Lighting with H3DII 39

[iaent]

I am planning to purchase Elinchrom D'lite1 & D'lite2 for the portrait/Headshot shooting with Hasselblad H3DII 39. Are these 2 sets (4 lights) enough to light a single subject or may be a small group of 4-5 people?

[synn]

Technically, yes.

It all depends on the ambient light, modifiers used and lighting pattern that you are using.

[Dragomir Spassov]

It's depend of your shooting style. Which light shapers you've planed to use, and what is desired diaphragm value at given iso(50).. Did you consider the need of pilot light, because they have only 100W max. Also the freezing capabilities.. In data sheets they are rated as 1/1200 sec. You mast divide the value approximately by 3 for t.01 and will receive about 1/400. This is at full power, lower power values are with longest flash duration times. So 1/400 is almost ok for quite static objects and camera. Also I just called the local distributor which is friend of mine, and he told me 200J at full power with soft box like 66, should give about 4.0 / 4.5 at iso 100 and 2meters to the object. Also hi sent me a reference table just for a starting point.

[bpepz]

I am planning to purchase Elinchrom D'lite1 & D'lite2 for the portrait/Headshot shooting with Hasselblad H3DII 39. Are these 2 sets (4 lights) enough to light a single subject or may be a small group of 4-5 people?

Just get yourself some Einstein E640s. One of the big reasons to even use an h3dii-39 are the leaf shutters, if your flash durations are under 1/800th you are not really getting the full benefit, with the E640's, even at the slowest setting the flash duration is around 1/1500th, and go all the way down to 1/13,000th. For a few hundred more you can even pick up a vagabond lithium battery or two to add with it, they are only a few pounds and allow you to use your e640's anywhere.

[iaent]

@Synn, I shall be using the softboxes that'll come with D'lite.

@Dragomir, I don't know much about it. D'lite 2 is 200W, I think I shall place light approx 1Meter from subject.

@bpepz, These  Einstein E640s don't seem to available in India.

Any idea how many d'lite1's I would need to make the background pure white?

[synn]

The D lite 1 and 2 are very basic lights. If you are thinking of using them professionally, a BRXi/ Style RX would make more sense.

As with all things strobe, absolute power doesn't match as much as ratios. But a more powerful flash unit will allow you to place it further away from the subject and also recycle faster.

[BobDavid]

The RXs are the way to go. They are built better and the Digital RX 1200 is uber powerful. I've had two since 2006, and they are both running strong. I bought a 500bxi a few years ago. It's okay. The plastic bracket that attaches it to the light stand is flimsy/cheesy. Mine broke soon after I purchased it. A buddy machined a robust aluminum version as a replacement. The Bxi strobes work nice with the skyport system. The RXs work nicely with those little Pocket Wizard receivers, and my Sekonic meter talks to the little Pocket Wizard receivers, so that is a big plus.

If you are not a snob, you may want to look into the Einsteins. People love them. They have a good warranty and they retain their value if you should decide to sell them and go with a different system. My complaint is I don't like the modifiers.

The Elincrhom Octaboxes are excellent. In fact, I like all of their softboxes and umbrellas. I do not like the bayonet mounting system Elinchrom employs for mounting its modifiers onto the lights. ProPhotos are the best as far as that goes.

[synn]

Einsteins are awesome for anyone living in the US. Outside that' it's not a good choice; especially since PCB just ended their deal with the UK and Australian dealers.

[sbernthal]

Einsteins are awesome for anyone living in the US. Outside that' it's not a good choice; especially since PCB just ended their deal with the UK and Australian dealers.

With a lot of initiative and willpower, Einsteins are a very good solution for me in Israel. True that PCB is not a fan of non Americans, but with some doing you can get your hands on this stuff anywhere. The easiest way is eBay. Even when his distributors were up, they charged more than twice the American price.

[bpepz]

@bpepz, These  Einstein E640s don't seem to available in India.

Actually, on the Paul C Buff website it says they will do international shipping.