so i have been reading up on new flashes and im very confused hahaha. i understand that watt seconds are brighter, but im confused i guess on the benefits and such. like the q flash is brighter, but you need a battery pack with it? i guess im just super confused at the whole set up. oh also like whats a guide number to a watt second. i hope this question makes sense to someone. thank you for your help.

yeaaaaa this always confuses me as well, but from why i know, the q flash only has like a guide number of 160 as compare to like a sunpak 622 that has one of 200.

you also have to take into consideration how well light is being distributed, ive been told the q flash distributes light alot better than a sunpak.

i also see alot of people using 2 speedlights side by side, which sounds like an awesome idea.

the q flash is really powerful and has awesome light spread that seems to wrap around the subject
you have to consider flash durations though, with the q t2 flash i'm pretty sure you can only shoot at 1/4 power and below or you will get motion blur
i just got a sunpak 120j thats also a bare bulb and the light distribution is really nice, can't zoom in at all though (and can only shoot at 1/2 power and below)

I have a few q flashes t2 to be exact. There amazing I also have sunpack 555 and some vivi285. And witht he q u can shoot them all the way up at full power I do it all the time. There is a huge diffrence in light spread between that and 555 or 285 obviously since it is a bulb flash. Most the time I use two q flashes as my main lights and a 555 as a ring light since it doesnt spread so much.

so i guess my question is even more simple than. and its a simple as a bulb versus speed light. i guess the bulb is the better way to go? and what about the battery pack is that only to be able to shoot sequences? oh and what the whole watt seconds to guide number thing is that different because its a bulb? sorry if i sound dumb i just am so loss with these.

I dont know of any converters from watt second to guide numbers. As for the pack, with the Q flash you need some version of the turbo battery or Qpak(sp).

if you got the 120j it can run on AA batteries, but it isn't too practical with recharge rates in the 20-30 second range. but good news; the tr-II pak is only about 70-90 usd, or you can run a quantum bantam battery for about 30 bucks.

as for better, they both have their own pro's and cons:
-bulb flashes are always gona give you more light spread.
-you loose some of the power with the added spread.
and vise versa with normal flashes.

Tommy have you ever shot q flashes? Just curious as U always seem to talk out of place.

to answer your question yes with q's U need to run a battery pack but honestly in the long run no matter what flash u get a battery pack is worht it, itll save u money on batteries be for you know it.

no i havent, i do have a 120j as you know. mind telling me where im wrong?

That's why you get motion blur, Kev. I never, ever, shoot action above a 1/4+ on my Q Flash. Duration goes to shit above that.

You meant rim light, right? Shooting BMX with a ring light would be a pain in the ass. Maybe it works for you...

you guys can check your flashes flash duration on this page
http://joesmalley.com/flashes/

it says 500 is the slowest you should go but i think it would be safest to stay in the 1,000+ range for your main light

U might have me maybe I spoke out of place. IDK man u have been using them longer then me. but I know when I pan wide I have no issue at 1/2 cause thats what I shoot in day light all the time. If I don't pan sure I get a little bit but u would with pretty much any flash. Still love U and i will still drop u on your head after u finish puking on that atm. Don't waste your time spell checking me either cause u know I can't spell

care to explain your pan technique?

i usually only panned when shooting at night to get cool effects but that was when i shot digi/ playing around with long exposure and all that good stuff..

Sure man it is really all the same. All U do is make sure u have it all framed up and just be careful and follow the rider just a hair, it helps a good amount. I am pretty sure just about everyone pans. I really only pan when shooting wide. I personally dont see to much need for it long. Just watch a a video and watch the photographer u will see them pan just slightly most the time.

Dam that's a pretty good chart man

HAHA yeah man i do sorry, Fudger will tell u I can't spell for shit, well all english for that matter haha

What Q-Flash do you have, Kevin? I have the 400ws Qpaq-X...according to that chart above, 1/4 is 1/1000. So I'm on point, not sure what model you have, but I always thought going up with those things killed 'em.

Chris, you should pan when guys are moving through the frame quickly to prevent motion blur. I do it when shooting fisheye all the time, but sometimes I leave it be when my composition is tight.

the pan technique is only really useful during the day when your flashes can't freeze the motion as well right?
or does it also help at night?

Yeah, not really necessary at night. Depends on what you're going for and your exposure...

I miss you already, Kevkev. Cali's callin, sonny. Smooches.

word
and cali is hittin

come ride the trails at woodward west i'm keeping them dialed in throughout summer

looks like fudger answered the question pretty well. But yeah if the riders moving across your frame you def want to follow(pan) just a hair with them it will keep any motion blur to a minumum.

fudger, Ill be there next month. what days are you actually home? wanta cuddle?

The 400 watt second Quantum Qflash X2 (powered by the Qpac, not the Turbo battery) has a flash duration of 1000th of a second at 1/4 power, so the 200ws Qflash has the same duration at 1/2 power. Speedlights are rated by guide numbers instead of watt seconds, and although I don't know the ratio between guide numbers and watt seconds, I'm sure the flash duration to light intensity is better with a Qflash as opposed to a Speedlight. Also, Qflashes recycle faster, last longer, and have a much better quality of light because of the parabolic reflector. That's not to say that Speedlights don't have their place as well.. if you're shooting a social event and need an on camera flash, a Speedlight is the way to go.

-Z