Marv Loc: Crisfield Md

I am trying to decide on which to invest in would love some information on the pros and cons of each

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Well, both can work.

Tungsten continuous tend to be hot (hot lights) and the low power requires slow shutter speeds and/or wider apertures. They are useless outside. They are cheap. Since they are continuous, you can see the light patterns before you shoot

The new daylight fluorescent lights, are cool running, Still not all that bright so longer exposures are required, but good units are brighter than tungsten lights. They are NOT cheap, but superior to tungsten.

Strobes can be either speedlights or studio-type strobes.
Speedlights - the good ones - are not cheap. They can be used as TTL. They have the high speed sync capability and they are MUCH more powerful than any continuous system and the output is adjustable over a huge range There are tons of light modifiers available. They travel well since they are small and light. Outdoor use is not a problem since they are so powerful. Battery powered, so no AC power needed.

Studio strobes are relatively expensive. Need AC power or battery power with AC converter. Depending on brand and model, the output can overpower the sun or be dialed down to very low levels. These too have a huge selection of light modifiers available. Shutter speed limited to max flash sync for you camera ( usually 1/160 to 1/250). Huge range of cost from just a few hundred per head to several thousand per head.

Well...that's a start.

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

Unless it is still life FLASH

Marv Loc: Crisfield Md

thank you so much that is the information i was looking for didnt want to invest in anything that would not be useful to me

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

Unfamiliar with the term "still life FLASH". What is this???

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I think he meant to put a comma after "still life", meaning flash lighting in all situations except for "still life"

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

As long as it's not some new fangled technology that got past me :)

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

There are also LED continuous. These are highly efficient and run fairly cool. Many auxillary lighting systems now incorporate both LED and flash in the same apparatus. The ability to use higher ISO's has made LED's more viable.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

P.S. - I love your striper !

JBTaylor Loc: In hiding again

For still photography, strobes are the way to do. If you go with strobes, you will find a range of product levels.

If you have a shoemount flash, you can start with that but unless you need to travel with it or use it in non-studio photos, I would go with a studio strobe for a few reasons, more power to work with modifiers, modeling light so you can see before you shoot, higher duty cycle, and faster full power recycling.

If cost is an issue, I don't recommend the cheap Ebay studio flashes and I don't recommend the Adorama "budget" studio flash either. However, the Flashpoint II 320M is only $100 and has been dependable and has nice features. You can get it with a stand and softbox for less than a good shoemount flash. Flashpoint is less expensive than Alien Bees but the difference shrinks when you move up to more watt-seconds of output. Alien Bees is good, made in the USA, and has good resale value.

Wendy2 Loc: California

I used Adorama's Flashpoint 320M. Great bargain and works well!

gfinlayson

Flash gives the greatest range of versatility - flash tubes emit a very short, very intense pulse of light and allow you to choose whether/how to blend with ambient light. Continuous lights don't give anything like the variety of effects that can be achieved with flash.

pigpen

Just want to let you know about a starter set B&H has on sale right now. I bought it a week ago for the regular price($99.98). I called B&H, and they matched the price and refunded me the $29, Just one of a hundred reasons I buy from B&H.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/425220-REG/Impact_DFUMK_Digital_Flash_Umbrella_Mount.htmlst

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

If you have the money, continuous lights can easily overpower the sun. We do it all the time in the motion picture world. The HMI lights which overpower the sun are usually rented, in that they cost about the same as a new BMW (each) and cannot be powered from a household circuit. They also weigh quite a bit. That means special light stands and assistants, and a generator, which can be silent to keep the noise down. One of the Victoria Secret photographers uses these lights to get "the look."

You can use less powerful continuous lights outdoors if you "net" the background, and such nets are rentable in major markets. Focus counts when using nets, and shallow depth of field.

That said, I shoot with all kinds of strobes in my stills work, and am currently developing a modular LED system for DSLR video designed for practical location work. Nominal 4000K precise color temp, gelled to 3200, 2800, 5600 and 6000 easily, with a grid set for precision control. I plan to shoot a horror feature with this system next year, and after enough tweaking, will likely be selling the system through FilmTools. You can Google the name. They ship.