About 5 years ago I bought my first set of studio lights. After a lot of research I ended up with Elinchrom Dlite4 starter kit. I used this pretty much exclusively upto Feb 2015 when I had a light blow over while shooting outside and it shattered into a million little bits. Over the past 8 months I've used a few different lights, and for those looking for lights I wanted to write up something that could help make some decisions for those looking to get into studio lighting.
Lets start with my findings on the Elinchrom Dlite4 heads:
These are an awesome starter kit. The power range isn't that wide, but they will do for 80% of your shooting, especially when starting out. It's a very cost effective kit coming with a wireless trigger, stands, softboxes, reflector, and bags. They are also compatible with nearly all Elinchrom mount accessories. The downside is that they are multi-voltage and will mis-behave with battery packs from StrobePro/Adorama/Paul C. Buff, the biggest issue being that anything over 75% power and they will shut down. Recycle on battery is very poor, and it wasn't great to start with. You cannot quick shoot with these, but they are entry level. If you shoot them too hard they will shut down from heat overload. The hot shoe connection on the trigger is not very reliable (I've gone through 8 triggers) and they often need to be reset. I'm a bit harder on them as I use them on location a lot, but when they were confined to a studio for three years they were fine. The soft-boxes are entry grade, and while they produce beautiful light, they do rip and both are now held together with gaffer tape. The cases are probably the most durable part of the kit.
Flash duration is pretty long, and with the right setup you can trick the camera and triggers into high-speed sync allowing you to fire at 1/8000" without banding. However, this does not allow you to freeze motion (think water droplet/splashes) as cleanly as I would like.
In the used market these are average. I've seen the starter kit go, mostly untouched, for an average price of $600.
Pros: Very good price for an entry level kit. includes everything you need to get started. trigger is compatible with any hot shoe. current version allows power adjustments from the trigger. can use most Elinchrom accessories. Very nice cases. HSS option available with new trigger.
Cons: trigger and softboxes are not very durable. recycle time is long. Purple cast on white backdrop when they are getting close to over heating. High/Hyper Sync remote only available for Nikon/Canon.
Price: depending on sales anywhere from $800-1100
Paul C. Buff Alien Bee series:
I have used the B800 standard head and the B800 Ring Flash a bit, mostly the Ring Flash however. I also played with the Einstein, but not enough to warrant a personal review. The B800 is a really good value for USA customers, not so good for Canada or rest of the world because of the change in the dollar. You also don't get "in person service" due to the direct sales, but the online/over the phone customer service has been amazing. I admittedly only have the Ring Flash now, but I love it to death. Both lights will burn the retinas of your subject, especially the ring light, and they got a ton of power. Modeling lights got some kick to them too, so it helps close down the iris to get more of the eye color in your shots. The recycle is a bit better than the Elinchrom Dlite400 kit, and unlike the dlite they work very well with battery packs. Recycle does dip a bit, but not as bad as the EL lights. They are very reliable, but can be reach overheating limits.
The analog control slider on the Alien Bee's I both love and hate. I can really fine tune the adjustment to get exactly the light output I want. That being said, if I need to go back to a previous lighting setup it can be tricky to really dial it in the same as there's no digital readout on power output.
The Einsteins are the digital equivalent and are a very well spec'd light. But I have seen people put them into overheat protection when shooting them hard (ie fashion runway events).
One thing I see from everyone using them (myself included) is they do not use the PCB triggers. They seem to break fairly easily. I've been using the Elinchrom universal triggers personally.
Pros: Portable, good price, very good light output. Reliable. Works great with battery packs. Great customer support online/phone. Dirt cheap used.
Cons: Direct sales/service only. Ala-Cart pricing for triggers/stands/etc. Has almost no resale value.
pricing: $250+
Lightrein 700/1000 and 600i models:
Think of these guys as the Canadian Paul C. Buff, but with a very different light. These guys are not "budget" as you will be hard pressed to build a two light kit under $1000 even using the 400 series to start. These are very nice lights though. They use the "Bowens" mount which is very popular and easy to find accessories for. The big thing about these lights are they are bigger than the competitors, and heavy once you get into the 1000w version. A great value for what you get though. They are quick to recycle, have an incredible shot to shot consistency in light output, colour, and quality. I wasn't able to get the 1000w (the one I have the most experience with) to overheat which was nice, and I was cranking it hard. I found it worked decently with my battery packs as well. The 1000w does take a long time to recycle on battery power when shot above 75% power, but it does shut off and power back up so I expect that. These are great lights and are amazing for shot to shot reliability. Customer service is solid.
