Sean Ras wrote:

I am looking to purchase my first studio flash and I'm considering a White
Lightning X800 or an AlienBees B800. Judging by specs alone, they are both
very similar. Does anyone have experience with one or both units to suggest
I go one way or another?

I use White Lightning Ultra Zaps, and they are great units. I think
that the main functional difference between WL and AB units are that the
AB are a lower priced line oriented more towards advanced amateurs and
entry level pros. But they are from a company that makes very good
products and stands behind those products 100%, so I wouldn't think of
them as cheap or second rate in any way.


I have a very small area in my home that I intend to use (about 12'L 12'W
10'H). I live in Hawaii so I will also do a lot of shooting outdoors so I
need something relatively portable also. Indoors, I'll do mostly portraiture
and black-n-white figure poses. Outdoors, I'll do a lot of bikini beach
shots as well as darker mountain and rainforest-type areas. In an earlier
post, I asked if I should purchase a Canon 550EX and 420EX instead of studio
flashes but most people advised against that. My camera is a Canon EOS 10D
if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

Shoe mount flashes simply cannot give you the control, power, or
flexibility that studio lights can. People like the shoe mounts I think
because they can dial in flash ratios and let the system take care of
the metering. In truth, changing lighting ratios and metering with
studio lights can be very easy and fast, with greater control and a
wider variety of controls.

I do recommend the excellent RC1 remote control. It will give you
complete centralized control of up to 4 WL or AB lights, and when
combined with a wireless trigger is an extremely convenient way to
control your lights.

You will need a flash meter of some sort. Beware false economy here.
If your first meter does everything you want to do, you'll save money in
the long run.

Lisa