivially done in your head. See [URL="http://www.scantips.com/lights/vs.html#setup"]Speedlights vs Studio Lights[/URL] (to do that manual setup) about using the meter, and about tenth stops. [/QUOTE]
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