[Azzy]

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Can anyone recommend a cheap 3 light studio setup using continuous lightning ?
I was going to make all the stands myself using PVC pipes, but the price for the parts here in Toronto is ridiculous...(came up to ~15-20$ per stand before the light / bulb /umbrella).
I came across this on ebay : NEW Studio Photo 1200 Watt Umbrella Continuous Boom Stand Backdrop Lighting Kit | eBay which cost ~$60 per stand including the light, housing, umbrella, etc in total probably ~$50 more expensive then home made project for 3 complete light setup.

Anyone have experience with cheap ebay lightstand kit ? If so can anyone comment on how reliable / sturdy they are ?

[Kim Lang]

I'm interested in this too. Right now What I'm using is 3 led work lights that I purchased from home depot. I picked led because they don't make my room hot.

I position them using tripods

[joe.penn]

Check out the stuff from Cowboy Studio on Amazon - they carry pretty good stuff at great prices, a lot of photog's shop them -> Amazon.com: cowboy studio


Kit Link from them -> http://www.amazon.com/Cowboystudio-Continuous-Photography-Umbrellas-Backgrou...481524&sr=8-10

[Azzy]

Thats really cheap! Thank you

[GibbyTheMole]

Kit Link from them -> http://www.amazon.com/Cowboystudio-C...481524&sr=8-10

That's a "deluxe" version of my hillbilly setup. Same daylight CFL bulbs with a few of these:

Walmart.com: Bayco 10.5'' Brooder Clamp Light: Storage & Organization

They're not super bright, but they work surprisingly well, as long as you use a relatively slow shutter speed with your camera on a tripod. And CFL bulbs stay pretty cool. so that's a good thing.

[adwb]

That's a "deluxe" version of my hillbilly setup. Same daylight CFL bulbs with a few of these:

Walmart.com: Bayco 10.5'' Brooder Clamp Light: Storage & Organization

They're not super bright, but they work surprisingly well, as long as you use a relatively slow shutter speed with your camera on a tripod. And CFL bulbs stay pretty cool. so that's a good thing.

go look on Ebay for continuous studio lights, there are dozens of cheap sets
there with stands , soft boxes heads and daylight fluorescent bulbs, great value for money

[magkelly]

Those Walmart work lamps are what I've been using too. I've got them clipped to an extra tripod and also to a garment rack that I just move around as I need to. I want a cowboy set too, preferably one with a soft box, but that's not quite on the menu as yet.

[Azzy]

How bad are those ebay kit ? If I put 150w CFL light on it would the socket overheat ?

[Deiberson]

your going to have to dump a little money into this if you want to get decent results.

i purchased the 620 monolight wedding kit from adorama for 500 bucks. great price for all that comes with it.

for my third light i just use one of my speed lights. the cheapest options are the yongnugo's. i own a few of them and they are bombproof. if your serious about photography i'd encourage you to stay away from continuous lighting for now.

[adwb]

your going to have to dump a little money into this if you want to get decent results.

. if your serious about photography I'd encourage you to stay away from continuous lighting for now.

I would disagree with that statement, 2 of the 5 lamp heads with soft boxes when placed about 5-6 foot from the subject will give enough lite to shoot at a sensible hand held speed at f2.8 - f4 at about 800 ISO. more than adequate for most portraiture or product shots.

[Wheatfield]

The problem with using CFL bulbs for photographic light is that they flicker, which makes them unsuitable for shooting at anything over about 1/30 second or so. It's not just about how bright they are, but also about how the light is delivered. Florescent lights have poor delivery.
Real studio lights are a joy to use, and give predictable and repeatable results. If you are serious about photography you will, at some point, buy the real deal.
The question then becomes, are you going to waste your money on cheap toys that look like studio lights, and buy real ones when you realize you've made a mistake, or just buy the real deal now and circumvent the money wasters.

[adwb]

Weatfield have you tried these lights?
I agree that ceiling tube type lights are a problem but the compact flash type are not .
if they were I don't think lastolight would sell them. Lastolite 75w Daylight Fluorescent Bulb (8036) - wex photographic
I use them all the time, ap speed has never appeared to be a issue and correct white balance is achieved with both k5 /k10/kr is excellent when set to fluorescent daylight or even flash, when checked in lR with a grey card shot there is hardly any shift .

[magkelly]

Actually I'm not a huge fan of strobes and other more complicated set ups for lighting. I learned to use them via my internship but I prefer the old style of photographic lighting and the use of gels etc if necessary. Sometimes I think I do want a soft box maybe and I definitely want a beauty dish, but overall I still like the old way of doing it. I'd rather just move the lights or slip on a shade or a gel than dial settings up and down all the time. I don't like the light strobes give.

[adwb]

agreed, thats the joy of continuous lighting, what you see lit up is what you get and with the ever increasing range of clf lighting sets and the appearance of adaptors to fit them for various extras it is looking good.

Portable, albeit very expensive strobes, are the way to go strobe wise since you have the benefit of being to use them any where, but for studio I think you can't beat continuous lighting whether it is a cheap set or expensive branded one.
In the end they both use the same bulbs and they all come from China anyway.

[wildweasel]

This site might give you a few ideas and solutions. DIYPhotography.net | Photography and Studio Lighting. Some really great ideas there, from the very cheap and simple right up to 2 camera 3d macro rigs designed to capture images of insects in flight.