Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Good morning, Marykrn

Not to take anything away from the CyberCommander and especially not from you, but learning the CyberCommander at the same time as learning studio lights and lighting *might* be overwhelming. I say *might* because you may know quite a lot and have learned quite a lot already.

The CyberCommander does most if not all of what a Sekonic does as a flash meter and as a light meter. Not everyone is going to like the same gear, though, so you will definitely read some who feel the CyberCommander is confusing and difficult to use. I can see how some might feel that way, but it's important to think of the CyberCommander as having its own little operating system - and one that packs a great amount of functionality into a small package. In my opinion, that means it requires an investment in learning and in practice. Without that - and regular use - I can see where some would say it is overwhelming and confusing to use.

I've learned and practiced and used mine enough now where I don't struggle with it at all.

I live in Chicagoland, so unfortunately I can't offer some first first hand help.

Craig

httpS://www.craigwasselphotoart.com

Hi marykm,

The Cyber Commander has a bit of a learning cure, but being able to change how bright your lights are without having to move them when they're out of reach is a huge benefit. Without the CC you spend a lot of time and effort every time you have to move the head to change a setting. You also risk not getting it back to the exact same position.

The Cyber Commander has a built in incident flash meter, but does not have a spot meter. I almost never see anyone talk or write about spot metering a strobe's output, but to get specific ratios between different areas of your subject it's invaluable. If you get a Cyber Commander I wouldn't recommend a dedicated flash meter immediately, but in time you may want to get one.

If you get to the point where you do want both incident and spot flash metering I highly recommend the Sekonic 758d (or 758dr), although it's quite expensive. It has a steeper learning curve than the Cyber Commander, but it has many useful abilities that the CC, or many other dedicated meters for that matter, don't have. On the other hand, especially if money is tight, the Cyber Commander may do everything you want. Given the cost of the CC I consider its metering to be a virtually free bonus.

John

Hi Marykrn,
I just joined the forum last night. Like yourself, I am brand new to lighting and have been on the same quest for information! Last fall, I took a local studio lighting class, two of the lights were Alien Bees, I liked the shots we took with them! I also have a cousin that does model photography and uses Alien Bees for location shooting. After exhaustive research (I looked at PCB Alien Bees/Einsteins, Elinchrom, Interfit & Profoto), I decided that PCB offered the best value and repeatedly heard positive comments about customer service. So, I went all in and ordered 2 Einsteins, a Cyber Commander, 2 CyberSync transceivers, a 64" Soft Silver PLM with diffusion fabric & 47" soft box. I opted for Impact stands and bought a Revelli backdrop kit. I am expecting it all to arrive today! Now I'll need to figure it all out! I seriously considered the Alien Bee, but decided on the Einsteins for better control over power levels and the high speed sync capability. Hope you figure out what works best for you! There is a ton of info on the Internet to help answer questions. Stay tuned!
Rick

You will find the Einstein to be a fantastic flash unit. However, it does not have High Speed Sync. Rather it has a fast flash duration, particularly at lower power settings. In studio, the flash durations are faster than even the highest shutter speed from what most DSLR's can achieve, and therefore will stop action better than HSS.

If you are looking to increase your shutter speed, and have full frame exposure of flash, the Einstein is not capable of overcoming the camera dependent x-sync speed limitation.