Hot Lights VS Strobes

[JohnQ]

Ok here is where the new guy asks a dumb question. But hey, I am the new guy so take it easy on me.

I have been reading up and possibly thinking about buying some inexpensive studio equipment. I have not been able to find the answers to my questions though, I was hoping that is where you guys would help out.

I want to know, is there any drawback to using hot lights compared to strobes?

I know constants lights throw off a lot of heat and make models sweat. I have also read that the new lights they are making, (not tungsten or halogen) I think they are light compact florescent or something, do not generate that much heat.

Anyway, OTHER than the heat factor is there any drawback to using hot lights VS strobes?

[savona]

I am by NO means a pro on this subject as I enjoy outdoor photography a lot more, BUT...

I like to use hot lights better, it makes my life a lot easier to see the effect the light is having on your subject before you snap the picture.

[Adaptive]

Here is my setup








In my experience hot lights are decent if you're not lookign for pro-grade work. If you're not sure if you want to get into studio shooting try out hot lights first. If you want professional quality images strobes are necessary. If you don't have much money for strobes that's fine just get more speedlights they act the same way and are wireless if you have a combination of 580's and 550's. All you have to do is get a couple of stands ($20-$100) and umbrellas ($17-$150) and you're all set!!!! Actually you'll have to get an adaptor from B&H but it's only $6 or something around there. If you're serious you can give me a call anytime, or since we're both in DE you can come over and we can chit chat.

Strobes obviously are alittle trickier than hot lights but it's definately worth the extra effort and money.



And yes hotlights get very hot. It's not soo bad in the winter because the heat feels good if you're in a cold environment but in the summertime you do NOT want to be using hot lights trust me.

Here you can see a friend of mine with her hot lights. She's pretty good with them but she really wishes she had strobes.

[studio206]

from my experience i found that i can get the same effect that i am looking for with hot lights as well as with strobes. strobes are a little easier because you can adjust the intensity of the strobe on the units *i'm not sure if that is true with all of them*, with hot lights you have to adjust with distance. they both can use soft boxes and umbrellas, as well as all the other effects you would want to use for your lights... u just gotta make sure you get the right one. Strobes have the advantage in many ways, one being the intense light on strobes are only for a moment, as for hot lights it's constantly on, the reason it gets so hot sanding under them... you basically would expose the same... the only difference is that with strobes you are exposing for the f-stop and hot lights you are exposing for both f-stop and shutter speed. a disadvantage to using hot light is that they require long exposures, even though they look really bright... the other thing about hot lights that kinda suck is when you are shooting in color, *especially color film* you will get a warm color case, so if you 4get to set your white balance, or use the correct filter, which will end with you having to spend more time color correcting... this gives strobes another added advantage because they are daylight balance, which will give you a very nice pure white light... it's pretty much all up to taste on which you want to use. i like using both...

[Adaptive]

from my experience i found that i can get the same effect that i am looking for with hot lights as well as with strobes. strobes are a little easier because you can adjust the intensity of the strobe on the units *i'm not sure if that is true with all of them*, with hot lights you have to adjust with distance. they both can use soft boxes and umbrellas, as well as all the other effects you would want to use for your lights... u just gotta make sure you get the right one. Strobes have the advantage in many ways, one being the intense light on strobes are only for a moment, as for hot lights it's constantly on, the reason it gets so hot sanding under them... you basically would expose the same... the only difference is that with strobes you are exposing for the f-stop and hot lights you are exposing for both f-stop and shutter speed. a disadvantage to using hot light is that they require long exposures, even though they look really bright... the other thing about hot lights that kinda suck is when you are shooting in color, *especially color film* you will get a warm color case, so if you 4get to set your white balance, or use the correct filter, which will end with you having to spend more time color correcting... this gives strobes another added advantage because they are daylight balance, which will give you a very nice pure white light... it's pretty much all up to taste on which you want to use. i like using both...

Great post very informative, i don't think I could ever switch from strobes to hot lights. Yea that's a good point, when you're shooting with hot lights you can easily use the built-in meter to get proper exposures. But for strobes you have to pretty much know what you're doing or you'll be doing alot of guessing. Even if you do know some stuff there is still alot of guessing and adjusting after shots. But the model lamp gets rid of some of the guessing games. I couldnt imagine using gels on hot lights i'm sure they would melt easily, maybe if you keep them very far from the lights you'll be ok but that lessens the colored area. I don't know if that makes sense at all but I wouldnt recommend using gels with hot lights.

[studio206]

Great post very informative, i don't think I could ever switch from strobes to hot lights. Yea that's a good point, when you're shooting with hot lights you can easily use the built-in meter to get proper exposures. But for strobes you have to pretty much know what you're doing or you'll be doing alot of guessing. Even if you do know some stuff there is still alot of guessing and adjusting after shots. But the model lamp gets rid of some of the guessing games. I couldnt imagine using gels on hot lights i'm sure they would melt easily, maybe if you keep them very far from the lights you'll be ok but that lessens the colored area. I don't know if that makes sense at all but I wouldnt recommend using gels with hot lights.

