CowboyStudio 2000 Watt Photography and Digital Video Continuous Lighting Kit with Carrying Case - 2 light stands, 2 softboxes, 2 Light Heads, 10 photo bulbs

by CowboyStudio

Product Details

• Item Weight: 19 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 20 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001P7CAZ0
• Item model number: 2000wkit
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 8, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The CowboyStudio 2000 Watt Photography and Digital Video Continuous Lighting Kit comes with a carrying case, 2 light stands, 2 softboxes, 2 light heads, and ten 45 watt 5000k compact fluorescent daylight balanced photo bulbs. This product is used in the studio to provide any form of lighting above the subject.

The high-output daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs are ideally suited for digital photography and the daylight color eliminates the need for color correction. They also have very low heat so they don't get hot like the more common photo bulb choices.

One of the main questions are customers ask us is “what is the difference between continuous and strobe lighting?” Continuous lighting uses a constant light source to light your subject, meaning that your lights will stay on during the entirety of your photo shoot. Continuous lighting is recommended for beginners. Strobe lighting uses a flash of light at the moment your camera shutter opens to illuminate your subject. Many professionals use this type of lighting because it offers more control of the light.

Light Stand:
Versatile, Hardworking & Lightweight
Black anodized aluminum
Max Height: 6.7 Ft, Min Height: 26in
Stable & Quick Setup

Photo Bulb:
45 watt fluorescent light bulb = 200 watt Incandescent light bulbs, color temperature 5000K, total output is 2000 Watt. These high-output daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs are ideally suited for digital photography. They also have very low heat so they don't get hot like the more common photo bulb choices.

Light Socket:
It mounts on standard light stands. You can control each of the light bulb with an on/off.

Softbox
This kit is complete with two dedicated softboxes. They attached to the ac sockets that are built into the heads. Each softbox comes complete with one inside and one outside in which both are detachable.

Product Description

This kit is the perfect set up for web retailers or anyone wants to get a high quality videos and shots. It provides very higher power, total output is 2000 Watt continuous lighting. Lighting Stand:Black anodized aluminum backlight stand, Maximum height is 6.7 feet. Stable & Quick Setup. Photo Bulb:45 watt fluorescent light bulb = 200 watt Incandescent light bulbs, color temperature 5000K, total output is 2000 Watt. These high-output daylight balanced compact fluorescent bulbs are ideally suited for digital photography. They also have very low heat so they don't get hot like the more common photo bulb choices. Light Socket: It mounts on standard light stands. You can control each of the light bulb on/off.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let there be light!, October 31, 2009

By 

Visor Blue (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CowboyStudio 2000 Watt Photography and Digital Video Continuous Lighting Kit with Carrying Case - 2 light stands, 2 softboxes, 2 Light Heads, 10 photo bulbs (Electronics)

I have two sets of these and I really like them, I have no idea what others were looking for but I wanted inexpensive continuous daylight CFL for video and stills. I looked at the Westcott ones and liked them, until I saw the price, OUCH! The Westcott units are probably better made but these work well for my needs and wallet. Downside is that the stands are pretty light weight but for the money, they work fine and I have other, heavier duty, stands when I need to go taller, etc.

As an experiment, shop around and price just the 45w daylight CFL bulbs elsewhere and you'll quickly discover that getting 10 daylight CFL bulbs, two softboxes, two light heads, two stands, and a carry bag for this price is a deal!

There were no assembly instructions when I got mine but I've been using softboxes for a lot of years so I made one and posted it on YouTube -- it's also on Cowboy Studio's web site. If the rods don't fit, or you rip the material, you're doing something very wrong.

While this is certainly not a $1,000 light setup, it doesn't cost it either. Works great!

Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with the company. I just like the lights.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2000 W of light using only 450W of AC power - how they do it, May 6, 2011

By 

HMMWV "God, Country, Corps" (santa clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CowboyStudio 2000 Watt Photography and Digital Video Continuous Lighting Kit with Carrying Case - 2 light stands, 2 softboxes, 2 Light Heads, 10 photo bulbs (Electronics)

Length:: 4:21 Mins

I purchased the cowboy studio 2000W lightbox set from amazon for soft, controlled temperature illumination. In trying it out, I found that the 10 ea 45w CFL 5500K tubes used in the lightboxes are not what we were accustomed to with tungsten. I also found that cowboystudio's design and consturuction differ by quite a bit - the design is good, but the construction fails in a few areas, like overzealous stitching in some areas and none in others.

Altogether, realize that this IS NOT a $2000 lightbox set. It cost me $177. It came with all the parts, and included 20' power cords for each lamp head (standard IEC connector - but by far the longest cords I've worked with).

POWER:

10 ea 45W bulbs draw 450W of AC power and are spec'ed go give 2000W equivalent light output. That's a little better than 4:1 ratio, and CFL's are often specified at higher numbers, so I'll take the calculations, however there are 2 diffusers between the bright cfl lights and you.

Positives:

Ceramic light sockets for strength
Individual switches (5 on each head) for variable power
20 foot power cords (amazing)
Strong tripods

Negatives:

Stitching in the lightbox itself is a bit weak
Some items that should have been stitched were not
Heavy reliance on velcro to hold it together

Does it work - very well. Watch the video. If you have questions, my email is in my profile. Pleae don't ask comments here as I only check comments on my reviews on an irregular basis.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good starter kit, questions about durability, March 5, 2010

By 

Bradley K. Siefert "dim7chord" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CowboyStudio 2000 Watt Photography and Digital Video Continuous Lighting Kit with Carrying Case - 2 light stands, 2 softboxes, 2 Light Heads, 10 photo bulbs (Electronics)

So I bought this kit along with a green screen and white background from Cowboy Studio and all of them are pretty good quality. I wouldn't exactly call these professional grade quality, but that's kinda the point for only spending $[...] or so. I did have one issue where Cowboy Studio sent me a European version of this kit with the European style power adapters. I called them and they sent me out a new one pretty quickly, which was nice.

Pros:
- Very portable (comes with a great bag and boxes for all of the pieces-be sure that you don't rip up the packaging that it comes with, you will want it to repack it all together for travel)
- Good bright, white light (The soft boxes really do a nice job for a simple video or photography setup, they put out a good amount of light, and it's very soft, not abrasive at all)
- The light bulbs seem pretty high quality. You get 10 bulbs and they really seem like they will last for a very long time


Cons:
- Stands can be a little flimsy. (They are only single braced stands and I worry about durability with them going forward. They do the job, but don't trip on the cord and knock one over)
- Assembly is a little unintuitive, if I didn't see this video: [...] I don't know if I would have figured it out. My one tip is to bend the rods slightly, it will make the cover stretch less. It probably takes about 15-20 minutes to setup both of them)
- I worry a bit about how long they will last, but I probably will only use them a couple of times a month, and at that rate, I think they will be fine. If you are going to use them daily or weekly, you might want something a little higher end, or at least better stands, those seem to be the weakest part of the build