Monolight kits

I have been looking at the Profoto kits as a new system.
The gear I use has been put together piece by piece and works but an all in one system that has little compatibility issues would be great.

Questions.
My max monolight is 500w
Does anyone use 1000w?
The step up from 250 to 500 is not an issue but 500-1000 is about a 1000 jump.
The more power the better?
Is anyone familiar with the Profoto equipment?
I really like the idea of the remote and monolight being same source and potentially more reliable.

901051	D1 Studio Kit 250/250 Air w/ remote	$2,570	$2,185
901053	D1 Studio Kit 500/500 Air w/ remote	$2,799	$2,379
901054	D1 Studio Kit 1000/1000 Air w/ remote	$3,859	$3,280
Air Kits without Remotes
901055	D1 Studio Kit 250A/250A w/o remote	$2,235	$1,900
901056	D1 Studio Kit 500A/500A w/o remote	$2,459	$2,090
901057	D1 Studio Kit 1000A/1000A w/o remote	$3,525	$2,996

I've never owned or used Profoto monolights, but I have used plenty of Paul C. Buff units (White Lightning Ultra, Ultrazap, x-series, and Alien Bees). For most purposes, a 500W mono will do just fine. More often than not, I've had too much power than not enough (although the Einsteins fixed that issue).

The Einstein E640 Flash Unit is pretty hard to beat for the money. I just ordered my 4th one. I've been using them since they were released. You get color consistency, short flash duration and 2.5WS - 640WS for the ultimate in flexibility. All of that for $499 each and I'd say they are a home run!

Q: Does anyone use 1000w?
A: I rarely go above 320WS but I like knowing that I have more if I need it.

Q: The step up from 250 to 500 is not an issue but 500-1000 is about a 1000 jump.
A: 500WS should be plenty for most portraiture applications. How big is your current kit?

Q: The more power the better?
A: Only if you need it. Like Sean said, sometimes you'll have too much power. That's where the Einsteins come into play.

Q: Is anyone familiar with the Profoto equipment?
A: Not personally but they seem to be the choice of several highly esteemed photographers

+1 on the PCB Einstein. As I type this, I'm standing next to one with a PCB 48" Octabox mounted on it. I use the PocketWizard system, and consistent with others' responses, I have it set up so I use the lower end of the range (1/256 - 1/4 power), and I'm working at the lower end despite the large modifier. More power is useful outdoors to overpower the sun when using a large modifier, but not needed indoors, in my experience.

Thanks for the info.
Sean do I assume you are also using pocket wizzards.
Also how do you handle a 'hair light' with your set up.
I was thinking of using one of my 580exII (because that is what I have x3) set on manual at low output.
Would this then be triggered by the pocket wizzard?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by iND

Thanks for the info.
Sean do I assume you are also using pocket wizzards.
Also how do you handle a 'hair light' with your set up.
I was thinking of using one of my 580exII (because that is what I have x3) set on manual at low output.
Would this then be triggered by the pocket wizzard?

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- I use Cybersync triggers and optical slaves.
- Typically, I use the sun for a hairlight and rimlight when I can. Otherwise, I'll position a rim light a bit high to strike the side of the hair as well. Every now and then I'll use a reflector held by an assistant.
- It doesn't really matter how you trigger a light, as long as it triggers reliably. For a hair light, you could by with an optical slave as it the light would likely be placed high enough that it could see other flashes being fired.