SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC)

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I've had a set for years. I've been able to adapt some after-market modifiers to them and I've done plenty of great work with them.

It's not easy to find the little fuses and they blow every now and then. Recycle time is SLOW, not fast. When mine were purchased it was rather inexpensive for a whole set, they seem to have gone up.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I've had Excalibur lighting for over 15 years now....and NEVER had one slight problem. I own three strobes, and just purchased my fourth. The reliability is amazing, since they have all flashed thousands of times, without a glitch. The 'slave' option is strong, even when not quite in the line of view, and I love the smooth 'slider' used for the intensity of the strobe and the model light.
I bought this brand as a beginners, and assumed that I would have to 'upgrade' in five years. My 'upgrading' has now become buying more of the same. Things that 'aren't' so great about them?? I haven't found any yet!
Sarah

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I bought these lights to complete a four light kit for college classes. I had previously purchased the Excalibur 6400 model and added these lights to use with those. The lights all have similar and easy to use controls, which was helpful in combining the two kits. The reflector dishes are somewhat flimsy, and I've had to repair dents to the dish from travelling with the the lights in a soft bag. When mounting the lights to the stand, it's also somewhat difficult to get a secure fit, and the lights tend to shift slightly on the stand during use at times. The lights are easy to assemble out of the box, and work well for student usage. The kit quality would probably stand up to professional studio usage as well, although the recycle time could be a bit slow for portraits.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I use the lights in a studio setup and for large group shoots, lighting up the entire stage for ballet cast photographs.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

Bought these to round out my lighting. I have a set of constanst flourescents and now a set of strobes. Assembly was easy and the protective cover is really nice. The cycle times also seem to be fine. They are a little wobbly and I do anchor them with sand bags. Good light with nice model light aspects.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I bought these units to get back into studio photography in my retirement and I am happy with the purchase. I do portrait work and small groups and have found these units to be more than sufficient. The only problem that I had was a defective synch cord with one of the units. Instructions or a manual might have been nice.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I have had another set of these lights for over a year and have never had any problems. When I recently needed another set I didnt even hesitate to buy another set. I use these lights alot and are pretty ruff on them and I am very satisfied with them.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

Ues this on sports and they work great

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I had two of these, and both broke. I hear a pop and then the fuse goes, (5v). new fuses just blows instantly. These things just are not durable. When they work, they work fine, but when they break, its so horrible. Mine broke in a middle of a sesson, So always have a backup strobe. And it wasnt $ cheap $. very dissappointing product.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I have the Excalibur 3200, It keeps blowing the 5 v fuse. Does anyone know why? Please e-mail me with the answer. Thanks [@]

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

Good starter kit. But not very durable. Used for 2 years. These wont last forever.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I use the Excalibur monolights for still product photography. One of the problems that my company came across when shooting the photos was that the color temperature wasn't warm enough... the product looked different in the client's home than it did on the website. These lights not only fixed the issue, but with flying colors. I would recommend these lights to anyone doing photography, including portraits.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

It's easy to use and has nice power. Recycle time is a little slow. It performed well the first time I used it.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

This monolight, along with the SP 920 is my first lighting set up. I wanted something for event portraiture. This unit was easy to learn how to use, quick to set up, and reliable. The only real issue I had was the stand, which comes as part of the kit, appears flimsy. The light does appear to be extremely powerful. I haven't used it at more than 1/2 power as of yet.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

This is the second unit of this type that I have bought, and it is wonderful. Easy to use and set up and produces wonderful light. A lot of features for a low price! I've used it for several weddings with both 35mm and digital SLR cameras with fantastic results.

The refresh time could be a bit faster - not good for rapid succession of photos.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I've used a lot of lights, including name-brand direct-manufacturer lights (that I'm not supposed to mention), and others. I am very impressed by the quality of these lights, but most of all, the control offered in these inexpensive units, and spot-on accurate color. I use these in my personal studio, and a system about 10 times more expensive for my main studio. The SPs are a joy to use.

My only niggling complaint is the slight wobbliness of the connector clamp to the light stand, but it works.

I have all the light modifiers for the SP line, and use 3 3200's, several 1600s, and two 6400s. Honestly, I seldom use the 6400s because the light output of the 3200s are more than powerful enough for most work I do. In fact I often have them dialed all the way down on power, even at ISO 100.

I have a combination of older and newer units, and I have to say the newer ones have some great features like built in slave, and auto dump when turned off or power is turned down. I also appreciate the robust sync cord that uses a 1/4" phono plug on the light end. Features like the dump, ability to turn on modeling lights and adjusting the output along those of the flash light, and ability to turn sound on or off. The one oddity is that lights do not charge at exactly the same time, so you'll hear several beeps when each light comes to charge.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I've used these lights for product shots for a while, and now am using them for fashion photography. They are good general all purpose lights that can achieve a wide variety of looks depending on how you know how to use them and understand lighting.

The light stand is a little flimsy looking when you raise the light to it's full height. But if you don't mind that, and your model(s) feels safe and comfortable. NOT A PROBLEM I SAY!

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

First off, the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because it's not the best flash that you can buy. However, I am brand new to studio lighting and I decided that buying one good 300W light was better than two 100W lights. The Excalibur SP3200 is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't have to spend a fortune for a quality studio light! If you have the extra money, go for the two SP3200 kit. But if you have a flash, you can use the flash to trigger the optical slave on the SP3200. It works like a charm!

As some have said, the tripod this comes with is a little flimsy but if you're careful you'll have no problems. I'll be buying more of these in the future.

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

I purchased 2 of these to start a studio business at the recommendation of the staff at B&H. These have a very fast recycle time as well as user friendly functions. I would recommend purchasing at least 3 of these lights if you plan on doing shots with more than 2 subjects. The umbrellas are fine for reflective use as well as transmission light shots. The stands should be a bit wider for more stabilization.

Expertise: New pro

Problems Encountered: Tipsy stands.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: None in this category. Use these with Nikon D-200 and D-300

Items I Recommend: Wireless radio transmitter, Wider stand

Comments about SP Studio Systems Excalibur 3200 - 320 Watt/Second Monolight (120VAC):

The Excalibur series has some of the fastest recycle times compared to other similar products. You don't have the frustration of waiting for the strobe to recharge between shots. I've been using them for years and they are rock-solid dependable.

Expertise: Pro

Items I Recommend: The SP Systems 920 makes for a good back light. The barn doors and grid are good too.