Let there be music

Today I shot “Photo Day” for students at a music/drama school all day. Fun!

And in the middle of the shoot, one more of my Opus lights broke. This 250 Ws monolight totally stopped working -maybe blew a fuse? – in mid shoot. I had a spare – but that now makes 8 out of 9 Opus lights I have ever bought that have broken. An incredible ratio.

Nadel, the Canadian importer, says:

These unit were designed for the “Home User” looking to experiment with strobe lighting with out paying the premium for professional lights. [ ]  Your current Opus lights do carry a 2 year warranty. Just return the units to the point of purchase with proof of purchase and they will facilitate the repair process.

For home users? Interesting then that these lights say “FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY” on them. Warranty is a moot point if 8 out of 9 break. So now I need to do work and the replacements will also break, if the 8 out of 9 total is statistically significant. Which it is.

Fortunately, the Bowens lights I use for most shooting are excellent.

0 thoughts on “Let there be music

  1. The importer wrote to me again. This time they say:

    Sorry to hear about your issues.

    As noted in your blog post the more expensive Bowens units are an excellent choice for a full time working photographer. As you know there are many lighting equipment choices all with their own pro’s and con’s. The Opus line was designed for the amateur photographer looking to expand their knowledge of photography without the cost of purchasing expensive “pro” equipment, not unlike an amateur purchasing an entry level DSLR.

    A pro photographer would avoid using a Canon Rebel XSI because it isn’t designed for the demanding environment of a pro photographer. The Opus line was designed in a similar fashion. Nadel Inc. designed the Opus units for the amateur so they could enjoy the world of flash photography that otherwise would be to expensive to explore.

    Nadel Inc. recommends that full time and / or serious professional use equipment designed for that fast paced working environment. Bowens as mentioned is a solid choice. Nadel pro series is call LumaHawk. Speed-o-tron and Profoto are also excellent pro level products.

    We apologize for any confusion in this matter but as you noted in your blog “These unit were designed for the “Home User” looking to experiment with strobe lighting with out paying the premium for professional lights.”

    So they use their own words back to me, in an odd tautology. The fact is, those words were their words. The light say “For Commercial Use Only”. Eight of of nine failures: I’ll let the facts speak.

  2. I wouldn’t say that shooting a music school is exactly demanding.

    As for home use, huh? Really? What exactly should I be shooting at home for which the Opus lights would be suitable???

  3. Indeed. If I were firing these 1,000 times a day every day, sure. But 100 flashes a day a few times a year should not kill a light.

    And printing “For Commercial Use Only” on the light and then saying the above does not impress.

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