# Square Perfect..to good to be true?!



## jms12886 (Mar 24, 2012)

I have recently seen a set of lights on ebay called square perfect. They seem to go on sale every other month and at a really REALLY low price. ($600 for 3 lights backgrounds stands soft boxes...the list goes on) Any way this would be the first set of lights i would be buying for myself.  I am fully aware how to use them i just need to know if its worth the money... Keep in mind I'm just establishing myself as a freelance photographer and will be doing all portraits at my house or out side at the moment. Thanks for the help.


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## gsgary (Mar 24, 2012)

If you are fully aware how to use them you would know that they are cheap crap with an expensive price for what you get


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## tirediron (Mar 24, 2012)

75 watt modelling light? :lmao:


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## jms12886 (Mar 24, 2012)

I am not sure you are understanding... I need suggestions not criticism, and as far as expensive... 600$ isnt that expensive for even all the extras that are included. I mean the backgrounds, stands, and soft boxes cant be that bad. right?  The equipment i have at work most of you would laugh at cause its not all "advanced" but as a photographer i have learned its the photographer that makes the portrait not the equipment. I have NOTHING at the moment and am just starting, I also dont have the money to buy alien bees etc, so.... any suggestions?


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## 480sparky (Mar 24, 2012)

I searched ebay and I can't find any kits like the OP describes for $600.  The closest I can find is 3 strobes, 3 softboxes, 2 light stands, 1 light stand w/boom, background stands & background, and a light box for $420.


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## gsgary (Mar 25, 2012)

jms12886 said:


> I am not sure you are understanding... I need suggestions not criticism, and as far as expensive... 600$ isnt that expensive for even all the extras that are included. I mean the backgrounds, stands, and soft boxes cant be that bad. right?  The equipment i have at work most of you would laugh at cause its not all "advanced" but as a photographer i have learned its the photographer that makes the portrait not the equipment. I have NOTHING at the moment and am just starting, I also dont have the money to buy alien bees etc, so.... any suggestions?



Just under $200 more but far better from a well regarded maker Bowens USA Gemini 200 Kit - Lighting Kits - Monolights Professional photographic studio & location flash lighting


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## KmH (Mar 25, 2012)

jms12886 said:


> Square Perfect..to good to be true?!
> 
> I have recently seen a set of lights on ebay called square perfect. They seem to go on sale every other month and at a really REALLY low price. ($600 for 3 lights backgrounds stands soft boxes...the list goes on) Any way this would be the first set of lights i would be buying for myself.  I am fully aware how to use them i just need to know if its worth the money... Keep in mind I'm just establishing myself as a freelance photographer and will be doing all portraits at my house or out side at the moment. Thanks for the help.


A link to the kit would have been nice.



jms12886 said:


> I am not sure you are understanding... I need suggestions not criticism, and as far as expensive... 600$ isnt that expensive for even all the extras that are included. I mean the backgrounds, stands, and soft boxes cant be that bad. right?  The equipment i have at work most of you would laugh at cause its not all "advanced" but as a photographer i have learned its the photographer that makes the portrait not the equipment. I have NOTHING at the moment and am just starting, I also dont have the money to buy alien bees etc, so.... any suggestions?



Yes, to good to be true.

Alien Bee's aren't any where near top-of-the-line gear either if you think they are pricey, but the Paul C. Buff company really stands behind their gear and provides some of the best customer service around. 
People who make buying decisions based solely on price usually get what they pay for.

You weren't looking for suggestions. You were looking for validation of your purchase decision, and didn't get it. Then, you again attempt to justify your purchase decision.

Inexpensive gear usually doesn't travel well, so repeatedly tearing down and setting up so you can shoot inside and outside will quickly demonstrate the true value of whatever gear you wind up with.

Good luck with your new business venture. :thumbup:


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## 480sparky (Mar 25, 2012)

KmH said:


> ......People who make buying decisions based solely on price usually get what they pay for.............



I always say, "The stingiest person spends the most."


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## Derrel (Mar 25, 2012)

480sparky said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > ......People who make buying decisions based solely on price usually get what they pay for.............
> ...



"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of low price has faded."

Square Perfect has a really,really GOOD audio track that describes the sales benefits of their kits...it's quite persuasive salesmanship, it truly is! As for inexpensive kits, Square Perfect used to have a pretty low-priced kit, two years ago, that appeared worth the roughly $350 or so it was then priced at. Today, if I had $600 to spend on lighting and studio accessories, I would consider Adorama's Flashpoint monolights OR the Calumet Genesis monolights. Background crossbars and a pair of tall, heavy-duty yet lightweight light stands to support the crossbar--THAT product category has been filled by numerous, decently-made Chinese background "kits" available at many outlets.

I do not consider Alien Bees a good "starter" system, due to the price of individual light units; Flashpoint and Genesis monolights are more the starter-priced units that stand out in today's markets; a system that has user-replaceable flash tubes is a must, and this is the one feature separating the "budget" type, el-cheapo lights from the ones designed to last. You want three IDENTICAL light units, a grid set of 10,20,35 degrees (more or less), two identical reflecting umbrellas, one softbox (of the largest size you can afford, like at LEAST 36 inches in the long dimension, if possible/available), three light stands, and one LARGE reflector and some way to position it.

I would personally buy three,or four, Flashpoint 320M lights and whatever ancillary stuff I could get, for $600.


