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Author Topic: How much strobe power is 'enough'?  (Read 7120 times)

Joe Towner

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Re: How much strobe power is 'enough'?
« Reply #20 on: November 04, 2013, 04:17:02 pm »

Thank you Yanick, a great write up plus side by sides for staged and live.

-Joe

I shot with the H4D-50 for the Cirque du Soleil.

I had only 2 power pack Profoto Pro 7A 2400 with 5 heads.
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JoeKitchen

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Re: How much strobe power is 'enough'?
« Reply #21 on: November 04, 2013, 10:28:14 pm »

I have fuzzy memory of a 4800k dome, and one that wasn't UV coated.

One more thing, the D1 Monos don't have a dome, they have a glass disk.  While I like the disk with an umbrella, I prefer the domes for use with any other modifiers or for a bare bulb effect.  They make a dome for the D1 series.   


I could be a little fuzzy on the exact Kelvin Temp on the domes.  I do know that one is UV coated and one is not, which changes the Kelvin temp. 
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Pics2

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synn

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Re: How much strobe power is 'enough'?
« Reply #23 on: November 09, 2013, 09:04:39 am »

Hi,

In my experience, strobe photography is never about absolute power, but relative power against whatever your conditions present. As mentioned earlier in the thread, having a higher native sync (And not silly HSS) goes a long way in making small strobes put out big light on location. For example, I have noticed that several people complain on the forums that the Elinchrom Quadras are "Not powerful enough to overpower the sun". In my experience, it really depends on how you use them. With Pocketwizard Plus IIIs and the Nikon D800, I have managed to sync the quadras up to 1/320s, which coupled with an efficient light modifier such as the Maxilite reflector is enough to overpower the sun even here in tropical Singapore.

Here's an example at 1/250s and the maxilite. 1/320s would help cut another third of a stop of ambient.



Shot at 1PM.

Since you need to shoot 8 people or so, I would recommend the use of a highly efficient modifier such as the Paul C Buff PLMs (You'll need sandbags and strong assistants if you want to use them outdoors, though). The Einsteins and the PLMs should be more than enough for your application, helped very much by the 1/800s sync that you get from the Hasselblad.

I have gone through the modifier acquisition syndrome, but eventually, realized that the Maxilite, the deep octa and the PLM are my go-to mods (Or good old reflective umbrellas if I am working with speedlights and moving fast). I'd recommend the PLM to everyone. It's not an "easy" mod to use as in, you can't just  pop a strobe into it and expect gorgeous light as you would with an octa. You have to understand its character a bit before you "Get" it, but once you do,  every strobe based photographer will benefit from this wonderful mod.
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