Request for help with Studio lighting source in Singapore

[JTBabinski]

Greetings, all.

New here to Singapore and looking for a source of basic to mid-range studio lighting equipment. Just looking for the basics to get a small studio set up in my home.

Thanks in advance...

Jeff

[ortega]

to buy or rent? what is your budget?

btw welcome to Singapore and to ClubSNAP

[sk.images]

Originally Posted by JTBabinski Greetings, all. New here to Singapore and looking for a source of basic to mid-range studio lighting equipment. Just looking for the basics to get a small studio set up in my home. Thanks in advance... Jeff

Contact afiend here in the forum for the Jinbei lights - very good value. For something more upmarket/name brand go see Ruby or Cathay Photo.

[JTBabinski]

Originally Posted by ortega to buy or rent? what is your budget? btw welcome to Singapore and to ClubSNAP

Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking to buy a small setup for the house. Mostly to start some basic portrait work with the kids... My wife has blessed off about $750. I've priced some kits I can have shipped from the US, but am concerned with power conversion, etc.

I'd like a basic 3-light setup, and am leaning away from constant light. I'd like to get something I can expand on, so if that means not getting all three lights right off the bat, so be it.

I'll be shooting with a Canon 20D... currently have a 580 EXII, so can use that as part of the system for the time-being.

Thanks,
Jeff

[nightwolf75]

try ruby photo over at peninsula hotel, next to funan IT mall @ city hall. ruby is on the ground floor, next to spinelli's. they sell a range of basic studio kit sets from electra and another german brand. can't quite remember the name...

[sk.images]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 try ruby photo over at peninsula hotel, next to funan IT mall @ city hall. ruby is on the ground floor, next to spinelli's. they sell a range of basic studio kit sets from electra and another german brand. can't quite remember the name...

Bowens

But definitely not with the the $750 price range for 3 lights.

[ortega]

ok anyway , where to buy threads belong to the consumer's corner

i hope you get more replies there

try the budget (Chinese brand) range of lights or a 2nd hand set

thread moved

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

Originally Posted by JTBabinski Thanks for the welcome. I'm looking to buy a small setup for the house. Mostly to start some basic portrait work with the kids... My wife has blessed off about $750. I've priced some kits I can have shipped from the US, but am concerned with power conversion, etc. I'd like a basic 3-light setup, and am leaning away from constant light. I'd like to get something I can expand on, so if that means not getting all three lights right off the bat, so be it. I'll be shooting with a Canon 20D... currently have a 580 EXII, so can use that as part of the system for the time-being. Thanks, Jeff

there is those jinbei basic sets which i think afiend is not selling, but those sets come with about 120ws to 200ws per flash, good for small shoot, but the softboxes are not that big. probably can do with a few umbrellas.

otherwise, afiend does have 300ws for 350, bought 1 of it together with another strobe, not bad, as what you pay is what you get. you won't get a elinchrome or bowens with tis price.

comes with a light stand, umbrella and reflector, but i opt for something else instead since i've already got my stands. nice guy to buy from.

[reachme2003]

bowens is not german made.

Originally Posted by sk.images Bowens But definitely not with the the $750 price range for 3 lights.

[hanqiang1011]

Originally Posted by nightwolf75 try ruby photo over at peninsula hotel, next to funan IT mall @ city hall. ruby is on the ground floor, next to spinelli's. they sell a range of basic studio kit sets from electra and another german brand. can't quite remember the name...

The Electra one is named "Century 300". According to Sister Ying, she said this kit costs S$880/-. The monolights can be used as a monolights or as battery operated.

But the voltage they have is only 300 watts.

The kits include:

- 2x Electra Century 300 Monolights
- 2x stands
- 2x 60cm sq softbox
- 1x sync cord

Looks good in my opinion.

To thread starter: since you have the 580 EX II, you might want to use the 580 EX II as a fill-in flash. On the "cell" mode on the monolights, the monolights will fire off once it detects flash from the 580 EX II.

Note:
- You are, in this case, using flash to trigger the monolights via 580 EX II.
- The 580 EX II, however, cannot activate the monolights without "cell" mode on on the monolights.
- If in the event you decide to use the 580 EX II as fill-in, make sure your FEC is set to 0 till -2, so that the fill-in is sufficient and will not overexpose the scene. Or, use a bounce card on the Canon Speedlite.

[hanqiang1011]

Originally Posted by hanqiang1011 The Electra one is named "Century 300". According to Sister Ying, she said this kit costs S$880/-. The monolights can be used as a monolights or as battery operated. But the voltage they have is only 300 watts. The kits include: - 2x Electra Century 300 Monolights - 2x stands - 2x 60cm sq softbox - 1x sync cord Looks good in my opinion. To thread starter: since you have the 580 EX II, you might want to use the 580 EX II as a fill-in flash. On the "cell" mode on the monolights, the monolights will fire off once it detects flash from the 580 EX II. Note: - You are, in this case, using flash to trigger the monolights via 580 EX II. - The 580 EX II, however, cannot activate the monolights without "cell" mode on on the monolights. - If in the event you decide to use the 580 EX II as fill-in, make sure your FEC is set to 0 till -2, so that the fill-in is sufficient and will not overexpose the scene. Or, use a bounce card on the Canon Speedlite.

One more thing: You might want to purchase an extra Canon "off shoe camera cord 2" should you want to use this fill-in to trigger monolights flash. With the off-shoe cord, you can fill-in light at a certain angle.

A bit un-orthodox (旁门左道) but it helps me in alot of my work.

[nightwolf75]

the other brand indeed is bowens. it's their Esprit Gemini series. i just walked past ruby today to take a peek.

for the nit-pickers, they are a UK company.
http://bowens.co.uk/

[JTBabinski]

Hi all - A belated thanks for all the advice...

I ended up taking a studio lighting class (StudioSpace) through the board here (great experience!) to help me decide what I was after. Needless to say, my expectations and desires rose considerably after playing with their gear in the class. I stopped by both Ruby and Cathey -- good equipment at both.

In the end, I had decided on getting a setup from Alien Bees (US company) so that I could run them off a transformer here and use them in the US when I return there in a couple of years -- best solution for dual voltage issue, in my mind. In the process of picking out what I wanted, I came across an add on www.fredmiranda.com -- a wonderful US-based forum and have since negotiated a deal on a combo of Alien Bees and White Lightning strobes (WL is line up from AB in same company). I was originally after 3-lights for a basic start...the package I got actually has 4...3 800model, 1 600model - so even more flexibility and complexity.


I'm still in the market for a background setup - I haven't decided on a fixed mounted system or a portable one - probably portable, though, for now. I'd be interested in suggestions for local sources of paper backgrounds - Cathey has a color chart on their webpage, but no prices listed there. Any other suggestions?

Thanks for all the great advice...
Jeff

[vince123123]

Ill prefer to go to Ruby if you want to buy paper. Cathay has very strange delivery policies that is more suited to the convenience of their delivery vans than their customers.

[JTBabinski]

Thanks, Vince. I sent both an e-mail query and prices are very similar between the two. Cathay is a bit cheaper, but probably not by enough to make up for delivery issues.

Jeff

[vince123123]

Yep, that was my point - the prices are very close, but the delivery issues are quite far. From what I recall, Cathay's delivery policies state that you won't be informed of the day of delivery until the actual day itself. Meaning unless you have someone at the delivery location on standby 24/7, you'll have issues with the delivery.