Back to top of this "10 Questions" list----------------------------Back to top of page
| Welcome to the "Top 10 Questions" Page. These are the questions that I get asked most often about my photographic auctions (and my eBay store items). I hope this helps address your questions; if not, please don't hesitate to e-mail me with any additional questions. I'll do my very best to answer all your questions. Thanks for viewing my auctions, I wish you the best of luck, and may the Photographic Force be with you! |
| Top 10 Questions for the Auctions |
| Will these strobes
work with MY camera? What about my digital camera? How do I fire these strobes? Is a "strobe" a regular light or a "flash" type of light? Do I need additional equipment to use this package? What about those heavy and expensive power supplies? Do I need one? Does this package come with sync cords (also called PC cords) for the strobes? What is an optical "slave sensor," and how does it work? How can you sell brand new equipment for such low prices? How long will it take for my order to arrive? Is this equipment brand new? Does it come with any guarantees? What's the reserve price? What are the shipping charges? How do I know I can trust you with my hard-earned money? Can you explain about professional strobes for me? The power fallacy: Wouldn't I be better off buying one more powerful strobe instead of 2 or 3 less powerful strobes? What does the "Additional Shipping" charge in eBay auctions mean? OK, so there are 15 questions, I was never very good at math, anyway ;-) More information on photography, photographers, which package is right for you, and lotsa photographic advice. Technical Questions Links to lots of additional photographic questions and information (below) |
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Q. Will these strobes work with MY camera? With my digital camera? A. First,
we have to be aware that there are so many different cameras
and camera manufacturers, and software configurations (the computer
chips built into most newer cameras have software programs programmed
into them), it's impossible to "guarantee" that every
possible camera will work perfectly with every possible
strobe. Life keeps getting more complex every day. That said,
here's the information: It doesn't matter which strobe
you choose to connect to your camera's sync terminal, and you
don't even have to use a sync cord, as long as your camera sets
off it's own flash - either a built-in flash, or one attached
to a hot shoe. As soon as ANY flash goes off, all your strobes
(that are turned on and "ready") will fire, too. The
reason for using a sync cord is because sometimes a photographer
decides s/he doesn't want any light coming from the camera's
position; in this case, a sync cord is used. If you decide that
you do want some light from the camera position, then you can
either use your camera's flash or another accessory flash unit.
Also, be aware that unless the flash on your camera is very powerful,
the light from the pro strobes will most likely overpower the
light from your camera's little flash, so it's unlikely that
it will interfere with your picture when using it to set off
strobes via their slave sensors. If, on the other hand, your
camera doesn't have a sync (or PC) terminal, and you want one,
many camera manufacturers have accessory units that you can attach
to your hot shoe, and it will give you a sync terminal to use.
I carry one of these hot shoe accessories (that will provide
a sync terminal for cameras without one of their own) too, if
you have any trouble finding one. ALL the strobes I sell have slave sensors built in, and many of them are also masters and EVERY strobe that has a sync (or PC) terminal, comes with a sync cord (also called a PC cord) that fits most standard sync terminals on cameras. So every strobe that comes with your package and has master capabilities also has a sync cord packed in with it; with most kits, you'll end up with more sync cords than you'll know what to do with:). However, since all the strobes also come with slave sensors, you don't need to use sync cords for every strobe, and in fact, as I explained above, even the little built-in flash on most cameras can set off all the pro strobes, so you might not even need to use any sync cords at all! ALL the strobes the strobes in ALL my auctions are A.C. units, and do NOT require separate (and expensive) power supplies or connector cables (such as are needed with DC units); the strobes you buy from me are ready to rock and roll, right out of the box! No batteries or powerpacks or connector cables are needed; just plug 'em in to any electrical socket (such as a wall socket or extension cord), and (just like Elvis) you're ready to rock and roll. The D.C. strobes (powered by expensive and heavy battery packs) are valuable to photographers who often work at outdoor locations (on the beach, mountains, woods, etc.) where there is no available electricity (DC stands for Direct Current - batteries, as opposed to AC - Alternating Current devices which can be plugged into any socket). And if you should buy a kit or package from me (bless you:), rest assured that it will come with everything you'll need to start using your new equipment, as soon as you unpack it! There will be nothing "extra" that you'll be required to buy in order to start making great pictures as soon as it's unpacked. Back to top of this "10 Questions" list----------------------------Back to top of page -----------Tell me more.... |
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Q. Is a "strobe" a regular light or a "flash" type of light? A. A photographic "strobe" is a flash unit; it's just like the flash that's built into most modern cameras, except it's usually larger and more powerful and has capabilities far beyond those possible with any built-in flash units. Consequently, strobes emit a brief, powerful "flash" of light when they're fired. Some strobes come with special "modeling lights," which are regular continuous lights (hot lights) that allow the photographer to see exactly where the flash will illuminate the subject when it's fired by the photographer. But only the more advanced strobes come with modeling lights (like the PS and HS series Strobes and above); the AS and BB series of strobes do NOT come with modeling lights. For film movies and video uses, strobes will NOT work for you; you'll need specially light-balanced continuous photographic lights (hot lights) for movie and video uses. And YES, I have perfectly-balanced video/film constant hot lighting units available! Just ask me for information on these lights. |
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Q. Do I need additional equipment to use this package? A. I just HATE IT when
I buy a "kit" or "package," and then when
I receive it, I discover that I can't use it because there's
something else I need (usually at a substantial additional cost,
too) to make it work (i.e., the "batteries not included"
syndrome)! So I'd never do that to my (cherished) customers!
