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Mon Jan 16, 2017 3:54 pm

Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:00 pm
Posts: 5

Hello All,

I mainly shoot table top products in a very small room. The table itself is 4x4 feet and the subject is approximately in the centre.

Currently I am shooting with a Nikon SB800 speedlight with an attached softbox. The front of the softbox is approximately 24inches from the subject. My camera settings are usually f8 or f11 and a shutter speed of 1/160s. The speed light is usually set to 1/2 or 1/4 power.

I would like to replace my Nikon SB800 with an appropriate flash unit. What model would you recommend?

thx don




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Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:40 pm

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Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:43 am
Posts: 5266

I would suggest a DigiBee400. A regular AlienBee 400 would also work, but you would be working on the low end, and the DigiBee will stabilize faster at the low end than a traditional Bee.

An Einstein E640 would also work well, but also go much higher than you really need to replicate your usage.




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Mon Jan 16, 2017 5:55 pm

Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:00 pm
Posts: 5

Thanks for the quick reply.

Can I dial down the power on the DigiBee400 so that I can use an f-stop of 2.8 or 4.0 (given the same physical setup as I described below). There are times when I need a really shallow dept of field.

Also, whilst the Einstein is way more expensive, can I also dial it down to use it with f2.8 or f4.0. I am willing to spend the money if it meets my requirements (future proofing, I guess).

Thanks again... Don




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Tue Jan 17, 2017 10:10 am

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Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2009 10:43 am
Posts: 5266

Einstein and DB400 can dial down to 2.5Ws, which is one stop lower than AB400, which is 5Ws.

Einstein has the advantage of more power, if needed. DB400 has the advantage of a brighter, 5600K LED modeling lamp, which can be useful for very low light level needs.

You should not have a problem with the Einstein or DB400 dialing low enough, or high enough for the situations you have described.




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Tue Jan 17, 2017 1:48 pm

Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:00 pm
Posts: 5

Thanks very much! Really appreciate it. I think I'll be ordering the DB400.




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