Thanks :-)

i definitely enjoy strobes more... it took me 4ever to figure them out lol when my instructor was explaining them to me i was so lost at first lol but i definitely know what you mean about the guessing game. i went through a whole roll of film and got clipping on just about every frame because i wasn't sync lol it was really bad because i would oh gotten some really awesome shots.

yeah i dunno if gels would be a good idea for hot lights, but they do make stuff for them. anything they make for hot lights has to be heat resistant. lol

[Adaptive]

Thanks :-)

i definitely enjoy strobes more... it took me 4ever to figure them out lol when my instructor was explaining them to me i was so lost at first lol but i definitely know what you mean about the guessing game. i went through a whole roll of film and got clipping on just about every frame because i wasn't sync lol it was really bad because i would oh gotten some really awesome shots.

yeah i dunno if gels would be a good idea for hot lights, but they do make stuff for them. anything they make for hot lights has to be heat resistant. lol

wow I couldnt imagine trying to learn how to use strobes using a film camera!! I guess I'm just lucky it's the digital age now

[savona]

Adaptive, You never actually gave a reason WHY strobes are better. You just gave your opinion that you think they are better.

Have either of you guys seen the light bulbs John is talking about? They are the new compact florescent light bulbs that do not generate heat AND they are daylight balanced.

I have JTL strobes, nothing fancy, but I really like using my old hot light set. Especially when I am shooting kids, it makes it easy to see where your shadows are going to fall and how much shadow you have before you shoot. Makes my life a hell of a lot easier when working with impatient youngsters, or even pets.


I use daylight balances florescent in my old kit, it used to be tungsten lights. With the tungsten lights it was a quick fix for the white balance but the heat did get to me after a bit.

[TX_Gulf_Coast]

wow I couldnt imagine trying to learn how to use strobes using a film camera!! I guess I'm just lucky it's the digital age now

Bottom line is, it doesn't matter what ligths, it all comes down to exposure, exposure, exposure. You have to remember, digital gets everything from film...film came first and the basis of digital comes from that.

People who have shot film, especially transparencies, REALLY understand how to deal with exposure and difficult exposure situations. With Film, you either got it right or you had to work your butt off in the darkroom to get it right. So, you learned to get it right. The opposite is true with digital, shooters have the idea that they can "fix it in photoshop" later if they didn't get it right. And that usually results in a degredation of the file quality as alot of the edits and fixes are destructive to the image.

So, shooting film would actually HELP you to becoming a better digital photographer, so the truth is actually the opposite of what you stated.

On Hot lights: The main draw backs of using hot lights over stobes, is the color temp isn't as consitent and the power. You can get color temp corrected bulbs, but they have very limited life and are about 5.00 or more a pop. Move the lights when they are hot and bump them just a little too much, ops, you just bought another bulb. It can get expensive quick. As Studio said, adjusting the power means moving the lights further from the subject and that results in a greater spread of the light. You just can't get the control you have with strobes. All that said, you can get some amazing results using hot lights if you don't have the money to buy strobes.

I have seen people buy the quartz halogen work lights from Home Depot and use them as hot lights. They make light modifiers out of aluminum foil and cardboard, but it works. Not very professional looking, but for some that might not be an issue.

One advantage of using hot lights over strobes, you can see the modeling better on faces and really LEARN lighting. Since you are seeing the light you get when shooting, you can actually "preview" the modeling more completely than with just a small wattage modeling light on the strobes.

Also, as Adaptive pointed out, you can actually use your in-camera metering (to some extent) to get your exposure. I don't recommend this, as the meter in ANY camera is easily fooled and can cause problems with exposure. When using studio lights, either hot or strobe, I strongly suggest a light meter and the knowledge on how to effectivel use that light meter. It will be indispensible for strobes. But it is also an added cost.

My advice to the person purchasing lighting, it boils down to two things. 1.) Are you doing this professionally and 2.) Finances. If you are only pursuing this as a hobby and not professionally, then I would consider other options such as hot lights over stobes. However, if you are trying to do this professionally then the money you spend on strobes is necessary. Not only to have good, consistent quality light, but also the appearance that you are a professional. (Showing up to a shoot with a set of Home Depot work lights isn't exactly considered professional in the eyes of a client.) Buy what your finances will allow. Especially if you are only pursuing this as a hobby.

I use Photogenic strobes both in the studio and as my portables. They aren't the most expensive, but they are some of the most durable and dependable out there. You can get very good strobes for the money. If you don't want to spend alot, avoid the Constant Color strobes...they always cost more, alot more.

Bottom line, it is an expensive purchase to do it either way. It will all boil down to what you are willing to invest and the level of your commitment too this endeavor.

[Adaptive]

Another thing that is not good about hot lights are subject's eyes.

When there is bright light shining in your subjects eyes their pupils get really small. With strobes you have a modeling light, not only is it helpful for many other reasons like getting a preview of your light setup but it also makes your subjects pupils an average/normal size, by the time the strobe is fired the shot is already taken before the pupils shrink. If you use strobes and you don't use the modeling light the subjects pupils will be very large obviously and you will miss that great shot of those pretty blues!!!!