What Do You Think Of This Profoto Deal?

[ba5r]

Vistek here in Toronto is having a sale on profoto gear - take a look and tell me what you think about these deals on used equip. Please keep in mind that the prices are in CDN dollars.

http://www.vistek.ca/procentre/focuson/profoto.asp

I can't seem to find the prices of the Pro Acute 24 but there's listings for the Acute 2 2400. Is there a difference between the two or is it merely cosmetic? Also these are used and/or demo equip so I must ask what your opinions are on used/demo equip. Is it worth the risk or should I just shell out for something new? I'm on a very tight budget and I think these are great prices but there's always a catch... isn't there?

Anyone with experience with this type of equip and who can help me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Ryan

[Alastair]

Hey Ryan,
I shoot Pro Acute and I have an older Acute 2400 and a new Acute 2 1200. *I love the packs and heads, and I wouldn't trade them for anything else.

I think the 1999 is a great price for the Acute and 2 heads, but the 1800 is not a great price for the Acute and one head. *

The major drawback to the Acute 2400 is that it puts out way too much light. *It has a one stop variator (rather than the 2 they say) and I have found that I regularly had to gel the light with ND to get the power level down to a reasonable level (like F8 or 11 - Otherwise it was 16 or 22) *I like to use softboxes in close, and it was a major pain, trying to throw the background out of focus.

However, that aside, I love the packs. *The light is always amazing, and they are absolutely dependable. *Remember that with Profoto the light modification tools (reflectors, speedrings, snoots, globes, etc) and the other accessories (extension cables, ring flash) are very expensive, and repairs and replacement parts are stupid expensive. *

Personally, assuming that this gear is ex-rental, (my guess, anyway) I would pay the extra few hundred dollars and get a brand-new Acute 2 1200 and a head, and they will throw in another head for free. *That's a pretty good deal, and you know it's nice, clean, warrantied gear. *I can't say I'm a big fan of buying used rental equipment. *It tends to get beaten up. *Besides, you also don't get the reflectors with the used gear - it says 'with optional reflectors'. *What a rip-off...

The Acute 2 1200 goes down about another three stops (no issues with too much light) recycles in about half the time, and is smaller... *Although I do haul out the 2400 on a fairly regular basis...

Hope this helps.

Alastair.

[ba5r]

Hi Alastair,

Thanks for your quick reply. *Yours is the pro advice I've been trying to search for all over the net. *I've not found one person to say bad things about profoto. *The thing I'm wondering now is how it compares to Speedotron. *At the studio we use the 1205 & the 2405. *Is it just because the profoto 2400 is more powerful that it emits too much light or is it merely like that for all the alfa units?

Another question about durability concerning brand new packs is how long have you had yours before you had to take it in for servicing? *When you did have it serviced, what was the initial costs and downtime experienced? *Lastly, how often would older/used packs have to go in (on avg) if I were to go that route?

I liked the Acute 2 1200 (non wireless version) + 2 head deal but that's gonna run about $2298+tax (Acute Head e Convection Cooled Incl. UV-reduced Flashtube) or $2548+tax (Acute2 Head - fan cooled w/ UV-reduced Flashtube). *Not sure what the diff between regular acute & acute 2 heads. *Anyways that's going a bit into the bank and I haven't gotten stands, softboxes, and booms yet.

Because of this, I'm kinda forced into thinking about self-contained flash heads like Elinchrom ($599 - Prolinca 400) or speedotron packs (405w or 805w) with its cheaper heads ($430 - 102CC Light Unit w/ 7" Reflector). *So what do you say about self-contained units? *If I got a couple self-contained heads now to start off with, would it be compatible with a pack of a diff brand later on (triggering through flash sync) or would I just end up having to sell them later on?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm having a hard time weighing my options with my 1st lighting setup. *The photographers I work with tend to keep quiet when it comes to knowing about their lighting units. *I've worked with profoto & speedotron but have never had to go buy one for the photographer, send one out for service for him, or experiment with their equip on my own, so I'm kinda left in the dark though I shouldn't be. *Anyways thanks again for the info - you've been very helpful thus far.

Best Regards,
Ryan

[Alastair]

Hey Ryan,

I think the 2400 is more powerful than the Speedo 2400, but it also gives out more light because you just can't dial it down that far.

I've had my 2400 pack for about 5 years, and my 1200 pack for about 5 months, and I've never had service on either, except for a couple of synch cords that I needed to re-build.
I would assume that if you were good with your packs, and if you provided them with decent power (not too much power from generators or overloaded circuts) and didn't do stupid things like get dirt or other material on the contacts, they should last indefinitely.

