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Studio Lighting?
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ecp wrote:
Mark – forget WarehouseExpress – overpriced and will cost you an arm and a leg in shipping! Head on up to Paddy Barker in the South Link Park, Frankfield, (sort of across the road from Musgraves cash and carry outlet) he’ll see you right – http://www.barkerphotographic.ie/
I have never heard wareheouseexpress described as “overpriced” and had to have a look for comparison purposes. Warehouseexpress are selling the D-Lite kit for ?399. Barkers are selling it for 699 Euros which equates to ?475. I know that delivery costs to N.I are only ?7.95 but maybe there is an additional charge for shipment to Republic of Ireland Thorsten – but surely it is not equivalent to the ?76 price difference between the two outlets?
I’ve bought Elinchrom Kit from Paddy Barker, The Flash Centre and Warehouse Express. Paddy will usually come down pretty close to matching UK prices, and if I lived in Cork I’d probably prefer that option. I found him to provide good service – including sorting out a head that needed repaired. I’ve bought most of my stuff from The Flash Centre though.
brandyman wrote:
ecp wrote:
Mark – forget WarehouseExpress – overpriced and will cost you an arm and a leg in shipping! Head on up to Paddy Barker in the South Link Park, Frankfield, (sort of across the road from Musgraves cash and carry outlet) he’ll see you right – http://www.barkerphotographic.ie/
I have never heard wareheouseexpress described as “overpriced” and had to have a look for comparison purposes. Warehouseexpress are selling the D-Lite kit for ?399. Barkers are selling it for 699 Euros which equates to ?475. I know that delivery costs to N.I are only ?7.95 but maybe there is an additional charge for shipment to Republic of Ireland Thorsten – but surely it is not equivalent to the ?76 price difference between the two outlets?
The following are direct quotes copied from the Warehouse Express site:
– “Delivery to Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight and Scilly Isles is ?19.95 and can take 2/3 days.”
– “Delivery to Southern Ireland, Channel Islands and the rest of the world please telephone or email first”I can’t imagine the it would cost the ?76.00 price difference you calculated above, but it’s certainly going to be more than ?7.95!!! Also, what happens if and when something goes wrong with something – you have to pay for shipping over and back again. I can vouch that Paddy Barker proveds an excellent service and if something goes wrong with the lights and you have to return them for repair, there is every chance that you’ll get a temporary replacement on loan (depends if he has something in stock) if your pressed for lights while they’re being repaired. Oh, and like BertieWooster says, you can expect to pay less than his published prices.
I still maintain that Warehouse Express are comparatively expensive and I’ve only purchased from them once when I couldn’t get what I needed elsewhere (that’s the one thing they have going for them – the massive range of items they keep in stock). But in general, there are cheaper online retailers in the UK. Much can depend on the items you are buying – as always, it pays to shop around!
– Thorsten.
Hi Everybody, Paddy Barker of Barker Photographic here. I hope this isn’t considered advertising (Forums are new to me), but I feel where we are mentioned we should also be able to comment. We are the Irish Distributors of Elinchrom (& Lots of other goodies not relevant here) and as such aim to be competitive and provide a quality service (Both sales and technical, which is why we have a Dublin based Service technician). As mentioned we will usually attempt to price match but never attempt to be the cheapest… Many people are (obviously) happy with the “Argos / Warehouse” style operation of shipping boxes at (Often wrongly perceived) prices – but have you ever tried to ask them how a particular feature works? Or tried returning it??
We believe in customer service – which often involves “Quizzing” a potential customer to find out what exactly they require, sometimes people buy more, but just as often they buy less or something quite different because it has been matched to their needs. We have found that develops a long-term relationship – better for everybody.
A common example: We sell Studio lights in three categories: Tungsten (or hot Lights), Fluorescent Daylight balanced and Flash with tungsten modelling lamps. Each has particular strengths: Flash is no good for Video, Tungsten is not good for food pics, Fluorescent is not as controllable. Customer approaches us and asks for Tungsten (Because it has been recommended on a forum etc) and would happily buy a kit from another source without being asked WERE and for WHAT the lights are to be used. A common issue with Tungsten is WHITE BALANCE, fine if they are the Dominant or ONLY light source but if for example there is a window nearby you will get a blue cast from that side. In this case Studio flash is a better option. This is one of the reasons that we have not yet e-commerce enabled our website (although I think it will happen in the future) I like to TALK to the customer first!
We are always happy to advise customers (& potential ones!) as I know other Irish dealers and even our competitors are, and I believe this is worth something (how much is up to you, the consumer to balance). I have spent a lot of time in Camera shops around Ireland and seen the advice given freely to customers at all levels of experience and often wondered how the dealer can make it pay to give somebody so much time for a small sale- the answer- it pays to build a relationship! So, for the minority out there that do their research and learning in this way and purchase elsewhere bear in mind that this free advice may not always be there…
Lastly, going back to the D-Lite issue: We have a good stock of D-Lite 2’s (only a few D-Lite 4’s) but as far as I am aware all orders in the UK are currently going on back order – It’s much easier to offer a low price on something you don’t have in stock!
