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Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere (if there is a link, please let me know). Basically I just need a bit of advice about purchasing some studio lighting. I need it to portable as it's for taking on various locations, and not massively expensive. A sort of 'beginners set' if there is such a thing ! Use will be indoor and possibly outdoor portraits, in variable lighting conditions.
Any advice gratefully received !!
Cheers
KTB
As a total novice I did not want to spend too much on my lights. I have recently bought an elemental kit, under £300 inc 2 lights, stands, 1 umbrella, 1 softbox, backdrop stand and cloth and 2 carry bags. So far I am very pleased with the kit for the money. Not sure about outdoor usage though. If you contact them I am sure they will be able to answer that question.
Stella
Interfit Stellar X's as are decent buy, both in price and quality. I'm ordering a set of these currently to use on workshops and group shoots. Interfit are also launching a new product called the Sellar Xtreme .. which is a 300W flash with a battery pack that can be used outdoors. These are priced at £300 but arent in stock until October.
The Xtreme will be a cheap option for flash on location .. as most of the other ktis are expensive and heavy. Hire is always an option depending on how often you use them though.
On top of that you can then use standard flash .. I use 580EX's for the canon kit with an ST-E2 and Ezy Box softboxes. I find this a great combo and I can shoot almost any portrait outdoors without the need for the extra power of the bigger units.
If you want to know anything specific PM me and I will be happy to offer additional advice and comment.
Dan
Dlites - great little lights. I love my DLite 4s.
Perhaps a bit expensive but supposed to give very consistent light both as far as power and white balanced.
Problem: BE SURE you don't get the lot that had bad capacitors. Don't know how you tell, as Elinchrom probably won't say. They will likely blow out in 50-100 shots. Elinchrom will happily repair at no charge, but you'll be out of lights for two to four weeks!!
(Lets say I was NOT happy about that one! Known defect going on for months and they let the product go out to customers anyway.
Actually, my dealings lately with Elinchrom have been FAR less than stellar for several of their products!!!!!!)
Potential issue... these babies are not speedy lights. They recycle fast (under two seconds to full power), but decreasing the power does not mean they recycle that much faster. Every shot drains the capacitors completely. Pros: every shot is consistent. Cons, even at lowest power you may need to wait nearly a second before firing again. Not a lot until you're trying to capture a moving child or small puppy!
Just for the support an customer relations issues alone, I would warn to stay away from anything Elinchrom/Bogen related. Argh!
Other than that, they are nice little starter lights.
Alien Bees on the other hand are relatively cheap, they fire fast, recycle fast, and they have lots of attachments available. I don't own any (wish I did) so I can't remark on actual consistency for power or color but salesmen for other brands of course knock them for their lacking in this area. (Yet I see plenty of small pro studios using them for portable lighting. )
Although, I don't know if Alien Bees are a US-only product or if they are capable of running of UK mains.
You cannot go wrong with Bowens Gemini 250 kits. they cost around £500 but thet are worth it . Better to pay a little more for quality as you should keep them for a long time
You get stands soft box and brolly in the twin kit.
Reviews of lighting which might be of some help here
Thank you soooo much everyone for the helpful comments and suggestions. I always use natural light wherever I can, and I have never used studio lighting before (except once on a workshop where my camera was attached to a brolly flash - I was totally enthralled by how it lit up whenever I clicked the shutter - lol !) I will digest all your ideas and recommendations and have a think about what to go for.
Quote: As a total novice I did not want to spend too much on my lights. I have recently bought an elemental kit, under £300 inc 2 lights, stands, 1 umbrella, 1 softbox, backdrop stand and cloth and 2 carry bags. So far I am very pleased with the kit for the money. Not sure about outdoor usage though. If you contact them I am sure they will be able to answer that question.
Stella
Stella - sorry to sound like an airhead 
but is 'elemental' the brand name ? (This sounds like a good kit !)
Quote: I was totally enthralled by how it lit up whenever I clicked the shutter
Yeah I was too! I'd borrowed a single D-Lite, got my own now, the novelty wore off til I got a wireless remote lighting trigger and then I got enthralled again 
I love the way the D-Lites pack away and are easy to carry. They're really great. Elinchrom (who make em) are a good brand too.
Yes KTB Elemental is the brand name. By the way the kit also included a remote control. I came across the name in the forums and they had positive comments. I was not sure what kit to get and wanted to spend as little as possible! Did a search and went onto their website and was impressed at the amount of kit for the money and so went ahead and ordered. If you type EPZ into the promo box you get another 10% off web price. I can lift the two bags relatively easily so it is portable, even for a female. Hope that helps.
Stella
I just bought this set.
The quality seem to be really good and it all packs up in a wheeled travel bag. Now All I have to do is learn how to use them. 
They come with a really good 2 hour DVD on lighting basics. I'm waiting on my light meter and backgrounds to show up now.
Ty
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