Monolight Questions

[bob ring]

Am thinking of buying monolights (Profoto Compact R or perhaps Elinchrom RX's) vs power packs (lower cost?) but am concerned about ease of use. Some questions:
a) Auto dump - if the monolight doesn't have this feature does it mean I have to go to the light itself and manually trigger it? Or trigger remotely if it has Pocket Wizards inside?
b) Weight - I intend to use large softboxes (3'x4) and Octal type umbrellas (5') so will this weight mean the lights & stands could tip over easily?
c) Stands - Looking at Avengers but there are so many models to pick from I don't know which way to go! Thoughts?
d) Remote Power - I want to use these outside as well. Vagabond the way to go? Other options for powering? Perhaps the Tronix Explorer XT? Thoughts?
e) Any other considerations relative to ease of use for monolights? Or is it just easier to go with a pack and head setup?! Thanks for your help.

[ChrisPerry]

Hmm...I use monolights and the cheapie free stands in the kit are now collecting dust. Good robust stands are all you need, even with a softbox on them, even if pushed up high on a non level floor. (like in a church). A little sanbag weight (or the vagabond) works well too.

the vagabond cuts voltage when it recharges, so make sure the light can deal with that (brown out basically) without damage. ABs can. Others may not.

auto dump means if you lower the power setting you don't have to trigger the light to dump the capacitors, it will do it automatically. Nice, but not a big deal if you remember to do it.

I had a pack/head setup before going to monolights and like monolights better, but it's mostly a personal preference. I like as few cables as possible. I'd like to have norman 600R's with the PW built in- one less cable!

[bob ring]

Thanks Chris. Some good feedback. Interesting comment about the kit stands. That's what I'm afraid of. Not strong enough thus don't get used. Thanks.

[ChrisPerry]

I bought paterson interfit stellar strobes - well built and the work well, a lot cheaper and the same features as ABs, so I'm happy with them. Their only weakpoint I've noticed is when I put a large softbox on them (3x4 feet) the clamp isn't strong enough to hold the lights - it strips. Some bolts, wingnuts and bungi cord make it all work fine. 2 lights for $500 (300ws).

For stands i got a couple of 10' HD ones made my LumaPro from Midwest Photo, about $55 each. A huge improvement, but of course not as light or compact.

[Ken Krehbiel]

Bob, you can't go wrong with either brand; great quality, but you really pay for it.

I have had a Norman 2400 pack for years, and am now loving the freedom and flexibility of using my White Lightning x1600 monolights; relatively inexpensive and easy to use (and travel with). Sometimes I just need one head for a shoot; or I need one on the subject and another waaay down the hall for fill. Can't cheaply do that with a pack.

Definitely get sturdy air-cushioned stands, as the monoblocks are heavier than pack heads. Use sand bags all the time; had a WL monolight with just barndoors on it and a Vagabond II back as a weight blow over (major gust) into the mud on a location shoot. Battery shorted to death; WL head survived fine (even very muddy). Paul C. Buff replaced the entire battery unit (including muddy bag!) for nothing under warranty. Great service.

The Vagabond II batteries are awesome for outdoor power. Can't believe I ever lived without them. Love these battaries, buy at least two.

Which to buy? Depends on what you need them for. If you will only use them for four-light executive portraits or in-studio, a power pack works great. If you need flexibility for any kind of shoot you can think of, monoblocks rock!

Just my experience.
Ken

[bob ring]

Thanks Ken for the feedback. I particularly like the "Use sand bags all the time" as I never really thought about that but it makes a lot sense!

[Ken Krehbiel]

You are welcome. Also, I forgot to add that the Vagabond II batteries have two buckle straps on the pack so you can clip them to your light stand as weights. Very handy when flying to a location!

My location "assistant" w/ setup.

Monoblock heads weigh more than pack heads, and you especially don't want them to fall and hit anyone as they could get really hurt. I even sandbag my packhead stands indoors because of this.

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