elemental Mega Studio 2 - Is this a good buy?

[Ginger Pixie]

So, the time has come for me to invest in some lighting. I haven't got a massive buget, but wanted to know whether this kit was any good, or whether it's false economy, and I should get something else...

Would be massively grateful if anyone has experience using this kit, or if anyone has other suggestions for a starter kit that will get decent results.

Thanks!

here it is:
http://www.studio-flash.com/b-series...mqfhatboabqo72

[jdepould]

I would shy away from it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it doesn't look like the seller knows anything, strobes are rated in watt/seconds, not watts. Secondly, it looks like a really cheap kit, and you usually get what you pay for.

You might be better served putting together a kit using speedlights.

[ttosifa]

You don't mention WHY you need the lights. That is a major consideration. You might also search the Strobist discussion board as, I recall, several UK-based photog's started threads about affordable lighting.

[Ginger Pixie]

Oh - sorry, to take portraits with indoors.

I'll check out the board, thanks. I thought it was quite cheap, but it had a good review in the magazine, so I was wondering if anyone had used it to give a different slant, or if anyone had any good budget kits they could recommend.

Thanks

[ttosifa]

It's probably not too bad of a kit for starting out, but I think you will quickly outgrow it if you do a lot of portraiture with them. One thing you might want to think about is how well these lights work with other types of light modifiers, such as beauty dishes, grids, and the like.

They are not that powerful. That's fine if you just plan on sticking to indoor portraiture with typical apertures. If you have aspirations of doing product photography at small apertures, you might consider something more powerful.

I personally think studio strobes are a lot easier to use than speedlights, even outdoors. I barely even use my speedlights anymore.

The thing is, you can agonize over all the choices of lights and never make a decision. Sometimes it's necessary to just get started. I bought a kit like this when I first started. The only thing I still have are the stands -- I use them to hold flags and whatnot. It took me a long time to figure out what I needed for my preferred style. I would've never figured it out had I not bought a lot of wrong things along the way!

[jdepould]

Originally Posted by ttosifa

I personally think studio strobes are a lot easier to use than speedlights, even outdoors. I barely even use my speedlights anymore.

Monolights or independent strobe heads? The real power and control is in the setups with independent packs and heads, but that adds more parts and complexity. Even monolights require a certain level of knowledge.

[3LeggedThing]

Originally Posted by jdepould

Firstly, it doesn't look like the seller knows anything, strobes are rated in watt/seconds, not watts.

And yet Sime just gave a 10/10 review for one of their other set ups... clearly they know nothing ;-)

Secondly, it looks like a really cheap kit, and you usually get what you pay for.

It is a really cheap kit.

Sorry if this just bounced to the top - I was just doing a search...