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Studio Lighting on a Budget.
If you are looking to get started with your own studio then getting the best studio lighting for your money is an absolute must. I would say that the minimum spend when you are looking to put you lighting together is £500. Unless you delve into the second hand market you won't get a good lighting system unless you are prepared to pay.
At this price it is sensible to buy a kit. It helps to make your money go that bit further and provides you with your entire studio lighting essentials. As you progress you obviously have the option to add to your lighting set up.
If you are prepared to shop around a little then you can find yourself a very good Prolinca starter kit. Perhaps for a shade under £500 (including VAT), you can find the 2 head 125/250 kit.
In the kit you will find:
The two heads.
Two stands.
Two reflectors.
Two umbrellas.
The leads and cables.
A Case.
If you can afford to go slightly over the £500 mark then you can pick up the same kit but with two 250 heads.
Below this price band you can pick up a kit with similar contents from Interfit. An Interfit kit will cost around £375. I think it is fair to say that this kit isn't acknowledged as being of quite the same quality as the Prolinca kit and if you can afford that bit more then go for the Prolinca.
Most experts consider that either Bowens or Elinchrom are the best when it comes to studio lighting. If you can afford that bit more then you can really get your studio rolling with something like the Bowens Esprit kit. The kit comes with everything you need to get started and for around £700 it is excellent value for money. An added bonus is that if you buy into these ranges they also hold their value well if you would like to sell them later. You can also build on the kit once your budget allows you a little extra leeway.
A standard Esprit kit consists of:
2 X Esprit 125 Heads
2 X Manfrotto Lighting stands
1 X Spill Killl reflecter
1 X Bowens Softbox 60
1 X 81cm White brolly
1 X Kit bag
2 X Modelling Lamps
2 X Mains leads
1 X Sync lead
Instruction manual
In Conclusion
If your budget can stretch to £700 then a Bowens or Elinchrom are certainly well worth the extra money. If your budget for studio lighting goes to £500 and no further then I would recommend checking out the second hand market and seeing just what you can get for your money. Under £500 then I would definitely start looking at second hand studio lighting kit first.
Studio Lighting
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Studio Lighting
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