$599 Studio Setup from Akira

[lytefunk]

sian.... can't do portraiture leh... found that the wattage is not enough.. need 200W minimum.....

ah??

confirmed liao ah? you tested?

say at F8 leh.. 3m main light distance from subject

how??

hrmmzzz

aie.

 

[mervlam]

test the set? no, i ever did a few studio shots, though it's not my niche.

if you use a one light setup with a softbox with the lights about 2m away with ISO 100 at f/8, a 200W light is barely sufficient.

i would rather use a 300W rating as main light with softbox, then maybe 150W for fill-in with softbox plus 100W - 120W for backdrop lightup. carefully done the power ratio with a light meter of course.

someone even commented that 500W isn't sufficient for him to do a product shoot in this thread, although i personally it's more than enough, but of course depends on how you set up the shoot and size of the product.

another concern is if the output power of the light can be adjusted or not... i doubt so..

maybe i'm asking too much out of $599

 

[lytefunk]

hmmm i see i see

power not adjustable... possible...
Anybody has any clues on this part??


oh well.. at least its cheap.. $599..

a elinchrom 500 set with 2 lights cost $2k!


but honestly, I would think 120W is quite low..

 

[nickmak]

If i have a product shoot and the products are the size of a pencil case can use this set or not? Also how to sync these flashes with my camera? can use 550EX flash to sync or need that wireless transmitter thing?

Cheers!

 

[lytefunk]

as a reply to my own post..

I went net searching.. and found the power to be variable from 1/6 to full power

not too bad I guess..

its rated at GN 32m

I think F8.. quite usable right?
at 3-4m away


and if using ISO 200.. should be quite ok..
a bit dim i suppose.. but not that bad..


probably good for people playing around

 

[sfhuang]

Be mindful of how they measure the GN. Is it with the softbox attached? Or with reflection from umbrella? The eventual amount/spread of light reaching your subject will also depend on the size of the softbox etc. I saw the kit at Akira and the softbox IIRC is about 60x60cm. Quite small if you ask me, and definitely not enough for portraits. (except maybe facial shots) All things considered, this is a good starter kit for those who want to try out a mini studio setup. But definitely not enough for serious studio work.

 

[lytefunk]

I assume its without any softbox or anything...
so I lose a stop or 2 with the softbox..
but will be using at ISO 200

so its just my guess


Its tempting..
just soo slightly limiting...

200W sets would be nice to play with
of course... 500W is the best

 

[Nikonian Foo]

Just went to Akira and had a look at the $599 setup. Not bad if you're considering doing product shots with the kit. I thought the lights looked familiar (similar to some other China-made studio lights) and asked the sales staff (who's from China btw) if the lights are OEM. He said yes, just repackaged under Akira brand-name. He wasn't willing to tell me the parent brand of the lights in China, but he was quite agitated when I mentioned 'yin yan' which is another brand of studio eqpt in China. ;p

Anyway I didn't get the lights in the end, they looked really lacklustre as compared to the Elinchrome kit. But of course, it is a >1k difference we're talking about here. :sweat:

Anybody knows where to get this Yin Yan light in Guangzhou? I'm currently there for a week. Will also be in Shanghai.