what do you recommend? I currently have a set of Novatrons - 3 heads. I don't necessarily have to stick with Novatron but I would like to be able to compare what's out there. What do you use and why do you love/hate it? I have around a $3,000 budget. These will be mainly for studio work. Thanks, Gretchen

I have Alien Bees, and love them! They're cost effective, simple to set up and use, and put out nice light. Plus, the people there are so easy to deal with!

Do you think that the Alien Bees are something that I would soon have to upgrade from? I'm looking for a set of lights that I can grow into.

Question - what do your Novatron's not do that you wish they did? In other words... are you just looking for more lights, or have the Novatron's not performed well in some way?

The Alien Bees are really good strobes for their price. I have seen some reports that their white balance isn't consistent -- but I have read far more positive reviews than negative...

Alien Bees (not the Zeus series) are powered per-head... where other strobes (and the Zeus series) have central power packs... what style do you prefer?

Scott asks good questions that could better help us steer you in the right direction.

One thing about buying lights, though...don't skimp. Lights last FOREVER. Lights last for 20+ years. There are photographers retiring right now who have only ever had one set of lights. So, I'd make sure I got exactly what I wanted, even if I had to stretch the budget or put the purchase off until I could afford what I really wanted. People will spend $4500 on a camera that's going to be obsolete in a year and a half but won't spend that much or stuff that's going to last 20 years!

When I bought mine I got what I wanted...Photogenic powerlights. 1/10th of a stop adjustable, incredibly fast recycle times, the "Solair" constant color-temperature feature (so they don't yellow at low powers), the built-in pocket wizard receivers and heavy-duty mountings for Norman and Larson modifiers. I think the whole kit for five lights and the modifiers was probably something close to $8000.

The Novatron's that I have are all controlled by one box - so if you adjust the box you're actually adjusting all the lights. I only have the capability of adjusted 1 stop on two of the heads and one of the heads isn't capable of changing at all. I bought these because it's what I learned on, so when I opened my studio I got these because I was already familiar with them.

I've done well with the Novatron's but I would like to have a few more lights and the possibilty of more variations.

Any other suggestion?

rent, rent a bunch of stuff and see what you like. or depending on how much you plan on shooting you could always rent.

we use profoto, which are great. however they are much much higher than your budget. but as mentioned they are a one time purchase.

renting is a great suggestion. I started out with a couple of White Lightenings, but found them a little too simple for what I was doing in the studio. Don't get me wrong, you can do a lot with this kind of light, but I personally have never regretted buying my photogenics. I've had them over ten years and have only had to replace bulbs (and even that is very infrequently)

I didn't buy them all at once, but spaced them out over time. Started with two, then purchased three more over the years.....just a suggestion.

Good luck.

Carey just got some bees and here's what she did with them....http://www.opensourcephoto.net/forum/index...c=31099&hl=

I'm not really sure about renting - we don't have a local camera shop. I know that you can rent lenses and cameras online - are there places online that you can rent lighting? I do at least 4 to 5 sessions a week in the studio that require lighting, so I'm not sure that renting equipment for different sessions would work.

Ginger, I've been looking at the photogenics as well - what could you not do with the AB's or WL's that you can do with the Photogenics?

You may also want to consider Elinchrom. I have the entry level D-Lite 400s, but you'll probably want to check out the RX600 monolights and then the Skyport wireless remote system that let you control multiple strobe settings right from the camera.

I have no personal experience with this setup, but here's a review from Scott Kelby link that's pretty compelling.

Good luck with the decision!

Alan B.

I pm'd you back. Hope this is helpful.

If you're looking for something to grow into--Profoto.

Something to grow into that's compact and lighter weight--Dynalite.

I've used both, along with just about every other major manufacturer and these two are my favorites.

Both are very reliable and durable. You won't be replacing these any time soon. If ever.

The best bet is to rent several different sets, including monolights, and see what you like best. If you tell your local shop that you're purchasing from them, you can probably get them to apply 100% of your rental fees to the purchase. Otherwise--B&H.

ProFoto. Hands down. They can be expensive.. but man, they are also built like tanks and are extremely flexible. You can get a battery pack for location shooting, you can get every type of head you want or need along with every kind of reflector you'll ever need.

Occasionally they'll have some deals, like buy a kit and get an extra head for free (like a $700 value) so if you went that way, I'd keep my eyes open for a special.

Also, profotos if I remember correctly are one of the most consistent as far as color temperature and also one of the fastest lights out there, I want to say the burst was 1/10,000th or something like that.. but you'd have to check the specs. I also think the heads are fan cooled, at least the set I was looking at a couple of years ago was.

It's going to be my next and only set of lights when I can afford it. Right now I use calumet (Bowen) mono lights. While they are nice, I want to be able to control all the lights from one place. I could do this with the new versions that have remote controls, but I also like the idea (didn't when I bought them) the idea of power pack based lights.....

I agree! Those Elinchrom RX600 lights are sweet- consistant light temp, fast flash durations, and Skyport remote convenience. Would make great studio lights on rails or otherwise because of the convenience of remotely adjusting the power from the camera or computer.

Also check out Dyna Lite Uni400jr kits if you do location. Not cheap but very reliable too. If you are going to consider Alien Bees because of the price I'd spend a bit more and get White Lightnings instead as they are more solidly built with metal cases and are made by the same company. However AB's aren't a bad deal and great for the money but they aren't in the same league as Elinchrom's, ProFoto's etc (but then again your clients won't be able to tell what brand you used). WL/AB (Paul Buff Products) do have excellent, possibly the best in the industry, customer service. I used WL's for years and have no complaints. I use Dyna Lite Uni400jr's on location and love them for that purpose. The light temp of all the above is not as consistant as Elinchrom/Profoto systems but it all depends on how critical you are or want to be.

All the above are monolights. Pack sytsems- Profoto at top end, Dynalites mid-range, and White Lightning Zuess in mid-low price range.