Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Great product for that price and very easy to set up

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I have had two of these units, and both have had issues with the built in slave units. they are week, and inconsistant. Not even a good value for the low cost, spend a little more and get a little better unit. They are small and light, which was the attraction for me in the beginning.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

The Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, is simply delightful to use. And not to mention the fact that it re defies simplicity, with a kick of any other "brand" name product.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I purchased these lights to place on my ceiling to light my backdrop, and they work great, I wanted something small,lightweight, and durable and they function perfect for what i was looking for. They work great.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

For the price you can't beat it. Just keep in mind it only has to power settings and like a 5 second cycle time. Beyond that, it is an awesome cheap light.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I had a quality, expensive studio flash I sold 25 years ago when I stopped doing weddings, portraiture and promotional photography. I recently purchased the Adaroma budget monolight 100W to start doing portraits and promotional photography again. I'm impressed by the quality and portability. Besides the slower recycle rate, this light delivers the same quality light and color as the system I had 25 years ago at a fraction of the cost!

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I have three of these now and think that they should be enough to get through the tight spots where there just isn't enough light or need to get rid og the shadows.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

This light is absolutely fantastic! I can't say enough good about this light. I bought another one to add to my arsenal of lighting tools. The synchronization between my other lights and my flash all work great together. Great inexpensive light for tight budgets. A must have accessory for everyone.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Great inexpensive light. So good I bought a couple more.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I bought SS-100M budget Studio Flash after having great success at a shoot with Profoto D1 Air 500 W/S 2 Monolight Studio Kit which I rented. The SS-100M give less control but the kit comes <$300 so fantastic Value from Adorama Vs $2000+
I have shot few Gigs and the outfit is light and easy to transport. The stands are remarkably good but better to buy few addition umbrellas per lighting need.
Conclusion: given photography is 60% about lighting, I would recommend these Vs on cameras Flash or even portable Flash guns for situations where lighting can make the difference.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

This light is a very good entry level flash. Easy to set-up and transport. Price is very reasonable. My only negative comments are its power is weak, you cannot adjust its power, and the sync cord is not long enough.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I accidentally bought these instead of the Budget 160 strobes ~ some downsides to these strobes include:

Only two power settings - full power, half power.
No switch to turn off modeling lamp (it gets hot)

Not a Con, but good to know before you buy:

Strobe retains charge even after you turn it off and unplug it - you have to make it test fire in order to clear it (seems dangerous).

A couple seconds to recharge, even on half power

Relatively short sync cord

I bought two to use on location with a battery pack. Having only two power settings is a little more limiting than I thought it would be, and the fact that you can't turn off the modeling lamp means I have to leave the bulbs out (because I'm on a battery pack and they would drain the battery pretty fast).

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

For my first light it works well enough, although I wish the modelling lamp would have lasted for more than a week.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Does the job and is a good value. Will get hot and could use a brighter bulb.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Used indoors. Great starter light. Meets the needs of a novice.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Used on two shoots. Found the color balance to be excellent used in combination with my other lights.
Only recommendation to new buyers you may want to also order the 3/8 to 5/8 adapter if your light stands have a 3/8 top shaft.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

With two power settings this little unit is an awesome value for the money. I've paid three times the money for a flash unit with no flexibility and half the power.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

On 1/14/09 I wrote a lousy review on this after having it only a day or two. After playing w/ it for several days I saw what it can do and I've changed my mind. For the $$$, it's a very good deal (hair light, backround light, fill. etc).

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Works well as a main light, fill and anything in-between. This is a great light for the beginner who wants to start testing studio lighting and I highly recommend it as an extra light for anyone who needs one. It is very portable for any situation.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I bought these lights because I wanted to teach myself some studio lighting. They do a good job for my needs. They only provide power at full or half. So you will need to manually move the light from the subject to change the brightness, but doing so tends to add some strange colors. Best use is a close range with a shoot through umbrella or I use the 24x24 soft box with mine. You can see some examples of them at my blog [...]

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

It's just too much trouble to send back, but I found it to be useless. Maybe I haven't returned it because I hope some miricle will happen & I'll be enlighted as to how to get some use out of it.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I Recommend this Budget Studio Monolight Flash
for any use! I bought 3 of these, its easy to carry

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I put this on a boom with the small softbox and it makes a great hairlight. It only has 1/2 or full power so there's not much control. I cut down the power with a Neutral Density filter. The modeling bulb gets very hot.
I imagine this would be a disposable light if the flash tube ever goes out. I don't see one advertised but if it's the same one that is used for Adorama's other monolights, it's not much cheaper than the whole unit. I am happy with this so far. For a hair light, it works just great.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I use this for location shooting with fashion photography. It works really well on it's own! I actually have 3, and they give great highlights, excellent backlights, and they don't overpower the sun so you'll get that great blue sky when you want!

