Which studio light is the most appropiate for family pictures taken at home?

Question

I am planning on taking family pictures for Christmas and I would like to get some studio lights and umbrellas, but I am not an expert so I need your advice on which set would be the right for me. I found these two on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SP160-Variable-Power-Professional-Studio-Flash-Set_W0QQitemZ290189407300QQihZ019QQcategoryZ30087QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Studio-Flash-Strobe-2-softbox-3-backdrop-wireless_W0QQitemZ290191385442QQihZ019QQcategoryZ30087QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I really appreciate your comments guys, but for what you are all saying I think I shouldn't buy those studio sets. What would be the best options for me then? What would you recommend? I have a small budget and I am not thinking on going in a business with this set...for now! ha

Answer 1

IF your familiar with off camera flashes/strobes, go that way. Less heat buildup indoors that way.

IF your not familiar with them, go with "hot lights" (always on). They will add some heat to an interior, but will be easier to measure for exposure.

Get an umbrella that has "shoot thru" and "bounce" capability, as it will let you set it up in different ways if you have space issues.

Edit::::::::

You can go simpler. Especially if you have white walls and ceilings. You can get some work lights from walmart, lowes, etc...., and use them for lighting.

For a softer, less glaring light, you can bounce the light off of a ceiling or wall. You can use 2'x4' panels of foamboard to bounce light, or piecs of cardboard covered with aluminum foil or Silver Mylar.. These would be the best lighting, "no muss, no fuss" lighting techniques.

Depending on your house layout, you can use as much natural light as you can get from a window. Weather permitting, and your location, an outdoor shoot might be nice.

I would do some practice sets, prior to doing the family sets, so you can find the best places to set up, how to use the light, limit strong glare and shadowing.

That way you can just set up, know the camera settings you need, and do the pics, without making a lot of adjustments during the shooting.

Answer 2

Boy I have seen a couple of these kits being asked about lately, and all I will say is buyer beware. When the difference between an entry level PRO 2 light kit from a reputable manufacturer,($500 minimum) and the "bargain" kit is $249 with "all" the accesories a bell starts to go off in my head.

Time and again, You Get What You Pay For rings true.
If your thinking of doing client work, take a loan and get some real equipment, lest you find yourself explaining away a $250 light kit failure to someone who is paying you. Either that or buy two of the "bargain" kits so you'll have a back up, but then you into the cost of a quality 2 light set anyway...

JMHO, been down both roads and learned some hard lessons. G'Luck !!

Answer 3

Its not a bad price for what you get, but I dont think that you would be able to get more than 5 or 6 people in a shot. They both have the same output of 160 watt seconds per head. Thats not a whole lot and you wont find any pros using much less than 300w/s per head.

If you are just going to do single person full body shots or 2-3 person 3/4 shots (from the waist up) then this would work for you. But try to step much outside of those boundaries and you are just going to get frustrated. If you plan to use the lights for lighting small stuff on ebay it would work just fine.

If you are planning on doing this for pay, you will want more power. I use 600w/s strobes myself. I am happy with 600w/s but now reallize that 300w/s would have worked for what I want to do. Mostly family portraits.

This is the kit I have http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/301600318.htm Kits Camera has in store credit. You might want to look into that.

Answer 4

Just one very important question...where do you go to repair them???

Then go to AlienBees and get ones that can be repaired easily.

Edited to add - I would recommend buying the lowest end Alien Bee. Buy the stand and umbrella cheaper on Ebay, if you can. Use a piece of oak tag or foam core as a reflector for your fill, or an on camera strobe. If you decide to advance further, that light would probably become your fill light and you would purchase a stronger Main. Alien Bee has excellent customer service and repair, if needed, is simple as is purchasing extra bulbs in the future.

Answer 5

If your camera has a hot shoe, why not just get an external flash with bounce head? By rotating the flash head and bouncing the light off the ceiling or a wall, you can pretty much simulate natural light.

But if you want to take large group shots, you'd need to delve deeper into studio lighting than just buy the "right" lights...

Answer 6

You can get entry level light kits from B&H Photo, a very reputable web seller, for $210. It come with 3 lights, reflector umbrellas , stands, the whole enchilada. It is a tungsten hot light setup.

I'd much rather trust them than someone off Ebay.

www.bhphotovideo.com