Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi all, I'm looking forward to set up a small portrait studio and looking at the differences between Paul C. Buff's offerings..

I'm after 2 (or maybe 3) lights and a ringflash
I'm looking into buying a battery too, so think I'll be using at least one or two lights (ringflash) on location with the Vagabond..

Previously I have used Bowens, Elinchrome, Broncolor and others....

This is what I understand are the main differences between what's available in here:

AlienBees: compact and cheap monolights, maybe the best option for me.. cool to see the ringflash option.

White lighting: really powerfull and bulky monolights (not really what i'm after)

Zeus: Great power pack system, I'll prefer to have the ringflash this way....

Einstein: here is where my confusion begins... why should I get an Einstein system rather than the B1600 AlienBee? Does the frosted dome give better light? I understand the technical voltage capabilities but in practical terms I'll be using this unit connected to a 110V AC source or a vagabond battery... so don't see what use do i have for the universal plug-and-play thing.. can someone shine a light here?

Also one more thing, in terms of modeling lamps and flash tubes, what other brands are compatible with these units? I might be wrong but I think I read Bowens flash tubes are compatible with alien bee's? ?? also regarding reflectors, softboxes and accessories, do they come in some kind of standard fit?

Thanks a lot and sorry for the long email....

Carlos

The Alien Bees are great products but the Einstein is awesome.

It has a 9 stop range, meaning you can take the power down lower than you could with the B1600. It's digital, so power levels are precisely reproducible.

It has very, very short flash durations due to IGBT technology, allowing extreme motion stopping. Color is consistent across all power levels.

The frosted dome allows the distribution of light from the modeling lamp and the flash bulb to be the same, allowing more accurate modeling.

You can add a wireless CSXCV for $29 and, paired with the Cyber Commander, have a very elegant wireless system.

All PCB lights are compatible with the Balcar speed ring. All reflectors and PCB softboxes have an opening that size that is gripped by fingers on the monolights. PCB lights also have built in umbrella mounts for straight-shaft PLM's or regular umbrellas.

I would be highly skeptical of the Bowens/ Bees flashtube interchangability, especially as a blanket statement. We offer flash tubes at a reasonable cost, so I would notreccomend a flashtube that was not specifically authorized. While a tube may physically fit, the electrical specifications may not match, and cause a dangerous condition.