A few things about Alien Bees, since my entire studio is lit with their lights:
Service is right now, on the spot, no messing around. Even when out of warranty, repairs for any of their lights almost never go over 80 bucks, including shipping back to you.
The lights are VERY small, made out of poly carbonate shells, and very resistant to drop damage, and VERY light.
Since they are very small, about 6x6x6 inches, they can be used on location with minimal work. You can get the carrying cases for about 20 bucks a piece and their made out of high quality, thick, durable nylon with padding.
Don't waste your money on the lighter stands. Get the heavy duty stands they have. I've owned a few companies stands, and the alien bees heavy duty is about as good as they get for that price range. The base measurement on them is the widest I've found, even a few inches wider than the excellent heavy-duty Photoflex stands.
Don't buy their umbrellas. buy Photoflex. I've found Photoflex to be very good quality, as good as any other manufacturer and probably the cheapest for that quality. Their 60 inch umbrella now comes built out of 100% fiberglass rods, no more metal. This makes them REALLY durable. Same goes for Soft boxes. Get Photoflex. Same goes for reflectors, although AB's reflectors are good too.
The Alien Bees brolly box is decent, especially for the price.
The battery packs are cheap and really do a nice job. They're small also and easily transportable. I took two of them to Death Valley last year. they are pretty heavy though, but not so much you can't pack them in a ways. You can get them with a car cigarette lighter charger too, and charge them while you drive, if needed. They come with a way to attach them directly to your car battery also.
I have three 800s and one 1600. the more you buy, the less they cost also, so get them all at once and save quite a lot. I would not go below the 800s. They're very powerful, and a good bet. The 1600 is crazy.
The problem with using flash guns is that with, for example, one of the highest powered guns, say a Canon 580EX II, in a 60 inch umbrella or medium soft box, about the max you will get is f8. You can double up the lights for more power, but that doubles the cost too. But if you're willing to work with the flash guns, they have many advantages, portability being number one. I would think if you go flash guns, you'll need a minimum of 6 to get the power you need.
Good luck.
