Introduction

Ekasilp manufacture a complete range of studio lighting and accessories at prices a lot lower than other manufacturers. I am normally a believer in buying the best I can afford because experience has show that buying cheap is often a false economy. My dilemma was I wanted to play with some studio lighting but didn't want to spend a fortune.

When I saw the Excella kits advertised in a local photography shop (I live in Thailand), they seemed to fit the bill and the prices were very attractive. If you need the best in reliability and robustness this equipment may not be for you, but what I bought has so far exceeded my expectations and has given me the chance to experiment with a studio lighting set up.

Unfortunately, the information provided by Ekasilp is not very good or very comprehensive. They actually understate the capabilities of their equipment and I have been pleasantly surprised regarding various things I have discovered.

Local shops selling the equipment didn't know very much about it either, and I couldn't find anything useful on-line. If you are looking for information, I hope this helps.

The Stardust Flash System

These are the simplest type of flash units available in the range and come in three different output capacities: 30 W/S, 50 W/S and 80 W/S. The 80 W/S model with an 'M' designation (which stands for either Main or Master) has a PC-synch socket and a test button. Once set up, pressing the test button on the 80M flash will trigger all the lights in your lighting set up.

At the time of writing I've been using the system for well over a year and have had no problems. I don't use it that often - and I don't use my equipment in extreme conditions - but it has always worked reliably and safely.

The lights store a charge. After switching off and unplugging everything, remember to press the test button in order to fire the flashes thereby discharging them.

Triggering Methods

From the camera the lights can be triggered in various ways.

1. By connecting a standard synch-cord (provided with the kit) from the camera to the 80M unit.
2. By using the on-board (or hot-shoe mounted flash) on your camera; either will trigger the studio flashes.
3. By using an external infra-red flash transmitter. The Electra FT-01 flash transmitter sells in Thailand for about Bt1,800 and uses two AA batteries.

This unit works fairly well and gives you the freedom to roam around without having a synch-cord attached to your camera. However, it only works if in a line-of-sight of the flash units. If you get into the wrong position it will stop working.

With the FT-01 there is no electrical connection through the hot shoe connection on the camera. A short cable is supplied that connects the FT-01 to the camera's PC-synch socket.

It takes two AA-size batteries, and these should last for about eight hours. The unit switches off after three minutes to save power. According to Electra, the working range is 45m. I haven't tried this and I can't imagine why you would be so far away from your lights.

Whenever I use my studio lights I stand right beside them.

Kits

For the beginner, Ekasilp supply complete kits to get you started. In Thai Baht the prices range from Bt4,900 to Bt47,900. What surprised me was the completeness of the kit I bought. I was expecting to have to at least buy a synch cord but there was one included.

The kits contain everything you will need, including all holders and lightstands, carrying bag(s) and a DVD guide to basic studio lighting. The cheaper kits are a good way to get started on a budget. With the very cheapest kit (which only has one main light source) you would probably need to buy a reflector to even up the lighting a little when shooting portraits but the other kits contain everything you need.

• Stardust Kit: 80 W/S M flash with holder, stand, and diffusing umbrella. Synch-cord. 30 W/S flash with holder and stand for lighting the background. (Bt4,900)
• Stardust Plus Kit: 80 W/S and 80 W/S M flashes with holders, stands, and diffusing umbrellas. Synch-cord. 30 W/S flash with holder and stand for lighting the background. (Bt7,900)
• Casa Kit: As per Stardust Kit but additionally with an 80cm x 80cm softbox, an 150 W/S Casa light unit, and a refector umbrella. (Bt12,900)
• Casa Plus Kit: Two 250 W/S softbox units, an 80 W/S Stardust light, two reflector umbrellas and two bags. Synch-cord. (Bt19,900)
• Prisma Kit: Two 500 W/S Prisma flash units (one with a 100cm x 100cm softbox and one with a diffusing umbrella), one Casa 200 W/S unit, flash transmitter, three reflector umbrellas and two bags. Synch-cord. (Bt29,900)
• Prisma Plus Kit: One 500 W/S, one 800 W/S Prisma unit, two Casa 250 W/S units, one square 100cm x 100cm softbox, one octagonal 100cm softbox, flash transmitter, four reflector umbrellas, and three bags to carry everything. Synch-cord.

Metering

With these lighting systems there are no fancy through-the-lens (TTL) metering techniques used that vary the output from the flash units. Light output with the more expensive units can be controlled but with the basic Stardust units you just get a blast of light at full power for - I think - 1/1000 of a second. There are different ways you can go about setting exposure.

With a digital camera it is possible just to experiment using the recorded image and histogram as a guide. Of course, you will need to set a shutter speed at, or slower than, the camera's maximum synch speed. Once the shutter speed is set, it is a case of changing the aperture value of physically moving the flash units towards or away from the subject.

The DVD guide that comes with the kits recommends the use of a hand-held flash meter to measure incident light, and it so happens that Ekasilp also sell a budget flash meter. It is not nearly as fancy as, for example, a Sekonic model but a lot cheaper.

So far, I haven't invested in a flash meter. It would be essential with a film camera but I have found that the trial-and-error method with a digital camera works pretty well and is quite quick to set up.

Compared to camera manufacturer dedicated systems

The entire Stardust Plus Kit was cheaper than my Canon ST-E2 flash transmitter alone. By the time you throw in a couple of dedicated Speedlites, light stands and umbrellas, the cost of a dedicated system will be considerably higher.

One advantage of a dedicated system is that it runs on batteries so you can use it in the middle of a field with no problems. Dedicated systems also feature some very fancy metering systems that do a lot of the exposure calculations for you.

When using the ST-E2 to control two Speedlites (or two groups of Speedlites) it is possible to alter the ratio of the lighting simply by flicking a switch. With the studio lighting I have to physically move the units to achieve the same effect.

The amount of artificial light needed to reproduce daylight is enormous. Studio lights can be quite blinding but the result is good. Using my battery-powered Canon 550EX isn't quite the same even if it is relatively powerful for a hot-shoe flash. The recycling time of the AC studio lights is also a lot faster, as would be expected.

It's not a case of one system being better than the other, but for different situations - and different budgets - one system might be more suitable for your needs.

Contact details and support

Web Site: Ekasilp Industry Limited

Product photography

My early attempts at product photography using the studio lights have been quite encouraging. I've just used a plain black or white piece of card as a background. The lights have produced good even lighting without any shadows. Click on the thumbnail images at the top of the page for some examples.

Portraits

Apart from product photography, my other intended use of the lights was for portrait work. I was unexpectedly asked to help with the advertising of a local spa and massage shop.

The rooms inside the shop were very dark but with the studio lighting kit I was able to get a fairly natural looking scene with balanced light. Taking the kit on location (in the bag supplied) proved to be quite easy.