Questions about Monolights:

[Sean Setters]

You know, there are good reasons why I have 3 Vagabond II's at my disposal rather than the new Vagabond Lithium Minis.

1) VB IIs give you more pops per charge.
2) VB IIs recycle faster (especially when plugging in multiple monos into the same inverter).
3) The weight of the VB II helps keep a lightstand in place. If I'm going to have to carry around extra weight, why not let the weight do double-duty in its usefulness?

Food for thought.

[shutterdown]

This was just sent to me by a friend. It looks interesting!

http://ftxlightingtools.com/FTXLight...22bracket.html

[Keith B]

This was just sent to me by a friend. It looks interesting!

http://ftxlightingtools.com/FTXLight...22bracket.html

Just a little comment about this product or any beauty dish that would use a speedlight; a beauty dish really needs a bare bulb protruding through the opening to have the desire effects of a beauty dish.

With a beauty dish the center baffle blocks the direct light (not reflect) and the light of the bare tube shoots outward and bounces off the side and back so the hottest light is coming from the perimeter with softer light coming from the back witch makes for very contrasty light.

Anytime you use a speed light, the light never directly hits the perimeter. There really isn't a efficient way to get a bare bulb effect. Maybe with a Stofen on and set to protrude but you lose a lot of power since the speedlight light is still really shooting forward.

I'd suggest instead of spending $180 on that bracket, I'd suggest a AB400 (or better if budget allows) and PCB Beauty dish. It will cost $100 or so more but it is real beauty dish light. Plus it comes with diffuser and with that it is essentially like having a 22" round soft box too.

If you really look at the dynamics of what is happening with a beauty dish w/speedlight, it becomes a really crippled flash in a small umbrella. The hottest light is coming straight off from the back with some residual bouncing off the sides just as an umbrella would. So you could really save money and buy a 28" umbrella and have way more efficient use and better quality of light.

[Keith B]

Depending on how close the modifier (beauty dish) is from the subject is what really makes the difference. In the sense of shooting head shots for hair and make-up ads a beauty dish is used in pretty close proximity. Usually you try to have a modifier slight larger than the subject within respect of distance. Like a 22" is popular for headshots because at two to three feet away it is a pretty good ration of size of subject to light source. This is where the characteristics or lack there of will shine through. If you back way off you essential start to use it like a large reflector, the light flattens out the shadows get defined and won't really notice the distinction. Just like a the inverse square rule, if you multiply the distance between light and subject by 2 you have to increase the power by 4, you can have a large light source but as you move it farther a away, it is smaller in relation to the subject. Like the sun is really the largest light source, but because it is so far away it is actually a very bright and tiny light source there for the light it cast is flat and the shadows are very hard edged and defined. The finish can affect white balance but is more for a desired specular quality. Silver will be more specular while white is less specular and is more flattering for less than perfect skin.

[shutterdown]

Like the sun is really the largest light source, but because it is so far away it is actually a very bright and tiny light source there for the light it cast is flat and the shadows are very hard edged and defined.

That's why I consider clouds to be the perfect soft box!