The only thing I would have liked it a faster refresh time, but you definitely get what you pay for with this!

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I use this light for fill, hair, background and special effect. It works well, easy to use and to transport. It can't replace my regular studio lights, but it adds impressive dimensions to my setting. A great and inexpensive add on; also a great strobe light for newly start-up studio.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

The light works well but I had to purchase a Nikon AS-15 to connect the strobe/flash. Works well but I also had to do some adjustments to keep photos from having hot spots. An umbrella helped. The studio bulb supplied was just about right with not too much light for portraits. I made a threaded attachment post so that I could use an old tripod. Since there is no manual, I am unsure how to use this with multiple lights and flashes.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I use it to take indoor pictures. Since I used it, I took some very nice pictures. It's so powerful to me. It's my first monolight I like it.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

If you are just getting into flash photography this is a fantastic inexpensive learning tool.

I was using 300W and 500W work lamps from the hardware store. Those are nice and even more inexpensive but the color is so warm and I was constantly fighting with white balance. These are much better.

The Cycle time is a little long but if you keep it in mind it is not a problem.

Give one (or two) a go if its what your budget or interest level allows.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

using as spot light for hair on portraits...but had to make my own cone...the plastic one that came with camera started to melt

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

The lights did as needed. My subjects looked very well with the lighting

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Great for portable (on location) or small studio operations. Used mainly as a supplimental flash as highlight/backlight, or with umbrella or 12" softbox for quick headshot portraits.

Has about a 2-3 second recycle time which is fine for situations where there is no need for continuous flash shooting. The first flash after standing by is about a 1/2 stop brighter than subsequent shots.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Good value. I bought along with a light stand and umbrella. It would have been nice if the slave option didn't also trigger the pre-flash from my speedlight.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I wanted a light mostly for fill, something reasonabley priced, to use as a back-up. This light wasw more than I expected. It is light, easy to pack, and travels well. I have dragged all across the country on several shoots and have started using it as a main light when I don't want to pack a lot of gear. Greal light for the price, and then some.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Not the best or most exspensive unit but it served me well in a portrait setting where the clientel could damage the light system. Worked flawless.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I bought two of these for my digital green screen backdrop, along with some green filters to go on them, and they work so well, makes a good seperation from the subject.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

I would have loved a set up guide or instructions with this set. I am a beginner and wasnt real sure on how to get started. The lights are great and perfect for getting started!

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

After only 3 hrs of operation it died out. Will try changing the Fuse. Just wish a new product will last longer.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

These flashes are inexpensive alternatives to serious studio lights. If you are looking for a very low cost answer to home studio lighting needs, these are your answer. If you are looking for tough, pro level studio equipment look somewhere else. I had never used any kind of studio light and did not want to get in over my head. These are great learning tools and as I improve or they break, I will replace them with higher end lights. I would recommend them to people who plan to use studio lights every once in a while, maybe to add a little more professional touch to family and holiday photos. I would not recommend them to anyone looking to use them every day as real studio lights. Over all I am very pleased with their quality considering their price. Also, the kit comes with several attachments to make it a more well rounded learning tool.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

This is a very good basic light I do like the fact that the bulbs can be changed which will make this light last alot longer.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

These are the first studio strobes that I have purchased. I was somewhat skeptical before purchasing them given their low price, but they have surpassed my expectations. I use them primarily with the Adorama 18" softboxes, and occasionally the 33" umbrellas that came with the kit. The power rating may only be 100w/s, but they have proven to be powerful enough even on the lower setting. The instruction sheet is simple (probably too simple). The fact that these lights come with a modeling lamp (complete with an extra bulb) makes them an unbeatable value. If you are looking for your first studio strobes, these are the perfect choice.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Adorama should change the socket sothat easily available bulbs can beused.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

Nice little light! Good quality. Runs well as a slave to both my pop-up and my 430EX.
Only thing I'd like to see is a better instruction sheet.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

EASY TO USE, NO TECNICAL KNOWLGE NEEDED, GREAT FOR THE BEGINER TO LEARN STUDIO WORK. NO BIG INVESTMENT.

Comments about Adorama Adorama Budget Studio Monolight Flash, 100 Watt Seconds.:

this is a great STARTER kit. I am going to replace the units one head at a time with faster, more powerful units, but to get started, learning at home, etc, these simply cannot be beat!