With all my kits and packages, absolutely everything is
included (well, except a camera, film, and photographer, that
is)! When your order arrives, all you'll have to do to start
making great photographs, is open it up, unwrap your new goodies,
put the strobes on the light stands, plug 'em in, point them
at your favorite victims, and, baby, just like Elv*s, go ahead
and rock and roll (fire away)! NO additional equipment
or parts are needed to start using your new studio equipment
as soon as it arrives (however, your next photographic purchase
- after you get your new studio lights set up - might be a handheld
flash/ambient meter; see this for more information on meters)! |
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Q. What is an optical "slave sensor," and how does it work? A. What's a "Slave
Sensor?" Well, if you had to use a PC or sync Cord for every
strobe, just think what a mess of tangled wires you'd have if
you were using 5 or 6 or more strobes to light your subject (as
many pros do)! So, science came to our rescue with slave sensors.
It's a tiny little sensor built into most good strobes, that
quietly and unobtrusively sits & waits for a short, intense
burst of light. When it detects this burst of light (the flash
from another strobe) or flash unit, it automatically sets off
the flash tube in the strobe its built into. Voila! Now, with
strobes that have slave sensors (often just called "slaves"),
we can connect only one strobe to our cameras (with the PC or
Sync cord), usually the strobe closest to our camera, and when
we press the shutter button, firing the one connected strobe,
that flash will automatically set off all the other strobes we
may be using for that shot! Ah, ain't technology wunnerful (sic)?
Even most of the little flashes built into most modern cameras
can set off most strobes with slaves, so in many instances, you
won't even need to use any sync cords at all. A strobe that has
PC socket, or both a PC Socket and a slave sensor is called a
"Master" strobe; a strobe that only has a slave sensor
and no PC socket (usually less expensive units) is called a "Slave."
Whichever strobe you're using with a PC cord is referred to as
your "master" strobe for purposes of that shot. |
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Q. How can you sell brand new equipment for such low prices? A. Most photographic dealers buy their merchandise from a distributor (who sometimes buys it directly from the manufacturer, other times from a large-scale importer), and then the retailer sells it to you. The distributor is the "middleman" in most products; the manufacturer makes the product, and then marks the equipment up for his profit, and then sells it to the distributor; the distributor then marks the equipment up for his profit, and sells it to the retailer; and then the retailer marks the equipment up for his profit, and then sells it to you! That's how it usually works, and that's why most photographic items are so expensive. With me, it works differently; I buy directly from the manufacturer, and sell the equipment directly to the end user (you, for example). My business bypasses the middleman and retailer, eliminates the markups added by the middleman and retailer, and gets the merchandise directly to you at a (much) lower cost. [We both owe a debt of gratitude to the internet and eBay for making this situation - and these savings - possible! Before the 'net, there would be no way a business like this could exist; how would you and I ever meet? I'd need to either open a retail store, and charge retail prices; or advertise heavily, and charge retail prices to cover the cost of advertising; or go mail order, and charge retail prices to cover the costs of printing, postage, and mailing lists! So "thank you," internet and eBay, for giving us the opportunity to meet - and make better photographs!] In addition, since I do not have a retail store and a bunch of employees to support, I can sell the equipment at a much lower cost than the retailer who has to pay the distributor's markup, plus the retail store's overhead (rent, electricity, city & state licenses, showcases and display furniture, as well as all the merchandise and stock on hand, etc.), plus he has to pay the employees' salaries and commissions (and worker's compensation insurance premiums, and health insurance premiums), plus the liability and merchandise insurance, and on top of that, pay business taxes and all the other usual retailer business expenses; plus, after covering all that overhead, the retailer must add even more to the cost of the product for his profit. Of course, the distributor also has all these expenses to cover (warehouse rent, employees, insurance, taxes, etc.) too, and on top of all that, has to add on enough extra cost to each product to not only pay for all that overhead, but to add on some profit, too. You should realize that most of this equipment ends up costing so much, not so much because of the cost of making the product, but mostly to cover all the expenses entailed in getting the product from the manufacturer (their expenses, plus profit, plus shipping to the distributor) through the distributor (the distributor's expenses, plus profit, plus shipping to the retailer) , through the retailer (the retailer's expenses, overhead, plus profit, etc.), and finally to you. Consequently, the way I do business
