Name Vs No Name

Name or No Name?

So, in this post I will go a little off from main passion of photography and will talk about a recently new product I bought and my thoughts about it. The product I recently purchased was a studio flash lighting kit, you may be thinking was it Elinchrom, Bowens or Kenko but you would be wrong. This isn't about one of the big brand or most faultless tried and tested systems, this is about a cheaper no name system that needs a voice so it can be heard. As we all know in the industry photography equipment doesn't come cheaply so this will help the young amateurs out there looking at starting their own portrait business up or even the professionals that maybe wouldn't normally use a studio lighting kits all the time and just need one for the odd occasions.

The company that I bought it through was called Ebuyprosale Lighting Equipment it was an online purchase through eBay. It was a 900w (3x300w) studio flash lighting kit, it doesn't have a name itself. Below will be a full detailed list of what was included in the kit and its specifications.

So first off I know a lot of people out there are hesitant about eBay, but really in this day and age those people need to get over that, I have dealt with eBay and there sellers for many years now and have never had a problem and if you are unlucky to have a problem eBay has ways to make it all better, but I digress that’s a whole another topic.

So yes, I bought it from eBay and within a week or two not sure of the exact timing now but it was very quick for the size of the package and yes it all arrived safe and soundly. Even tho it was an Australian company and shipped within Australia the actual power points were United Kingdom, they did supply some international adaptors which would work for Australian power points but not designed for them. I just found it easier to go out and get some for Australia. The Kit basically included three lights, three stands, two soft boxes and to umbrellas, white and silver which all comes nicely packed away in a travel bag.

So here are some pros and cons about the set up:

Pros:

·         Easily half the price of named branded kits

·         All packs up nicely in a travel bag

·         Value for money i.e quantity = prices

·         Ease of use once set up and used for the first time

·         All three lights work fine off the one power board and power point

·         Lights put off a nice clean light and the soft boxes and umbrellas do a great job of defusing and softening the light

·         Has digital input jack for wireless flash triggers and work well with all different types  

·         Each light has the slave option

Cons:

·         Did not come with any instructions on how to assemble i.e. putting together the soft boxes took some time to work out, and I think I'm connecting the lights wrong to the stands but hey it works.

·         Stands are not as sturdy as some others I worked but they get the job done

·         Once the soft boxes are made up the first time you don’t want to clasps them ever again so they end up taking up a bit of spare in your house.

·         The bag does really have any extra padding for the lights so I'm always packing them back into the boxes they are supplied with after each use with just takes that little bit extra time when you just want to leave.

So all in all, yes it has some faults, but what doesn't these days. Even the big brands have some annoying qualities about them, yet they still come with a giant price tag. I honestly believe that for the price you are paying for this kit you can live with the minor faults it have especially if your only looking to be using the kits here and there