One with the camera
  • Your Photo Guru
  • Blog and Photo Polls
    • Photo Blog
    • Photo Polls
  • Tutorials
    • Lightroom Tutorials
    • Video Tutorials >
      • Aperture
      • Photoshop Elements
      • Photography
    • Photo Composition >
      • Fill the frame
      • Rule of Thirds
      • Frame the subject
    • Photo Editing Tips and Tricks >
      • Downloading photos from camera
      • Which editing program??
    • Resizing and Printing Images
  • About equipment
    • The Best Camera
    • My Beginners Camera Pick
    • Cameras Overview
    • Choosing a DSLR
    • All about Lenses
    • Lens Reviews
  • Galleries
    • Concert Galleries
    • Group Shoots
  • About Me

Strobes don't have to be expensive

2/4/2013

1 Comment

 
I recently got a new studio strobe for the studio I am setting up here in my home town. The brand on Amazon is Neewer. After looking around a bit I have found some other brand names on units that look exactly the same. So I think it is sold out of China and different people stamp their name on it and resell it. That is OK though. It is still surprisingly good. 

So here is the deal with the strobe. I have been looking for a while at Alien Bee strobes by Paul C. Buff. But, even though they are very inexpensive as strobes go, they are still like $275 for the least expensive lowest power units. They are really nice. But that is still a bit of change to put down per strobe. Well recently in shopping at Amazon I found the Neewer C-250 strobe. The reviews sounded fairly good. So I decided to take a shot at one. Actually I got both one of the C-250 and one of the 180 watt second strobes. The smaller one is $40. 

So the video review up above is for the C-250. I found it to be quite well built. The housing is metal. The light works well and consistently. The front of the light is built in such a way to easily take the generic Cowboy Studio speed rings for different modifiers. There are other speed rings out there, but I recommend the Cowboy Studio rings. They are just built really nice. I got a softbox for it along with a set of barn doors, a honeycomb grid, and some colored gel filters. 

The only real negatives I have found so far with the strobe are first, at full power it takes about 4 seconds to recycle. The same is not true of the Alien Bee (we actually have two in the studio now also). Second, you can only adjust the power from 1/8th power to full power, so three stops of light adjustment. And third, there is no way to turn off the beep when the strobe is done recycling if you don't like that. 

On the positive, there is more than enough power in my small studio to light the subject. The strobe fires every single time. There is a great sync port and the cable to plug in from the sync port to my Yongnuo RF-603 radio trigger. The strobe can optically trigger. It has a modeling light. The modeling light power adjusts as you adjust strobe power. The unit has a very long AC power cord, so you can easily move it around without an extension cord. 

So if you want fancy, get the Alien Bee. But if you are on a budget, don't feel shy getting this strobe. At $80 you can get three of these for the cost of a single Alien Bee strobe. Sure, you might eventually move up to Alien Bee. But if you are just starting out this is the strobe to cut your teeth on. 

I am planning on a review of the smaller 180 watt second strobe and another cute little strobe that I got recently so you can see how to inexpensively set up a three
1 Comment
bob courtice
8/21/2014 06:15:59 am

hi there can you help me please I have just brought a neewer c-250
and I have 3 yongnuo rf-603 I only used 2 cos I never had the flash but now I do im finding it hard to make the flash go off can you explain what to do now I have 2 wires 1 is connected to my camera so I can take pictures the other one the a-jack looking side is in the flash the only problem I have is the other side screws in to the top of the yongnuo rf-603 is that why im going wrong should the wire be a-jack both ends please help me

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Put your email address in below to get email notifications when this blog is updated.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Author

    My name is Rusty, and I am on a journey, almost more of an awakening, to really learn photography. Years ago I did a lot of photography in high school. After raising a family I find I have time once again to pick up the camera. The art form has changed a lot since my high school days. I am also finding that I desire to take my art to the next level. This site is a combination of documenting my journey and teaching you things that I am learning. So in the process of my becoming one with the camera I am hoping to also help you find that inner artist that is inside you as well. 

    Archives

    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2015
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

    Categories

    All
    Aperture
    Apple
    Basketball
    Camera
    Canon
    Competition
    Composition
    Dance
    Equipment
    Focal Lengths
    High School
    Image
    Inspiration
    Lenses
    Lighting
    Mac Os X
    Nature
    Nikon
    Photography
    Photoshop
    Portrait
    Postprocessing
    Professional
    Social Media
    Speedlights
    Sports
    Strobes
    Studio
    Superzooms
    Video
    Watermark
    Wildlife

Copyright Rusty Yonkers