Alien Bees Studio Strobes

[jdesigns]

After much convincing of the wife, I finally allowed to order some Studio Strobe lights, aka Studio Flashes.

In doing research into what brand gave the best bang for the buck, Alien Bees came up on my searches again and again. In reading all the opinions, I did not find many negative opinions, which is quite surprising as most photog's are really picky about thier lighting. I finally made up my mind last week. I decided to go with the Alien Bees B800 in Deep Space Black. Here are some Specs:

True Ws--> 320 True Ws

Effective Ws--> 800 Effective Ws

Lumenseconds--> 14,000 Ls

Power Range--> 5 f-stops

Recycle to Full Time--> 1 second

Flash Duration--> 1/3200th second

Sync Voltage--> less than 6 volts

Weight--> 2.9 pounds

Dimensions--> 9" x 7.5" x 5.5"

First impression: I am pleased that Alien Bees shipped both B800 boxes taped together to save on shipping costs. Upon opening the first box, I was greeted by the reflector wrapped in plastic (as it should be.) It was well protected by ample space to keep from getting crushed by Brown, aka UPS. Stuffed on the outside, seperated by cardboard, were the Sync and Power Cords, both 15' long.

Getting down to the strobe itself, it was surrounded really well by cardboard, again with lots of space to protect from those burly UPS guys. Pulling the strobe out, even though it only weighs 2.9 pounds, it felt quite solid. The Sleek Deep Space Black body is made of Lexan, which is what Bulletproof glass is made of. The buttons and power slider were smooth and feel like they could take a bit of punishment.

The flashtube and modeling lamp were covered by a thick removable plastic dome, not some cheap bubblewrap.

One of the things that tipped the scales toward spending my hard earned money on these strobes was the warranty. The Alien Bees come complete with a 60-Day Absolute Satisfaction
Guarantee and 2-Year Warranty. If something happens after the 2 year warranty expires, most of the repairs are less than $40, and shipping from the factory back to you is included in that $40!

Another cool feature that some other expensive strobes don't have that the Alien Bees do, is user replaceable flashtubes. The Bees flashtubes typical life expectancy around 250,000 flashes.



Right now, I am shooting using them as Slaves until USPS delivers my Hot Shoe PC adaptor since my Nikon D100 does not have a PC connnector.

These two photo's were shot using one of the B800s, metered with a Sekonic L358 flash meter, ISO 200, 1/100th sec at f6.3. Both B800's have Photoflex convertable white umbrella's.

So my first impressions are that they seem to be well built and packaged with care. Having shot less than a dozen shots, I can't say how these lights will be long term, but I'll update this thread with my impressions after a while shooting with these.

For more information, visit the Alien Bees Beehive!

If you have any questions as to what some of this stuff means, feel free to ask!

[skittle buggy]

OH very nice indeed. Now if I could just convince Brian that I NEED some lights in general LOL oh well I can dream.

[squeebug]

riiiight you need those christine. sure. just like I need a GTI

Oh that those lights look bad monkey butt

[jdesigns]

Originally Posted by skittle buggy

OH very nice indeed. Now if I could just convince Brian that I NEED some lights in general LOL oh well I can dream.

I don't know if you checked out the website, but compaired to a lot of other strobes on the market, the Alien Bees are very affordable. I bought 2 B800's and an extra flash tube, and it was $598.83 total with shipping. (This was all tip money from my job!) I already had light stands, so I didn't need to buy any more.

Studiolighting.net has some really good info on, yep, you guessed it, Studio lighting!

I am working on a few shots to post that I shot tonight. Please stand by..........

[jdesigns]

OK, here is one shot that I where I just grabbed the wifes bracelet and put in on a red vase.

The second shot should be self explanatory. (For those that don't know, it's my flash meter that I use to determine the proper exposure for my photos)

I should mention, this is the very first day I have ever messed with Studio Strobes! I have a little time with photoflood lights, but not strobes.

[PhoenixRising]

Great stuff. I always say, the tools make the man.

I also say, that if you want to do it right, get the right tool.

And, to cap off the cliches, if you want the job done right, get the right tool for the job!

Congrats Justin. You once again have taken the lead in the best photographer squid I know.

[Toad]

Toys are cool.

[jdesigns]

Originally Posted by Toad

Toys are cool.

Yes they are!

Here is one I just shot. I think it turned out pretty good.

[jdesigns]

How about a shot of my guitar? This is rather fun!

[PhoenixRising]

Originally Posted by jdesigns

How about a shot of my guitar? This is rather fun!

MORE!

Great!

[jdesigns]

Here is a shot of my old Bell & Howell "Two Fifty Two" 8mm movie camera.

[jdesigns]

Will this fun ever stop? I hope not!

[jdesigns]

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

MORE!

Great!

Ok TJ, here ya go! Too bad you didn't live closer, I could shoot your guitars!

[jdesigns]

This is my pride and joy when it comes to my basses. It's my Carvin LB-76, six-string bass. I custom ordered it on March 7, 1994, exactly 12 years ago today.

It has been half way around the world (to the Persian Gulf and back twice) and played in each of my live shows (all 3 of them.) I have babied this thing and it's condition shows. There are only a few minor scratches on it, and some of the gold has rubbed off the tone and volume knobs. But dont' think I just haven't played it. It has hundreds of hours of playing on it. It's been through more than a dozen string changes.

I totally recommend Carvin to anyone that loves playing bass.

[Shutterbug]

I predict Justin will be spending more and more time with is new toys. They will have to send out a search party.

QUALITY stuff Justin! I'm jealous GREAT photos!

I have an old Bell and Howell camera too. I love the sound they make!

Congrats on the new stuff!

[jdesigns]

Thank you Gail!

I need to take my Bell & Howell apart because someone wound it up too tight and it won't "go" anymore. It does look good sitting on my side table in the living room though. It sits on top of a 1936 edition of "How to Make Good Pictures" by the Eastman Kodak Company.

[jdesigns]

Originally Posted by skittle buggy

OH very nice indeed. Now if I could just convince Brian that I NEED some lights in general LOL oh well I can dream.

Are these photo's helping?

[PhoenixRising]

For gosh sakes, If you took any better pictures...what are you doing with your life? You know, I see beauty in your pictures. Detail. Man, some people think I was born to be a DJ and a Preacher (odd combo, I know), and as of know, I have done both. But you. You are so born to take photos. Seeing your photos is like looking at art.

My guitars would be honored to be shot by you.

[jdesigns]

Thanks TJ!

I have been shooting a long time, and I am finally begining to believe that I can acutally shoot nice photo's too. Go ahead and roll your eyes , but I am my own worst critic (As it should be.) I see flaws in each and everyone of these photo's, but unless you know exactly what to look for, the average viewer won't see them, but I know they are there. I am now starting to honestly think I can shoot some killer pics.

Last week, the wife and I applied for a business license. We now have wedding contracts, pricing sheets, business cards, 3 booked weddings and 2 of those have engagement photoshoots with them. We are going to see if we can make a decent living doing something we both love. (The wife is still going to be working her full time job until the business really takes off) We are in the process of determining whether we should be a Partnership, Corporation (S or C), or Limited Liability Company, and let me tell you, it's confusing! The only huge difference in each seems to be in the Taxes. of course, there is a whole bunch more research to do before we decide which route we need to take.

So, we'll see if I can make a living at this.....time will tell.....


Here is the headstock of my LB-76.

[squeebug]

Originally Posted by jdesigns

Are these photo's helping?

the photos are helping quite a bit! Now if she would take a picture of something other than puddles of water or coffee mugs with a polaroid. *squeebug hugs skittle buggy