"shiva das"  wrote in message 
news:shiv-1A2FD2.23135517062011_at_5ad64b5e.bb.sky.com...
> In article ,
> "john brooks"  wrote:
>
>> Aspiring photographer (but financially challenged) would like to get hold 
>> of
>> studio Lighting.  Preferably secondhand.  But I am surprise the buy/sell
>> photography newsgroups don't seem very attended. (unless there is a good 
>> one
>> that i have not been able to find).
>>
>> Grateful for any advice on how to get hold of something like:  Elinchrom 
>> 500
>> Mono Head lighting (or something similar) as inexpensive as possible.
>> Thanks
>
> Best bet is probably eBay or KEH. The advantage of KEH is they have a
> money-back return policy. ALso you can call KEY and speak to a live
> person to discuss your needs and budget.
>
>  No relation; they just have a lot of my money.

I second the recommendation of KEH, and I have no personal connection with 
them either. Their grading system on used gear is very conservative. I've 
bought gear from them that they classified as poor (I don't recall off-hand 
their terminology) that I thought was good.

If your studio space is small, you don't need ridiculous amounts of strobe 
power. There are a lot of off-brand, no name studio strobes out there at a 
good price. Generally, these units will have very optimistic light output 
ratings, and their output may be inconsistent. These may work for you until 
you can afford better. Then you move the cheap strobes to background or 
hairlight positions where they are not so critical.

If you buy on eBay, keep in mind that you are buying electronic gear on a 
worldwide venue. I like my Bowens 'coffee-can' studio strobes. But Bowens is 
a British company, and I have to make sure that the strobe I'm considering 
has been made for the USA market and the USA power grid.