(eliminating the distributors and retailers), I can sell these
items to you for much less, and you (and I) benefit. Of course,
I add a small percentage to my cost (gotta eat, y'know), but
I assure you it's less than most others add! I hope this helps
explain how and why I can sell brand new merchandise for such
low prices. |
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Q. How long will it take for my order to arrive? -- please see below A. That depends upon the
shipping method you choose, and where you're located. If you
choose UPS Ground shipping, it can take anywhere from one to
7 business days to reach you. All the equipment is shipped out
of California; so if you're in California, your goodies should
arrive within 1-2 days; if you're in New York (for example) it
could take anywhere from 4-7 business days to reach you. If you
choose Second Day Air shipping, your goodies will arrive in two
days, no matter where you are (in the original 48 contiguous
states); if you choose Next Day Air shipping, you'll get your
goodies the very next business day (but you'll have to pay extra
for the overnight shipping, of course). |
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Q. Is this equipment brand new? Does it come with any guarantees? Yes, ALL this equipment is brand
new, and every single item is covered by the manufacturer's one
full year limited warranty. Just because the prices are great,
doesn't mean the equipment is in any way less than 100% absolutely
brand new, current 2002 models. This equipment is NOT repaired,
refurbished, or customer returns (unlike some other sellers who
are passing off returned and/or refurbished equipment as new).
Rest assured that anything and everything you may order from
me is absolutely perfect, brand new professional photographic
equipment. Just check out my feedback
for assurance. |
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Q. What's the reserve price? What are the shipping charges? I always clearly list
the reserve prices and the shipping charges in ALL my auctions
for all to see (I don't keep secrets from my beloved bidders:).
Just look for the line "Ladies and Gentlemen, "Elv*s"
has left the building...." and within a couple of text boxes
above that line you'll see the reserve price clearly listed (or
do a "Find" for "reserve"). And just below
the "Elv*s" line, you'll see the shipping price clearly
listed (or do a "Find" for "shipping"). It's
the same for ALL my auctions; if it's a reserve auction, the
reserve price is clearly listed; and the shipping charges are
similarly listed for each and every one of my auctions. No tricks,
no games, no gimmicks, no bull; just honesty, integrity, and
absolutely fabulous deals on truly great equipment. |
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Q. How do I know I can trust you with my hard-earned money? Almost every seller of merchandise you'll come across anywhere will swear that HE or She is 100% honest; so how do you tell the good guys from the bad guys? Fortunately, there are a few ways to tell the difference, and perhaps the best way is to see what HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of previous eBay customers have to say about me, my products, and my absolutely fantastic customer service. So please take a moment to check out my feedback. And then, see this. As the old saying goes: "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." So check me out; see what every customer has to say about me, and trust your gut feelings. See my business philosophy, too. |
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The Power fallacy: Wouldn't I be better off buying one more powerful strobe instead of 2 or 3 less powerful strobes? It's often common for beginners in studio photography to confuse the value of power output (watt seconds) with efficacy. True, we should buy the most powerful set of lights that will fit our needs, but what's much more important than simple power is our ability to position multiple strobes to produce the best possible image. If you can afford a set of two or three (or more) powerful strobes, then that's absolutely the way to go. But if money is an object for you, then you should seriously consider the following information. As an example, if we're doing a portrait session, a couple or three 40-50WS strobes will do the job just fine. It's more important to have 2 less powerful strobes to light our victims than it is to have one much more more powerful strobe (because in portraiture, we need at least 2 oppositely-placed light sources (strobes) - and preferably 3 - to give us the best results). Ideally, with 3 strobes, we have the main light (to light the highlight side of our victim's face), the fill light (to light the shadow side of the face), and the background light (to light the backdrop, which not only gives us the depth and separation between our subject and the background, but more importantly, to blow away all the ugly shadows! The backlight is the "secret" of eliminating the shadows that plague our amateur images. Also, it's important - especially for beginners in studio lighting - for our two main strobes to be the same power! Why? Because we must light our subjects from at least two different angles (one main light, and one fill