Lighting Reviews

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Jon Canfield  |  Nov 01, 2011  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2011  |  0 comments

There are few things in digital photography more frustrating than problems with color fidelity. One of the most commonly heard complaints is “my prints don’t match my display.” While color accuracy is improved with LCD displays, it isn’t perfect by any means, and if you’re serious about your photography it’s important to calibrate your monitor. And, if you do your own printing, you’ll often find that you can improve the quality of your prints with profiles built specifically for your printer and paper selection.

Steve Bedell  |  Oct 25, 2011  |  First Published: Sep 01, 2011  |  19 comments

Several of my fellow portrait photographers have been using cool lights for years. Interestingly, they have not abandoned their flash units but continue to use both, depending on the situation. Having been a strobe/available light photographer for the most part, I was eager to both find out how well they worked and for what subjects they’d be most suited. Interfit was kind enough to send me their very economical ($340 street price) set of two lights, each with an eight-sided softbox, so I could find out for myself. Could they do everything my studio flash units could? Were they a better choice for some subjects than others? After a few weeks of testing, I had my answers.

Steve Bedell  |  Sep 19, 2011  |  First Published: Aug 01, 2011  |  0 comments

One of the biggest advancements in recent years in flash photography has been the ability to use your camera-compatible flash off-camera and wirelessly. Canon, Nikon, and others have developed their own systems where you can control multiple units that not only fire at the same time but also can be put into groups with their own settings.

Jack Neubart  |  Aug 29, 2011  |  First Published: Jul 01, 2011  |  0 comments

Many of us use the speedlight’s built-in kicker panel to add catchlights to the eyes and thereby give the subject a more animated look. Regrettably, this built-in device plays a marginal role in filling in shadows. So we turn to much larger, more functional bounce panels, and although they offer distinct advantages, these third-party panels may not be as flexible as we’d like. Enter Rogue FlashBenders from ExpoImaging (www.expoimaging.com). These panels quite literally lend a unique twist to speedlight photography.

Steve Bedell  |  Aug 25, 2011  |  First Published: Jul 01, 2011  |  0 comments

Photography is all about light and photographers are always looking at ways to modify it. Visit any studio of a working pro and you’re bound to see softboxes, umbrellas, cones, snoots, grids, beauty dishes, parabolic reflectors, etc. Each has their purpose in changing the shape and/or character of the light. Using the same light source, you can modify it from a sharp, harsh, point light source with distinct shadows to a soft, even light source with very little or no shadows. With that in mind I decided to give one of these modifiers a test, the Paul C. Buff PLM v.2.

Steve Bedell  |  Jun 01, 2011  |  1 comments

I’m not an equipment snob. That applies to both cameras and lighting gear. I’ve always believed that it’s that gray matter in back of your eyeball that determines whether or not you get a decent image, not the price tag on your gear. I like fast lenses and dislike variable apertures, so I pay for them. With lighting equipment, higher prices usually mean more power, more features and flexibility, and better construction. With that in mind, let’s see what the very reasonably priced Genesis 300 B monolight ($399 with battery) from Calumet offers.

Jack Neubart  |  Nov 01, 2010  |  0 comments

I prefer to shoot macros and close-ups handheld, so, when I need to augment the existing light or replace it entirely, I look for a compact solution. And for me, that often means a ringlight. It’s a simple and undemanding yet effective tool. For my really tight close-ups at or near life-size, I set focus manually in advance so there’s no worry about the AF sensor trying to lock on...

Jack Neubart  |  Nov 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Interfit Photographic has introduced Strobies, a system approach to shoe-mount flash accessories. Strobies are designed to take many popular shoe-mount flashes and turn them into versatile lighting tools for studio and location use.

Chuck Gloman  |  Nov 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are a highly efficient way to provide additional illumination to your shot. Not only are they small and portable, but LEDs consume far less power than tungsten units, can last over 100,000 hours, and give off little or no heat. If you are looking for studio lights that are easily metered (because they can stay on all day), cool to the touch, color temperature...

Jack Neubart  |  Nov 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Every manufacturer has a slightly different take on how to do it and David Honl has come up with his own original solutions in the form of some nifty and very portable light shapers that fit practically any shoe-mount flash without recourse to special adapters.

Joe Farace  |  Nov 01, 2010  |  0 comments

As studio lights have gotten bigger and shoe-mount flashes more sophisticated, on-location photographers increasingly have reached for speedlights to solve lighting problems.

Jack Neubart  |  Jan 01, 2010  |  1 comments

New fluorescent and LED “cool” lights are on the scene, making serious headway into the realm of digital photography. Cool lights not only save energy, but they may be better suited in a variety of situations.

Jack Neubart  |  Nov 01, 2009  |  0 comments

Wow! That’s all I need to say about the new Nissin Di866 shoe-mount flash. This baby has to be experienced to be believed. I was impressed with the other flash units Nissin first sent me, but this new flash sets new standards in technology and user-friendliness. For starters, the Di866 features wireless TTL that lets me take advantage of the latest camera/flash exposure advances. Second, it...

Steve Anchell  |  Oct 01, 2009  |  0 comments

When I was operating a commercial studio in Hollywood, California, my prized possession was a Swiss-made Broncolor 2400 ws power pack and three lamp heads.

Jack Neubart  |  Oct 01, 2009  |  0 comments

When you need the power and versatility of a studio strobe for location shooting and environmental portraiture but don’t want to schlep around a large, heavy studio system, you can turn to a portable lighting kit.

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