Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Now serving the Alien Bee queen :D just kidding


ok, i got the A400 unit, 10º honeycomb grid for the 7-inch reflector , 20º honeycomb grid for the 7-inch reflector, PCB stand for backlight and sync cord for 190 dollars...

its brand new!! GOOD DEAL EH??? only thing i dont like.. is yellow but i think i can change the housing or upgrade it later with different color unit.

so..... Whats grid for? background light?? can you explain how it works... I did use it little and compared when light hits the wall.. I do see difference... so i think that grids for background or maybe make light effects on humans/dogs?

when i was done with the grid, it was really hot and i wondered if i left it there for hours and hours... would it melt???

I also request for anyone of you.. i mean anyone of you... to show me photos that was used with 10 and 20 º honeycomb grid for the 7-inch reflector on your photos .. I want to see the effects that can be used or be done. I did google but theres many grids but i want see sample done with photos... Thank you your effort in helping a fellow bee out :D

PLEASE PLEASE help this deafy dad out!! :D

Grids limit the spread of light. They make the strobe's output more like a spotlight. The smaller the degree of the grid is, the tighter the beam will be, producing a smaller spot of light.

You would use a grid whenever you want more control over what you are lighting. If you want to light just a portion of a backdrop like a center spot, for example. You might want to light a subject without lighting the background. You might want to light a subject from behind to produce a rim light and use a grid to keep light from hitting the lens and producing flare. There's no correct or incorrect application for a grid - it just gives you more control over where the light will fall.

I doubt that the grid would ever melt but it will get very hot - especially if you leave the modeling lamp on.

thank you... Any photo samples?? Please share so I can understand more... I need visual since I'm no good with English not my first language .

Also anyone have spectra cinema professional light meter. I tried use it with b400 and I don't think I'm doin anything right. Tried look on YouTube for specific light meter but no result. HELP!

And what is remote? It didn't day on manual PDF I downloaded from pcb site

I assume it's for wireless trigger for cyber commander amd wanted make sure I got it right

best way to see the effects of your various modifiers is to use them.
to start with...take pictures of a blank wall with the different modifiers and at different distances to the wall and you'll see what 'it's' all about.
i go to do the same thing with some of the many modifiers that i'm really not sure about(experienced with) but have anyways.

Thank you

If it is a cinema meter, it may not have the ability to meter flash. A quick glance at them, I did not see a PC terminal (flash sync cord terminal). While this does not absolutely mean it will not meter a flash, it does not help in diagnosis. Cinema lighting is continuous lighting by its very nature, so its main design is to not meter flash. Again, this does not mean it cannot.

As for the "remote" port, that is for our CyberSync Plus sytem (with Cyber Commander) or our LG4X wired remote control for remote power adjustment of the lights.

Our grids are metal, so they will not melt when used with our lights. As for what they do, you can think of looking through a paper towel tube vs. looking through a straw vs. normal vision. How does your field of view change? That is the effect of the grids. A little more specifically, there will be a sharp fall off with a grid, where as other modifiers will "feather" out. The degree of the grid and the distance from the surface the light hits will determine the size of the spot it makes. A close 40 degree grid can make the same size spot as a farther away 10 degree grid (though power requirements will vary to keep the same illuminosity). They are frequently used for hair or background lights, but many use them as a spot light. They will not act like a focused beam (like for stages).

thank you for clear up with grids.. Im not sure about my light meter if i should keep it or not.. Seems not working for me but i dont know if im doing it right. I wil ltake it to the photography store on wednesday and seei f the y can teach me how to use it. They have never heard of what i have
it says its for digital photography too so i dont know.. maybe i should went with sekonic.. oh well..

Well, it can be used for ambient light photography, just not necessarily for flash photography (the difference is a flash meter can read and hold a peak intensity value, while an ambient will ignore the peak, or read it only as it happens then forget it not allowing time for you to see the reading). Most meters have a mode button that, when toggled through, will display a lightning bolt. If it has it, then it should be able to meter flash in some capacity. The good news is, you can probably sell it to a cinematographer, and get ehough to go a long way toward a Cyber Commander and a few plus recievers.