The 600i model has an integrated lithium battery which is very nice to use it on location, or even in the studio without having to worry about cables. I haven't used it, but people say great things.
Pros: very good value, popular Bowens mount, works great with battery packs, very good customer service. HSS available.
Cons: Direct sales mostly, some outlets. Canadian distribution primarily. High/Hyper sync Remote only for Nikon Canon. Alacart pricing without bags/cases and remote triggers. Rare sales for kit/combo pricing. Hard to find used.
Pricing: $575+
Profoto B1/D1 Series:
If you got the money this is where you should put it. These are simply the best lights I have ever used, but they don't come cheap. Recycle time is very, very fast even when cranked right up. They have very consistent shot to shot output and color. The built in reflector is very nice as it makes the light more direction. They are light and relatively small (I fit my B1 into my backpack with camera/lenses). However, you do got to rely on your local service for quality of service, and depending on how well they support the brand and carry the product. They do offer starter kits which are not a bad value compared to Ala-Cart, but they often include umbrellas which are nice, but I'd rather have boxes. Ala-Cart do not include cases or bags unless you buy the B1 kit. Everything Profoto is stupid expensive though, but I feel you get what you pay for. Your paying for reliability, quality of components and materials, as well as design...unless you buy the bags separate, which I don't know why you would.
The D1 has a 6 stop power range, while the B1 has an 8 stop power range.
The D1 plays well with portable battery packs and this may be a good option for you if you don't want to spend $3000 on the B1..which is about a $1000 savings if you buy just a D1 500w and a battery pack. The Profoto Triggers are expensive, but do allow power control remotely which is very nice. The B1 and TTL remote (for Canon/Nikon only) allows for high-speed sync as well as TTL which is a very nice feature. However, when using the HSS mode (on Nikon at least) the power cannot go below 8.0 on the power scale. Depending on what your doing this may be a detriment.
That B1 with integrated battery is just the best thing since sliced bread though... it really is. It's a game changer and has caused me to get a compact folding light stand for my bag as I now take it EVERYWHERE.
Pros: build quality, shot to shot consistency, internal reflector is very nice, HSS/TTL option available, very portable. Fantastic resale value.
Cons: Expensive. No, you don't get it, they cost a lot of money! Usually a special order product. Ala-cart pricing. hard to find used
So what about accessories?
I personally got a hockey bag full of modifiers from a few different brands. Now I don't find a lot of difference in quality of light from modifier to modifier. They all produce whatever light they produce. It's how they shape the light and how efficient the modifier is that makes the difference here. Some have a more feathered edge, some a harder edge. Some umbrellas spill light everywhere, some are more focused. So I'm not really going to talk about how the light is unless asked. What I am going to do is talk about construction and design vs price.
Pro-Master:
I primarily use their umbrellas. They are a good value and available locally. I have a few 60" ones that are great alternative to a comparable soft or octa box. They are compact and fold away very nicely and are cheapish. ($125 for the biggest umbrella in my collection). The fabric is very nice, not 100% rip resistant, but pretty good. There are loose threads at the tips, more than other modifiers, but I don't mind. The rods bend easily however as they are quite thin. I own about 10 of these and pretty much will use them exclusively once the other ones I own run their course.