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## jms12886 (Mar 25, 2012)

KmH said:


> jms12886 said:
> 
> 
> > Square Perfect..to good to be true?!
> ...


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## cgipson1 (Mar 25, 2012)

jms12886 said:


> I am not looking for top of the line... I am looking to start some where and i have a very small apartment and a 4 year old. There is no where to leave it set up. Also i havent purchased anything yet thats why i am asking around first (smart consumer :thumbup and as far as traveling with my equipment i should have specified more, I dont plan on moving the lights to much I have one client at the moment. heres the link   eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices  to square perfect.
> and side note thank you all for your help...
> 
> Justine



Why not skip the Ebay junk.. and just get what was suggested (based on years of knowledge and experience "Hint Hint!")? The Flashpoint and the Calumet both have excellent track records.. they are good equipment for the price. I had never even heard of Square Perfect until your post...

and you already have a CLIENT? hahaha..... check out a good training video:


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## Village Idiot (Mar 26, 2012)

jms12886 said:


> I am not looking for top of the line... I am looking to start some where and i have a very small apartment and a 4 year old. There is no where to leave it set up. Also i havent purchased anything yet thats why i am asking around first (smart consumer :thumbup and as far as traveling with my equipment i should have specified more, I dont plan on moving the lights to much I have one client at the moment. heres the link   eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices  to square perfect.
> and side note thank you all for your help...
> 
> Justine



What they're trying to not so subtly tell you is that the strobes you're looking at are junk. The Flash Points that Darrel recommended have a 150w/s  monolight for $100. Usually, and I do mean usually but not always, when you find kits with all that stuff bundled in, they're junk. They're just trying to pull you in with the free extras that they claim are worth a lot more than you're paying.

You're much better off piecing together a kit. Occasionally, companies like Alien Bees, Dynalites, Elinchrom, etc... will offer kits for sell that have additional things like stands, umbrellas or a softbox, triggers, or other parts. Just do some research and find out what the trusted brands are and the junk brands are.


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## o hey tyler (Mar 26, 2012)

What the **** kind of company is this? 

The navigation selections for products sold by Discount Tommy read out as: 

*Popcorn *| Photo Equipment | *HYDROPONICS (?!)* | Concession | Pet Supplies | Tools | Safes | Household & Kitchen 

Great, you can get some popcorn to munch on, photographic equipment to take photos of the crazy weed you're going to grow with your Hydroponic setup. After all that's done, you can set up a concession stand to sell said marijuana. Acquire a guard dog to protect your stock. Purchase a safe to keep your money safe. And finally you'll be able to redecorate your house and kitchen after steps 1 - 7.


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## Village Idiot (Mar 26, 2012)

o hey tyler said:


> What the **** kind of company is this?
> 
> The navigation selections for products sold by Discount Tommy read out as:
> 
> ...



People can get past a dog, but _nobody_ ****s with a lion!


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## cgipson1 (Mar 28, 2012)

I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!


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## jake337 (Mar 28, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!



Wow!  Post some "burnin' bridges" song......

You don't have to buy everything at once, try to build a system over time.  I would suggest a single strobe that you can fire off camera to start with, then add a second when your ready, then a third, and so on.  Do you understand how to use the lighting that you are about to purchase?  You said you do, but do you really?

To the OP, just buy any junk you want, don't listen to any of these talented and knowledgeable individuals.  You'll just learn the hard way, ya know, like they did in the past and are now giving you advice on not making the same mistakes.  


But it's ok, ignore their words.........


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## Village Idiot (Mar 28, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!


 
I got one saying that I'm awesome! +5 internets to me!!

Truthfully though, We all are kind of dick heads on here. At least though of use that don't troll the noob toob...wait, those too. We should all take a step back, take a deep breath and try to be nicer. But some how I don't think that's going to work. :er: 



jake337 said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!
> ...



The bolded part.

Here's a decent read, but it's not a start point for learning how to use flash. It's a good idea to know a bit about the basics before jumping in. 

Strobist: Lighting 101


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## KmH (Mar 28, 2012)

cgipson1 said:


> I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!


 :thumbdown:  There is a reason it's called a Private Message (PM).


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## cgipson1 (Mar 28, 2012)

KmH said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!
> ...



That is why I just posted her one comment about rudeness and didn't post the mail, or any detail... which would have been much more amusing, but rude! I don't consider it rude or unusual to let others that have also tried to assist a person, know when there is something sent privately that negates the help that was offered. If the missive contains private details, I would never post that.


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## cgipson1 (Mar 28, 2012)

Village Idiot said:


> cgipson1 said:
> 
> 
> > I got a PM from the OP stating I am rude, and not to comment to her again... lol!
> ...



I also find it interesting when we see a post from someone that says they actually have a client, before they have the gear and knowledge that they need for that client. Especially when the question an individual is asking indicates a severe lack of experience and knowledge to start with. 

That type of post will always probably bring out a more incredulous and less friendly response than one strictly asking for help making a decision on gear.


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## Mike_E (Mar 28, 2012)

Anyway, the flashpoints/Mettles are pretty good units (same manufacturer)- actually, I think that the Square Perfects are made by the same company but don't quote me.

Some of the RoC re-sellers try and save money by using cheaper modeling bulbs but as long as they are the screw in type you can replace them with more powerful ones, I wouldn't go more than double though.

As to the advice to get better gear, it's generally good advice but sometimes when telling somebody to pull themselves up by their own boot straps we should all be mindful of whether or not they first have boots.  If you just can't do it...


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