# studio lighting question?



## logan_tefteller (Mar 16, 2011)

i was looking around ebay at some stuff and came across some lighting.

i just got into photography and not know alot about lighting i have a nikon d3100 and i do not have any lighting but i would like to get some

3 110 W Strobe Flash & Monolight Lighting kit w/ Case - eBay (item 270652687096 end time Mar-20-11 14:36:53 PDT)

i came across this and some others but my questions are ebays lighting sets any good? will this even work with my camera and how does it work? any help would be great!


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## slate mike (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm sure it would work with your camera either with a pc cord or wireless. But I think that you might want to explore lighting a little more before you make this decision. I would suggest reading Strobist 101on Flickr. Just google "strobist." I think that will give you a decent grounding and let you make a much more informed choice. I know it did for me. And I'm still figuring out which way to go or rather what equipment to do it with.


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## Big Mike (Mar 16, 2011)

Looks like a typical cheap, underpowered studio flash set.  I'd suggest staying away.


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## GeneralBenson (Mar 17, 2011)

Big Mike said:


> Looks like a typical cheap, underpowered studio flash set.  I'd suggest staying away.


 
Ditto. You get what you pay for. And seeing as how for less than the price of a single decent entry level strobe, or for less than the price of a single Elinchrom softbox, you're getting 3 lights, 2 softboxes, 2 umbrellas, 3 stands, a relector and a case, I would be pretty concerned about the quality. Plus, 110 W/s is peanuts. That's barely more powerful than a good speedlight.


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## Big Mike (Mar 17, 2011)

> Plus, 110 W/s is peanuts. That's barely more powerful than a good speedlight.


If I read it right...that kit is 110 W/s *TOTAL*...between three lights.  They were 36 W/s each...which is certainly less powerful than a good speedlite.


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## GeneralBenson (Mar 17, 2011)

Big Mike said:


> > Plus, 110 W/s is peanuts. That's barely more powerful than a good speedlight.
> 
> 
> If I read it right...that kit is 110 W/s *TOTAL*...between three lights.  They were 36 W/s each...which is certainly less powerful than a good speedlite.


 
Hahahahaha. What a joke. OP, definitely stay away.


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## ghache (Mar 17, 2011)

my kitchen ceiling lights have more power than those strobes


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## slate mike (Mar 18, 2011)

Each of the strobes are 110Ws. Still not too powerful. If you can afford to risk $240, it might work out for what you need. Just be sure that you will be able to afford better if it doesn't work out. I've bought stuff on ebay and had good and bad luck. A lot more good than bad, though. Good luck


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## Big Mike (Mar 18, 2011)

Ah, you're right.  I saw that the GN was 33 and mistook that for the W/s....still not too powerful but not as bad as I thought.


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## Derrel (Mar 19, 2011)

I went to the site and looked....the GN is listed as 33 at ISO 100---BUT, and this is a big,big but, the GN is not specified as in Feet or Meters; With a 110 watt-second power level, I can almost assure you that the GN listed is 33 in Meters, meaning about three times higher a Guide Number, in Feet. So, the GN in Feet at ISO 100 ought to be around 102. I base this on experience, power level of the unit, and the non-USA manufacture of the unit. It's very,very common to list GN in Meters in Asia, Europe, and the UK. I'm familiar with the e-bay vendor, and I think he just took the Asian specifications and pasted them in, unaware of the disparity between meters and feet as it relates to Guide Number.


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## SrBiscuit (Mar 19, 2011)

Like you, OP, I was looking for lighting on a budget. i had roughly $200 to spend, and came across this kit on amazon.

Amazon.com: ePhoto 3 Monolight Professional Photography Studio Light Umbrella Portrait Soft Light Kit By ePhoto INC Fan022: Camera & Photo

I knew that 160w/s may not be as powerful as most would require, but I figured it was worth the risk. I have to tell you I've been THRILLED with the kit so far. The lights fire consistently every time, and I RARELY use them at full power.
I'm glad I went this direction.

I'm certainly not trying to discount some of the other advice in here, as everyone in this thread has more experience than I do. I just wanted to pass along my experience thus far. A kit like this could be all you need for your application.

My set of Sarina on my flickr page was shot using the 2 main strobes from the kit i linked to...and maybe at 1/4-5/8 power?

Good luck! Let us know what you decide.


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## redtippmann (Mar 19, 2011)

Those look a lot like a kind from adorama; BF Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.

If i were you I would wait and invest in something that is more versatile and will last longer. It took me a while to save up for my current setup, but I now can shoot in the studio and take everything on location and have just as good lighting. (I have combined nikon CLS speedlights and monolights and they work great)


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## benjikan (Mar 20, 2011)

From what I see, it is 3 X 110 watt second strobes, i.e. 110 watt seconds each. If used correctly, that is a lot of power per strobe.  I often use my Multiblitz Compactlites (which are 200 ws each) at their 100 watt second setting and find that I am getting around f/5.6 to f/11.0 depending on the diffuser I am using and of course the distance which is generally around 3 to 6 meters from the subject and using 100-200 iso on my camera.

So, if they are relatively solidly built and can last a couple of years, why not invest in them?  You can experiment with the accessories as well as inventing some of your own kinds of lighting tools. You even have enough lights to do a classic studio set up.  I.E. two for the backdrop and one for the model.

You may want to rad my mini series on creative lighting solutions:

Benjamin Kanarek Blog | Benjamin Kanarek Blog


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## AmazingGrace0385 (Mar 21, 2011)

Agree with the above. You get what you pay for... here are some good "mid-budget" lighting sets I'd recommend (these are tips & recommendations given to my by some renowned photos on another forum): each strobe should be at least 300 watts, and two is ideal... where this set is only 110 watts per light. Lights can be a big investment - I was looking at a kit like the one you are, and decided to save up for better lights rather than wasting my time and money on cheapo's. Alienbees are great (just google it), or I'd recommend the following:

Amazon.com: 300W Studio Photographic Strobe/Flash Light: Electronics

http://www.adorama.com/JTDL600SK.html

http://www.adorama.com/PAINT456.html
http://www.adorama.com/JTDL720BLK.html
http://www.adorama.com/PAINT428.html


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## ceejec (Feb 16, 2012)

Hey guys, i dont mean to hijack a thread but I'm in the same boat as the OP and i've found a complete studio kit Studio Kit: 900W (3x300W) flash strobe lighting + 3pc 10x20 backdrops + 1set 10x12 backdrop stand 
I just want to know if this is sufficient for a beginner strobist,
Thanks


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## tirediron (Feb 17, 2012)

My personal tip for buying gear on eBay (or at Best Buy):  If the vendor uses "Professional" in the title it almost certainly isn't.  Really professional gear doesn't call itself anything.


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## Bossy (Feb 17, 2012)

Ceejec, after nearly a year its more like a thread resurrection than thread jack 

As a beginner, I'd start out with a hot shoe flash or 2, get to know what those do. Buying a $800 kit without any idea of what any of it does is a little crazy ​


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