Lastolite:
I'm not a fan of Lastolite. I have a few umbrellas, a soft-box (for speed light), and the Hi-Lite box, and really the only thing I would buy again is the Hi-Lite as it's a unique and amazing product. The umbrellas are built better than the Pro-Master, but mostly just finishing. The rods are thicker so they don't bend as easily, but the fabric is about the same in quality. The Hi-Lite is amazing though, and if you do portrait work and don't have a personal studio then it's a must buy. (it's an illuminated background that folds up like a reflector and pops out to a 8x5 softbox/backdrop)
Elinchrom/Rotolux:
I used to own more boxes and accessories for Elinchrom than anyone else, and I still use them often. The fabric isn't as durable, even with the Rotolux boxes, as some of the brands to follow, but they are very nice and lightweight. I find the efficiency may be a bit better on them as well, I don't find as much light drop as the competitors. The big key here is the Rotolux speed-ring which is a thing of beauty. The support rods for the box collapse into the speed ring and it just folds in on itself. Very quick and easy setup and tear down. Less strain on the edges of the box too so the Rotolux's I think will last a bit longer than the older style which is a force the rod into the ring kind of deal. Rotolux boxes also include fairly nice zipper cases too. The pricing is good, and they include speed rings! It's a hard decision not to make these my preferred box.
The front baffles mount externally too which I think is an easier setup, even though it means there is no grids you can fix to the front of them. Oh well.
The umbrella mount is also through the center which is a nice touch so light spread is within the reflector which is really cool. It's as "centered" as a umbrella could be when using them with the Elinchrome strobes. Then you get the nice two piece beauty dish where you can change the internal reflector depending on need. The pricing is very good too, not budget, but not super high either. I think they are the best value for the money overall. You can get speed-rings separate as well for almost all brands.
Lightrein/Lightools:
These boxes are hand made here in my home town. The fabric coverings and internals are just out of this world good. I have no fears of tearing or ripping. I also go a few of their basic reflector discs and umbrellas. The umbrellas are comparable to Lastolite, but cheaper. These boxes do not include speed rings, but for the most part they are not too expensive and made for almost every light you can get. The pricing is really good, and if you can get them on sale even better. I have 4 of their strip-style boxes and they have quickly become my favorite. So much so that I keep a light stand and a strip box folded away in my trunk at all times. (including speed ring and speed light adapters). The best part is they have the best grids I've ever used for every soft box, these are not cheap however, but make the light that much more controllable without hot spots. They come in a basic bag.
The big issue here is that the speed ring is pressure fit, and in my opinion the rods could be a 1/32 of an inch shorter which would really help with the ease of assembly. They are a bit of a pain to disassemble and I always feel like I'm going to rip it. The fabric stretches enough, but its a very strong stretch and it doesn't get easier over time. I think that's a testament to how well they are built though.
Even though the assembly and dis-assembly is a bit of a pain, these are my goto boxes. The construction alone is what keeps me coming back, and that is because I do a lot of on location shooting and I feel when I'm maneuvering outside that these have the greatest chance of surviving if I accidentally snag them on something.
Strobe-Pro:
I don't know who these are sourced by, but they have a genius design. The fabric is pretty meh, but the softboxes have an umbrella style deployment so you have a center shaft rod that the box collapses on like an umbrella would. This makes for incredibly easy setup and tear down. The boxes are very affordable, but the quality of materials shows. I've ripped a few. I also find the exterior fabric leaks quite a bit too. Okay for outdoors, but I wouldn't use these in a studio.
Profoto:
I've never used their softboxes. I instead opt for Elinchrom or Lastolite boxes with adapters. However, I do LOVE their reflectors. The unique part of Profoto is that the modifiers can "zoom" which allows you to control the hot spots and light spreads very well. The reflectors can go from a nice light feathered edge to a hard edge when zoomed, and the efficiency of the reflectors is out of this world. Even with the modeling lamp on you will see a drastic difference in light output. It's pretty incredible. The mounting system to the light is a wonderful clamp down as well which I really really like. However, like everything else Profoto, be prepare to spend a lot. I shouldn't feel like I got a deal buying a reflector for $375... but I find that as a very good price for a Profoto accessory.
The grids are very nice as well, and as anything Profoto the construction is amazing.
The softboxes still need a speedring when you buy them, so you will quickly be spending a fortune on boxes. I haven't used the, but the Elinchrom and Lastolites are more than good enough. I don't see a need in spending nearly triple for a first party.
Questions? Ask away!
