Comments on: David of the Desert

By: btm in dc

btm in dc — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:42:00 +0000

what shutter speeds were you using??? since there was little background to worry about couldn’t you just stop down abit and use a leaf shutter. this would negate needing FP synch if you could get to a workable combo with a 1/400-1/500 shutter and a more powerful single head solution?

what is the advantage of FP if you need 7+ units???

By: shahn

shahn — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:21:05 +0000

Its obvious Joe McNally (and others like him) are getting paid for mentioning/advertising products but to use that many SB flashes is RIDICULOUS.

As the man 3 post up said, getting a quality strobe pack would be a much SMARTER choice. Its sad cos its mostly amateurs who visit these blogs and will end up buying a silly setup just cos they TRUST and believe what Joe will say.

Sad really…

By: Joe McNally

Joe McNally — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:02:40 +0000

No need for apologies Dan…If I were to grade this a real assignment, I would give myself about a C, nothing more. But I do disagree about the effort–it was a gas. Photography for me has always been a process, good, bad, indifferent, I still like the feel of the field, and a camera in my hands. We were shooting for gadabout reasons, learning as we went. it was fun, so that makes the day successful to me, even if the pix aren’t. Best, Joe

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:24:45 +0000

To go through so much effort to produce such mediocre photos is hard to comprehend. Sorry for the negative critique.

By: Moving Sky

Moving Sky — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:19:31 +0000

As much as I appreciate what Joe does with what seems like an endless supply of (Nikon sponsored?) SB800’s pulled out a bottom-less Pelican case, a shooter with even a decent budget must carefully evaluate the price/performance of gear. He says that using 7 SB800 is a bit wacky. But he needed for hi-speed synch. That’s an understatement. Here is why. It’s about the math.

7 SB800’s @ $325 = $2275
A gross of AA batteries at Costco 44.95 Don’t forget these have to be replenished.
Total: $2319.95 (note I didnt factor the cost of clamps - could be $25-$35 if usung Bogen superclamps or similar.

Pros: redundant light sources, one fails, you have 6 more
Lightweight
High speed synch
Can use some for fill some for key
iTTL does all the thinking in auto exposure. (do you know how to read a light meter?)

Cons
Lots of little boxes to keep track of
Lots of time to learn and set up the iTTL synch and configure no matter how easy he tells you the commander mode is
Don’t forget batteries. 7 units X 5 batteries each plus one set of back ups = 70 batteries!
Mounting 7 SB units on a C stand? Hurry, the sun is setting! Get all those clamps out! Hey, one is pointing away from the subject! Gee I didn’t factor those in the price comparison.
Al Gore will not be happy with your carbon footprint when you toss all those batteries in the landfill.

Or
Profoto AcuteB 600R Kit $2195
2-3 Photoflex or Lastolite reflectors (pending size and brand used) $100
1 spare flash lamp (ya gotta have a spare) $217.95
Total: $2512.95 (or spring for the Pocket Wizard version for $2475)

Pros:
A lot more power: 600 Watt/Seconds
Faster: Recycle Time of 2.6 sec @ maximum power, 0.09 sec @ minimum power
Higher speed synch: 1/1000 sec @ maximum power, 1/6800 sec @ minimum power
I can run/recharge the battery from a 12V outlet (The Range Rover mentioned should have at least 3.)
Better quality light (maybe a subjective thing)
Only 11 lbs (remind me to do a weight comparison of 7 SB800 with all those batteries.
Only 2 things to keep track of, power pack and lamp head.
Only one light to mount to the stand.
Cons:
???

prices based upon Samy’s Camera Website.

So if I am going to fork over $2K+, methinks this is a no-brainer. Profoto wins and they are one of the most expensive portable solutions available, There are several other options