AG Schnozz wrote:
> Pack lights are highly beneficial in a studio environment where the
> centralized triggering and power control are right in one place.
> Granted, the Alien Bees remote power control helps level the playing
> field a little, but the power cycling and high quantity of flash
> bursts, such as fashion photography, tends to cook electronics. By
> placing most of the cookable electronics into a single overbuilt
> power-pack tends to reduce the acrid odor of a fried transformer or
> capacitor.
If I had enough business that I was worried about cooking my lights I
might go for something more expensive. I think my Bees will probably
outlive me.
>
> Monolights are much better for location photography for the very
> reasons Chuck mentioned. However, you need radio recievers for every
> monolight in the system. Also, for when you don't have a nearby
> power plug, you can always use an UPS for AC.
Not true. I generally use only one receiver. The Bees have a built-in
optical slave and will trigger in synch with the one with the receiver
as long as nothing is plugged into the sync socket. I can only recall
two occasions when I had to use a second receiver because the other
light was too far away for the optical slave. Actually, in one of those
cases the light wasn't terribly far away (50 feet maybe) but the optical
slave sensor is on the back side of the light (not a good design
choice) and was facing a piece of dark wood paneling which was doing its
best to absorb all light. In the other case a third light was probably
over 100 feet away to light up the far end of a large dining room.
You'd have a tough time, BTW, getting your pack lights to stretch to 50
feet let alone 100 feet.
Using the optical slave leaves your lights subject to being triggered by
someone's P&S but they recycle so fast (3/4 second) that actual
interference is pretty rare.
>
> The third option, of which I'm building up, is a totally portable
> system based on Vivitar 285HV flashes. Granted, they don't put out
> that much power, but they are small, battery powered, and easily
> mountable to nearly any location. In reality, there isn't very many
> situations where a set of 285HVs isn't sufficient in output. The
> biggest drawback to this style of flash is the lack of modelling
> lights. Also, recycle times... I just picked up another one today
> for $40. At a new price of $89 at B&H, I can buy a bunch of these
> things for far less than a two-light pack setup.
I do this as well using 2 to 4 T-32's. I'm sure I've posted this pic
here many times. Note the holes in the bracket outboard of the two
mounted flashes. Allows two more flashes to be mounted upside down.
Two is generally plenty of power though. Each T-32 is approximately 100
watt seconds. Four of them exceed the 320 watt seconds of one of my
B800's and two of them exceed the power of the smallest Bee, the B400.
<http://www.chucknorcutt.com/gear/Umbrella%20adapter%20mounted%20on%20tripod%20%232.jpg>
This homebuilt DC/AC power pack allows me to use all of my Bees outside
away from AC power but the whole mess is pretty heavy and bulky. Twin
T-32's or Viv 285's will handle a lot of situations without the weight
and bulk. The recycle time problem can be handled by a Quantum Turbo
or, my favorite compatible from B&H, the SP Systems power pack which is
fully compatible with the Quantum Turbo and Turbo cables at 1/3 the
price. This will recycle a T-32 from full dump in 1-1/2 seconds and two
of them in 3 seconds.
<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=294330&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
For two just use the Quantum QT-48 dual connector power cable
<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=43352&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
although for the price of cable if you have to buy it new you might
rather consider another SP Systems power pack and get a backup in the
bargain.
Chuck Norcutt
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