Thanks, Bruce. I've cc'd Santa on this thread... here's hoping! ;) -c
On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 9:11 AM, Bruce Walker <bruce.wal...@gmail.com> wrote: > Christine, if you compare the Alien Bees with the D-Lites there's not > too much difference, except the AB's are less expensive. > > But I'm going for the Einsteins. The most important reason for me is > the very large power range: 9 f-stops. This is like getting two or > more strobe units in one. Shooting different styles (high key; low > key) in a small studio you have to be careful not to have overly > powerful strobes. Many photographers have a selection of sizes, eg 400 > w-s and 200 w-s, because most strobes only cover 5 stops of light > output. That's the case for the Elinchroms, and the Alien Bees are > only one stop better. Your Pentax flashes cover 7 stops, full to > 1/64th power, which makes them very flexible. > > With the 9 stop range of the Einsteins you can have a powerful key > light on the subject and just a lick of light from a second unit on > the backdrop. It covers from 640 watt-seconds (great for overpowering > the sun outdoors) down to 2.5 w-s. > > Other reasons: the CyberSync radio xceiver can be installed > internally, and it's cheap ($30); small size and weight; Paul C Buff > reputation for service and support; excellent value for the money > (factory direct sales); good selection of reasonably priced modifiers > from PCB. > > > On Sun, Dec 7, 2014 at 10:23 PM, Christine Nielsen <ch...@inielsen.net> wrote: >> Thanks, Bruce, Bruce & Paul! >> >> I was aware of the battery pack... and that might be just the ticket if I >> were out shooting weddings & such, but I was looking for a solution for more >> of a studio space... Easier to just plug in there than mess around with >> batteries, etc. >> >> And wouldn't I like some monolights for Christmas this year...? I have a >> friend with some Alien Bees that I have admired... Bruce W, which PCB line >> are you going with, do you think? Any particular reason you choose those vs >> d-lites? >> >> I think I had the 360 & 540 set at 1/2 power for this shoot... Probably >> could have adjusted iso for 1/4 & done a better job keeping up with squirmy >> toddlers. Not being able to shoot continuously when using flash really >> changes the game when shooting little kids... >> >> Thanks again, guys, I appreciate your thoughts! >> >> -c >> >> >> On Dec 7, 2014, at 7:01 PM, Bruce Walker <bruce.wal...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Great kids portrait, Christine! >> >> As Paul mentioned, no AC adapter for the Pentax flashes. >> >> I think the TR battery pack is very much overpriced, and you'd be much >> better off with monolights. The Elinchrom D-Lites are well-priced in >> kits. You are in the USA, are you not? Then the Paul C Buff series are >> available to you and are really good value. If you need portable from >> time to time the Vagabond will power them (or D-Lites) in the field. >> The monolights also give you a modeling light and audible indication >> of recycling ready. >> >> What I do to get useful recycle times with flashes is set the flash at >> 1/2 or 1/4 power and up the ISO a stop or two to compensate. ISO 200 >> or 400 should work fine. With fresh batteries, at 1/2 power the AF540 >> recycles at just around a second; at 1/4 power it's almost >> instantaneous. By the way, using two or more flashes in tandem will >> get you back your light power. Used at 1/4 power you get speed too. >> >> If you are getting recycle times slower than that then you may have >> one or more weak cells in your set. Some battery chargers test for >> weak cells. I use a little jig with a flashlight lamp to apply a load >> and then I measure the voltage drop at the battery. A good cell will >> only droop a little, while a weak cell will drop as much as a volt. >> >> But I'm getting really tired of the whole song and dance around >> flashes and batteries so I'm gifting myself some Paul Buff monolights >> this Christmas. >> >> >>> On Sun, Dec 7, 2014 at 5:59 PM, Christine Nielsen <ch...@inielsen.net> >>> wrote: >>> Hello & Happy Holidaze to one & all.... >>> >>> I'm sorry it's been a while since I've been around... life has gotten >>> busy and photographic inspiration has been scarce, it seems. So it >>> goes. Hope all is well with you? >>> >>> I think I already know the answer to my question (no), but here goes: >>> does anyone know is there an AC adapter set-up available for the >>> pentax 540 (or 360) flash? My vivitar has one... the pentax flashes >>> don't appear equipped for this. Maybe there's a work-around? >>> >>> I had a crew at my place yesterday for a quick Christmas card >>> shoot... I often just go with natural light in there, but it was a >>> rainy, overcast morning... and this bunch isn't much for sitting >>> still... So, more light was in order, and it would have been great to >>> have faster recycle times... >>> >>> Though, I wonder what the terminal velocity is for recycle times...? >>> Would having AC power be any faster than running flashes at 1/64 or >>> 1/32...? >>> >>> And, just to give you an idea of what I was up against, a peso... ;) >>> http://www.christinenielsen.com/sharing/h1763AF#h1763af >>> >>> Thanks for your thoughts, >>> -c >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. >> >> >> >> -- >> -bmw >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> PDML@pdml.net >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > > -- > -bmw > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- http://christinenielsen.com http://www.facebook.com/ChristineNielsenPhotography -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
