I won't argue that one is better than the other but I chose what suits
my situation best. I'll respond to some points below.
Jan Steinman wrote:
>
> * Packs and heads are a "system" way of lighting, much like separate
> lenses and camera bodies. You can mix or match different components
> as needed.
Agreed but I think the analogy is a bit stretched. But, in particular,
I haven't seen any need for the mix and match and of the three
photographers I know well who have packs and heads none of them mix and
match anything. But it you need it you know what to buy.
>
> * It's easier to build incrementally. Get the biggest pack you can
> afford with two inexpensive heads, then add bigger or specialized
> heads as needed. With monolights, you have to add an entire flash and
> power supply together.
No big deal. Alien Bees are inexpensive and can be added to in even
smaller increments. Small lights can even be upgraded to bigger lights
for a $25 upgrade fee plus the cost differential between the two power
levels.
>
> * Sturdiness: packs/heads are generally built to a higher standard,
> and might be regarded as more "pro" quality. This often means that a
> simple two-light system will be more expensive with packs, but the
> increment of additional heads is cheaper.
Alien Bees cases are made of very tough plastic. If you want to move up
the quality chain you can buy White Lighting brand. Similar and more
rugged stuff, both designed and sold by Paul Buff.
>
> * When a stand does tip over, you're out just a flash head, not an
> entire expensive monolight.
I've had stands blow over twice outdoors. Fortunately, no damage either
time since the umbrellas took most of the impact and were not damaged
either. (good Photoflex umbrellas). Some flash heads do cost less than
an equivalent power Alien Bee. But some flash heads cost *way* more.
>
> * The weight at the top of a stand is MUCH LESS, therefore you don't
> tip them over as often.
Not true of Alien Bees. A typical Novatron head (which is fairly light
weight compared to some) is 2.2 pounds. The Elinchrom heads weigh
between 4 and 5 pounds. The largest Alien Bee, the B1600 (640 watt
seconds) weighs 3.7 pounds. The ones I use, the B800 weighs 2.9 pounds.
The B400 only weighs 2.5 pounds.
>
> * Raw power. If you need to light a blimp in an aircraft hangar at
> f16, it's going to take one heck of a lot of monolights, but you can
> put together a 9600WS system from used parts for under $2000. I'm
> sure Chuck will correct me if wrong, but that would take SIXTY Alien
> Bees!
Yup, you can be sure I'll correct you since it only takes 15 Alien Bee
B1600's (at 640 w/s) to deliver 9600 w/s at a total cost of $5399.95 for
new equipment. I would use my 15 lights spread out along the blimp to
achieve a more even light :-)
>
> * Versatile heads. I have a fresnel spot head that has a ten degree
> guide number of about 2,000, a 4800WS high-speed head that can dump
> all that energy in 1/1000th of a second, tiny heads for "hair lights"
> and specular highlights.
I don't have any of that stuff but I've never needed it. My mind is
drawing a picture of a 4800 w/s hair light igniting the hair of the
model. She'll probably be ticked. :-)
>
> * Prestige and billable time: client are generally impressed,
> watching you set up your packs and heads, and you get a few more
> billable minutes for the setup.
Sorry, that didn't compute for me. My clients are too busy schmoozing,
eating and drinking to pay any attention to me or my gear.
>
> Of course, monolights can be simpler to deal with. The flip side of
> the "billable time" argument is that if you're doing it for fun, the
> monolights can go together a bit quicker on a remote shoot. And it's
> probably cheaper to buy your first two monolights than an equivalent
> pack and two heads -- but expense favours packs as you go beyond
> that. And finally, monolights are probably easier for beginners to
> understand -- packs often have arcane methods of power control, such
> as plugging heads into different outlets.
The actual reason I use monolights, and specifically Alien Bees, has to
do with safety in dark dance halls, flexibility and ease of use. With
packs and heads there has to be a power cable stretching between the
pack and every head. It almost invariably means stretching across some
doorway and having to use gaffer tape to keep people from tripping over
cords. With a monolight I can generally find a power outlet nearby the
light stand. It's much rarer to have trip hazards.
Packs and heads (unless extremely expensive) are typically limited to a
couple of discrete power settings and/or power ratios. Some even
require care in setting up lest too much power be applied to a single
head and blow it up. The Alien Bees are infinitely variable over a 5
stop range and power output can even be controlled remotely for each
light individually via wire or radio transmitter.
Lightweight, inexpensive and extremely versatile monolights work for me.
YMMV, of course, and probably does.
Chuck Norcutt
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