light), and it's much easier to set our lighting ratio with strobes of the same power than it is with differently-powered strobes (it may sound confusing to you now, but trust me - you'll quickly discover the truth of this suggestion when you try setting up your lighting the first time)! Far more important than power, though, is having the ability to appropriately light our subjects to get the best images. Sure, 3 or 4 or a dozen powerful strobes will eventually be more useful to us than 3 or 4 less powerful units (and if you can afford 2 or 3 or more powerful strobes, definitely go for it)! Ideally, at least two MonoLight strobes - with modeling lights - and a third strobe for a backlight, would be an ideal starter package. If you can afford the MonoLight strobes with modeling lights, absolutely go that route! It will make your photographic life much easier. But if you can only spend a certain amount of money, and can afford either one powerful monolight strobe, or 2 or 3 less powerful strobes (for portraiture, or small to medium product photography, for example), you'll be better off with the 2-3 less powerful strobes, than you'd be with the one more powerful unit, for lighting your subject. Look at it like this: Sure, a big 18-wheeler truck is much, much, more powerful than a passenger car; but if all you need a vehicle for is to take you to work and on your way around town, you're much better off with the passenger car - ever try to park an 18-wheeler on the street, or in the mall or supermarket parking lot (or anywhere else, for that matter)? Do you really need a gigantic, smoke-belching, 900 horsepower diesel engine and a 10-gear manual transmission? See? Beginning to get the picture now? ;-) So basically, if your budget
will allow for it, get the most powerful set of strobes you can
comfortably afford, and try to get as many strobes that come
with modeling lights as you can. But there are lots of us who
would love to get started in studio photography, but just can't
afford the more expensive units. Remember , though, that millions
of photographers around the world are successfully making great
pictures every day using strobes without modeling lights! It's
exactly the same as when you use your camera's flash or a dedicated
flash on your camera's hot shoe to take a picture; these flashes
never have modeling lights, but billions of successful flash
pictures are taken each and every year. It's just a trial and
error learning curve with strobes without modeling lights; after
a while, you'll get the technique down, and will know how to
set up your strobes - it's not as convenient as strobes with
modeling lights, but folks were driving cars without automatic
transmissions and without power steering for many decades - and
successfully getting to where they wanted to go. Sure, an automatic
transmission and power steering (and brakes) make the trip easier
and more convenient, but cars with the extra goodies cost more
than those without the goodies - just like strobes do, too. To recapitulate, ANY pro strobe is better than no strobes, and any 2 (or 3) strobes without all the bells and whistles, are better than only one strobe. If you can afford powerful MonoLight strobes with modeling lights, by all means, go for it. If you're not able to afford the more powerful units with variable power and modeling lights, then go for whatever you can comfortably handle. I promise you that - if you put in a little time and effort - your photography will improve substantially with ANY of my lighting kits! You already know what your people pictures end up looking like when you use the flash that's built into your camera, or an accessory flash on your hot shoe: they turn out looking like doo-doo! Why? Because frontal lighting makes faces look "flat" and pasty-faced, and many of your people pix end up with your subjects staring at you with "red-eyes" and ugly shadows behind them! Any decent portrait requires off-camera strobes! And if all you can handle is one inexpensive pro strobe, that one little light will dramatically improve your pictures, simply because you can place it off to the side of your subject, rather than full frontal lighting! Add a $2.00 reflector (a piece of white poster board from any art supply store), and your one pro strobe with that reflector board, and you can make your portraits look almost as good as many professional portraits! The important aspect is that you can dramatically improve your pictures simply by acquiring a little lighting equipment, and putting in a little time and effort to learn how to make light your friend instead of your enemy! It ain't rocket science, folks! I assure you, you CAN do it! |
| Thank you for viewing my auctions or visiting my
web site, your time and interest are most sincerely appreciated. Back to top of this "10 Questions" list----------------------------Back to top of page ---------- Business Philosophy |
|
Q. What does the "Additional Shipping" charge in eBay auctions mean? Regarding the "Additional Shipping Charges"
listed in "dutch" eBay auctions, and in eBay store
listings, this often confuses folks, and lots of times someone
will e-mail me thinking I'm trying to "sneak in" extra
charges. C'mon folks, shame on you for thinking I'd ever do anything
as unfair and underhanded as that! Haven't you checked my feedback?