I welcome any comments, here or direct to: infobarkerphotographic.ie or http://www.barkerphotogaphic.ie . Regards, Paddy Barker.Welcome to the forum Paddy. Great to see you’re keeping a finger on a small, but nevertheless, important part of the Irish photographic scene. I’d be cery surprised if we saw a personal response from any of the other industry players out there.
I’ve always thought it’s great to see someone doing what you’re doing outside of Dublin – long may it continue.
– Thorsten.
Sorry for butting into this thread again ,I just started going through a book I have a few weeks now and discovered I will need a set up of my own while reading the book. I’ve also a project here at home I’m working on and it wont work with flash or any sort of DIY bulb and cloth set up.
The book by the way is Light ,Science and Magic .It’s directed at professional’s ,teachers and experienced beginners.So without getting “burnt” ,what sort of kit would do and last into the future ??
I don’t mind slightly yellowy seventies look as long as it’s not too dark ,would like the fresh white light so I can completely adjust things after (this is only an image I’ve in my head of lighting ,maybe there is no choice.)Thanks in advance.
_brian_ wrote:
The book by the way is Light ,Science and Magic .It’s directed at professional’s ,teachers and experienced beginners.
So without getting “burnt” ,what sort of kit would do and last into the future ??
I don’t mind slightly yellowy seventies look as long as it’s not too dark ,would like the fresh white light so I can completely adjust things after (this is only an image I’ve in my head of lighting ,maybe there is no choice.)That’s a great book – should be required reading for anyone intrested in lighting, even if they only ever intend to use natural light.
I’m not sure I fully understand your requirements regarding lighting. There are a lot of options available. Ideally you should look for something that you can expand on as your requirements grow in the future. For me that would mean Elinchrom kit as there are a huge range of accessories available, including from third-party manufacturers. If you could narrow down your immediate short-term requirements it may be easier to offer more relevant advice. You may not even need to buy anything at all for your project!
Cheers ecp ,I’ll look into it ,I was looking at the portaflash studio kit 3 . I’m not planning portrature at first ,I will be creating images myself that I will be shooting ,I suppose product photography would be part of it.
Area I’ll be working in will only be about 5ft square for learning.
It just dawned on me ,how to explain what I want :( ,
I don’t want FLASH lighting ,I want permanent lighting ,lighting that is as you see it.
I will be setting up scenes and I will need them lit as I am working with them .I’ve looked up the net ,seems to be a kit that would suit me ,Elinchrom Mini Light Kit.
Any comments on it ??The Elinchrom 2x Head Minilite Kit is available from The Flash Centre in the UK at GBP 233.83. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. I’d suggest putting a call in to Barker Photographic (see earlier post above) to discuss your project and requirements. There’s nothing wrong with the Elinchrom Minilite Kit and I doubt that you’ll have any problems with it, but before you spend money on something you might quickly outgrow, you should consider the alternatives. The alternatives are a good deal more expensive but do have a lot more versatility. That alternative is studio flash.
You say you need to have a continuous light source. Pretty much any studio flash you buy these days will have a continuous light source in the shape of the modelling lamp. This is ususally a 250W bulb which sits in the centre of the circular flash tube and in most modern lights the power of the modelling lamp is adjustable, just like the power of the flash is. The modelling lamp is used to give you an indication of what the flash will look like and helps you correctly place the lights. But there are no rules or instructions that say you have to use the flash. You can just use the modelling lamps on their own to take the shot, if that’s what you specifically require for that shot. I guess you need to consider future shoots – will they require flash or tungsten lighting? If it’s a mixture of both or predominantly flash, then flash units are the way to go. If it’s going to continue to be mainly continuous light, then the Minilite Kit will be fine.
One word of warning about continuous light – it can get very hot so you need to take care if you are using accessories which cover the lights such as softboxes. Also, if you ever plan on photographing people with these lights, they can become uncomfortable for your subjects because of the heat.
And finally, if you’re using film, you need to use tungsten balanced film. With digital, simply select the appropriate White Balance setting.
Much appreciated reply ,there is definetly stuff I need to think about alright ,the heat will definetly cause a problem for me down the road.
I will contact barker photographic ,
thanks again ECPBrian.
Brian,
I would echo Thorstens comments regarding the continuous lighting.
I bought a set of such lights myself, and although they are fine most of the time, they
are not what I need for all of the time (uncomfortable for kids & babies especially).
Lighting kits are not cheap, so when investing in one, make sure that you get a kit that will
cover all your needs all of the time (or as close as possible).
I am already thinking of changing my continuous lights for flash heads, and not only is the expense
a pain in the ****, having to explain to my wife is even worse!!!Rgds
Kevin
Hi Brian
I’d echo Thorsten’s advice on two particular points:
– Do consider flash rather than continuous lighting, for the reasons given above.
– Elinchrom kit will not disappoint. There are other good lighting systems out there but I researched several and chose Elinchrom – a decision I haven’t regretted.Thanks for the advice on it ,
I’ve looked through their stuff ,seems to be a nice stock they have.Brian.
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