Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I am trying to figure out a good studio and exterior flash set for a reasonable price. After some theoretical research I believe Alienbees + Vagabond II is a good choice.

It's complicated by me living in Europe, so I need to or buy the 240V version of ABs, or use the 120V version also in studio, powered by Vagabond II generator. I opted for the later variant, however I have a couple of questions I was not able to answer myself using what I found on internet:

1) Powering the heads through Vagabond in studio - what is your experience, can the Vagabond battery recharge even when firing the flash and leaving the pilot lights on?

2) Does using Vagabond to power the heads all the time have detrimental effect on battery, cutting it's live?

3) I know I cannot use most of 3rd party accessories without adaptors, but what about umbrellas and stands - I believe these are pretty standard and I should have no issue here, right?

4) The weight of Vagabond II is listed as 18.6 pounds, I am wondering whether this value includes also the weight of the battery?

Any help on these is much appreciated!

You can use the VII as a power converter, however, the modeling lights should be off (other than to set the lights up). The reason is the lights can drain the battery faster than it can charge (and yes, it can recharge while in use, but recharging is often slower than the drain). There should not be any detrimental effects from using the VII in this manner.

Most umbrellas are 8mm in shaft diameter, some are 7mm. You should not have any problems there, as our umbrella holes are 9mm. Most stands are 5/8" and the Bees will fit that size or smaller, so no worries there either.

However, have you considered the Einsteins? The have universal voltage, so they operate off your mains power supply, as well as the 120V Vagabond. Combined with a broader power range, better remote control, and improved accessory mount, it is a much better light for Euroean usage.

Yes, I like the specs of the new Einsteins very much, however my feeling is that the order time is very long and I would prefer to have the gear within a reasonable time, don't like the idea of waiting for months...

Anyway, I will think it through once more. Thank you very much for the answers!