eBay adds the "Additional Shipping" category,
not me. But here's what it really means: For example, if you bid on and won TWO (or more) kits, you'd pay the standard shipping charges to ship the FIRST kit (including ALL the items that make up the kit or package) and then you'd pay the reduced "additional shipping" charges for the 2nd kit. Therefore, for the folks who order MORE than one package, they would pay the standard shipping charges to ship the FIRST Kit or Package to them, and then they'd pay the lesser "additional shipping" charges for the 2nd or 3rd packages (basically, if I can ship two or more kits to the same address at the same time, UPS will charge me less, and then I'll pass on the savings to the buyers who order multiple kits). And that is what the "additional shipping" charges mean. I know this "additional shipping" charge is often confusing to many bidders, who sometimes think it means they'll have to pay extra shipping charges for each box shipped, but that's how eBay chooses to list this charge. Once again, the total shipping charges
for one entire auction Package or Kit is ONLY the standard
shipping charge listed (via UPS Ground in the contiguous 48 US
states). So if you bid on and win one auction, the TOTAL
amount you'd pay for shipping it to you would be standard shipping
charges (via UPS Ground in the contiguous 48 US states). You'll
only pay "additional" shipping if you order more than
one kit or package. You may also choose to add the optional
insurance coverage, if you like (this covers one complete package
- all the items that it comes with). I hope this answers your
question on this issue; if not, please don't hesitate to ask
me for more information. |
| For additional questions and answers, please see the links listed below... |
| For more information, explanations, additional pictures, etc., click on the title you're interested in learning more about, below. | ||
| Technical Information - Answers to many common photographic questions | See my eBay Feedback <- Must See! | |
| Strobes / Flash Units - All the parts & controls of pro strobes explained in detail, with pictures and illustrations | Business Philosophy | |
| Exposure - Issues & explanations | Setting up your new equipment | Backgrounds |
| FAQ - Many common questions answered! | Softboxes / SoftCases | |
| What kind of lighting equipment do I need? | Strobes | |
| Customer Safety | Accessories | Carrying Cases |
| What's a flashmeter? | Umbrellas | Photography Books |
| Learn to "think outside the box." | How I learned to "see" Beauty.... | Photography Magazines |
| Photo Gallery with educational comments on the images... | Online Order form | |
| Updated! TONS of great Photography Links - camera manufacturers, newsgroups, suppliers, online photo sites, photo mags, and much, much, more | Payment & Shipping Options | |
| Photo Tips for real beginners! Some helpful hints for better pix | Photography? | |
| Photo Filters - and how to use them & improve our photography today! | more's coming soon... | |
| What equipment do I need? | Photography - art and craft | Stupid questions |
| What's "ambient" light? | Continuous lighting ("hot lights") | Edison's failures |
| After ordering one of your packages, what else do I need (in addition to the strobes, etc.)? | ||
| Find out what over 3,500 photographic customers (and over 700 wonderful eBay buyers) already know about my equipment, customer service, reliability, and honesty: Check out my eBay Feedback! <-- Go on, check it out! | ||
| MyPhotoHome.Com! <-- Don't miss it! | ||
© 2002 RMorgan/Adam Publishing Co./Photographer's
SupplyStation; All Wrights Wreserved Worldwide! So there! ;-)
| For more information, explanations, lotsa pictures, etc., click on the title you're interested in learning more about, below: | ||
| Technical Information - Answers to many common photographic questions | See my eBay Feedback <- Must See! | |
| Strobes / Flash Units - All the parts & controls of pro strobes explained in detail, with pictures. explanations, and illustrations | Business Philosophy | |
| Exposure - Issues & explanations | Setting up your new equipment | Backgrounds |
| FAQ - Many common questions answered! | Softboxes / SoftCases | |
| Customer Safety | Accessories | Carrying Cases |
| What's a flashmeter? | Umbrellas | Photography Books |
| Learn to "think outside the box." | How I learned to "see" Beauty.... | Photography Magazines |
| Photo Gallery with educational comments on the images... | Online Order form | |
| Updated! TONS of great Photography Links - camera manufacturers, newsgroups, suppliers, online photo sites, photo mags, and much, much, more | Payment & Shipping Options | |
| Photo Tips for real beginners! Some helpful hints for better pix | more's coming soon... | |
| Photo Filters - and how to use them - improve your photography today! | more's coming soon... | |
| Find out what over 3,500 photographic customers (and over 700 wonderful eBay buyers) already know about my equipment, customer service, reliability, and honesty: Check out my eBay Feedback! <-- Go on, check it out! | ||
© 2002 all rights reserved