Regarding the price - think of what I paid recently (before the deal). *I bought my 1200 and two heads (fan cooled - they're better than the convection cooled because you can shoot faster. *The convection heads get pretty hot, and you have to wait for them to cool down) for 2999, plus tax and that was a screaming deal from the 3800 or so it was before the new pricing. *To me 2548 is a great price.

All of the other equipment you list is in the 400-800 watt-second range, or quite a bit less powerful than the Acutes. *Speedo is a great system to start with. *I once shot with the 800 pack, and I found that I ran out of light in a real hurry. *It just wasn't powerful enough. *I haven't had much experience with monoheads, but I do know that the White Lightnings are absolutely bulletproof and are a great deal for flash heads. *I know a few photographers who shoot with Profoto or Speedo and have a couple of White Lightnings kicking around. You can order them from:

White Lightning

However, if you do use monoheads, get yourself some nice, heavy sandbags so you don't end up having them come down on you - Happens to everyone at least once or twice...

You can synch heads back and forth, no problem. It pays to have only one type of lighting so you can use all the speedrings, cords, etc. between the gear. *However, there is no reason not to have more than one type.

I think if you are on a budget (and who isn't) you might be better off with some monoheads (and Profoto makes them, too) to start with before you blow all your cash on your lighting and have nothing else. *

Oh, and as an aside, I'm a big fan of Chimera softboxes. *So much nicer than the Lightdome... *

If you would like any clarification, or if you have any other questions, ask away...

[silverwindstudio]

White Lightnings did seem to keep on going *

Looks like Paul C. Buff is flogging another line as well called Alien Bees
I'm guessing it is a Buff line as the contact/returns page says all repairs must be sent to Paul C. BUff inc.
( I know nothing about this Alien Bees line except the advertisning looks a bit flakey )

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I know a few photographers who shoot with Profoto or Speedo and have a couple of White Lightnings kicking around.

[ba5r]

Thanks Alastair & Peter.

I'm still in a bind as to whether I should go speedotron or profoto but I'll make my decision in due time. Monolights seem to be affordable but I really don't want to have to sell them off down the road because I want something more professional. Alien Bees seem to be the dpreview.com enthusiast line of products so I'm weary of going that route.

I do have one question though about recycle times and voltages. I'm going to be setting up the lighting in a room within my house. A fellow photographer has a speedotron pack and sets it to slow recycle times because he's afraid of blowing the circuits in his house. Is this usual practice in a residential area? Do studios have generally cleaner/more power? Also I've heard of profo and its generators. It sounds like its a battery pack to use on-location when there is no power outlets available. Obviously in the studio that I work in, there's always power so no need for a generator but if this is the case with profoto generators being battery packs on the road, how reliable are they and how long do they last on a single charge?

Thanks for all the help thus far,
Ryan

[Alastair]

Ah, the Profotos have a little thingy (technical term) that takes the maximum amperage from any given circuit. *The old ones had a little wheel you dialed to get the right recycle time. *The new ones do it by themselves - but they do have a 'slow' recycle switch, as well. *I've never (that I can remember) blown a circuit with the profoto packs, when they've been properly set. *Oh, wait, there was one time, when I was waaaay below the house on the pool deck. *I had to solve the problem with about 200 feet of A/C. *What a pain... *Shots looked good, though...
Most studios don't have 'cleaner' power, but they do have fewer devices on the circuits - no toasters, coffee makers, dishwashers, and other major power hungry devices. * And it's usually easier to find the breaker box in a studio. *Always make sure you know where it is, because you'll blow the breakers on a regular basis - just wait till you start using hot lights...

-Alastair.

[silverwindstudio]

Ryan,
I was with a fellow shooter on the weekend who is using a speedotron black-line 2400 in his home studio, it is sitting on its own relay and it will blow the 15amp circuit on fast cycle. He is also using Speedotron Force 10's and photogenic PowerLites, the monoblocks have no problems. I think the blackline series can suck huge amounts of power to get back up fast. I checked into the brown-line series and they all seem to be rated at a 10amp load max on fast cycle.

Re: the AlienBees, just joking * they are a toy from their looks and price. But you can get then in *Hot-Pink which makes them extermly usefull *

[Digiteyesed]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Alien Bees seem to be the dpreview.com enthusiast line of products so I'm weary of going that route.

I have a set of Bees and am extremely happy with them. They were reasonably priced, are extremely well constructed (darn near bulletproof, actually), and have a wonderfully consistent output in terms of colour temperature. They are fan cooled with an extremely fast recycle time. Their customer service was also outstanding.

I have all the lighting I need at present, but if I decide to buy more I'll probably grab some more Bees. Put me down as a very satisfied customer.

Best,

Sean McCormick

[Digiteyesed]

I would like to submit the following for consideration in defense of my beloved Alien Bees:



:-)

Sean