Canadian Studio - Photography Studio Equipment

How much power do I need?
This depends on the type of photography you do and the size of your studio space. If you're doing simple portraits with softboxes or umbrellas in a normal sized living room then you'll need much less power than if you're shooting in a large space or if you're using any of the more creative lighting tools, such honeycombs, that 'eat' a lot of light. Modern digital cameras produce pretty good results if the ISO setting is increased, so if you ever find yourself needing more power you can always double the ISO from say 100 to 200 (or from 200 to 400 on some cameras) which in effect will double the power of your lights.

What does the guide number mean?
The guide number is a measurement of the actual power created by the flash head. It's more useful than the power itself, for example 200 Ws, because that refers only to the amount of power stored in the capacitors, not to the amount of power that you actually get.
The guide number is measured with the flash head fitted with a standard reflector (other types of reflector or light modifier will produce different readings) and with the ISO set to 100.
Lencarta guide number tests are carried out in a commercial studio, where the large size produces conservative figures that you can trust. The same tests carried out in a smaller room, and especially if it has white walls, will produce higher figures.
A guide number of, say, 100 means that at a distance of 10' from the light, an aperture of f/10 will give you the correct exposure. We arrive at this figure by dividing the distance in feet from the flash meter to the flash head, which gives us the aperture. Using this method, the guide No. of 162 gives an aperture of f/16.2 and the 232 guide No. gives an aperture of f/23.2.
Some people express guide numbers in meters instead of in feet. To convert a guide No. from feet to metres, multiply the number by 0.328. You'll see that 100 becomes 32.8, 162 becomes 53.14 and 232 becomes 76.1.
Unfortunately, by no means all suppliers state accurate figures.

Can I safely plug my flash heads into an extension lead, or does each flash head need to have its own socket?
It's good safety practice never to use extension leads, but flash heads don't consume much power so can be plugged into multi-connectors provided that they are in good condition and suitable for the amount of amperage involved. Even our most powerful flash head, the 1000 watt/second, only consumes just over 2.5 amps so in theory up to 5 can be run from a single extension cable rated at 13 amps.

How important is the colour temperature of my flash heads?
It depends partly on the standard of work you want to produce and partly on the type of subject. For some food advertising shots you'll need incredibly consistent colour temperature, but for most portraits a tolerance of up to 300K is fine, although some makes of flash heads can vary by far more than this. All Lencarta flash heads are fully tested for colour temperature at every power setting, and are guaranteed to be accurate. Unfortunately, by no means all suppliers state accurate figures.

Do I need a honeycomb for my softbox?
Softbox honeycombs work in much the same way as honeycombs made for reflectors - they control the spread of light and force it to travel in almost straight lines, so you will need one if you use the softbox when it is pointing towards the camera lens but will not need it if it is pointing away from the camera lens, although even when pointing away from the camera, honeycombs can still be useful because the restrict the spread of the light.

About Canadian Studio

Do you have a showroom? Can I try the equipment before buying them?
Although we don't have a showroom as such, you're very welcome to visit our warehouse located in Richmond, BC by arrangement to see and our equipment before you buy. Please ring to make an appointment.

I want to buy a general purpose studio kit, good for light commercial and portrait work. What do you recommend?
It's difficult to give useful general advice on this because everyone has different needs. Please ring us for impartial, expert advice tailored to your own needs.

Is my camera compatible with Canadian Studio lighting products?
Our equipment are compatible with all post 1970 film and digital SLR cameras. A compact camera which has on-board hotshoe or PC-sync socket is also compatible. However, some Sony/Minolta cameras have a non-standard hotshoe and an adapter will be needed to allow these cameras to operate with a radio trigger.

Return Policies

• Returned goods must be received by us within 30 days beginning with the day on which the goods are delivered
• We recommend that you send your returns to us using a carrier who can give us a proof of delivery as, until the parcel reaches us, it is your responsibility.
• Goods and packaging must be as new.
• You are responsible for the return shipping charges if you are returning items because you have changed your mind. The actual cost of shipping the order to you will be deducted from the refund
• Refunds are usually processed within a few days of us receiving the goods back. Please allow a further week for the amount to show on your account. We will refund you by the same method as payment (i.e. same card, Paypal)
• If you think the item your received is faulty or have any other questions please get in touch with our support team via email or give us a call.

I need the equipment urgently. How fast can you deliver?
The standard shipping service is Expedited Parcel. For Canada, the typical service time is 2 to 7 business days. For USA, the typical service time is 5 to 10 business days.Xpress shipping method is available upon request.

How long do the flash tubes last?
Each flash tube is designed to withstand at least 50,000 full-power flashes without deterioration in performance, but typically last much longer. Spare flash tubes are available and simply plug in (no need to return the unit for repair).

It all sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?
We never compromise on quality and service. Most of our products are sold directly from our website, which means that our products come directly from the factory to you. We don't have massive overheads nor dealer mark-ups; all those savings are passed on to you.



Are spare parts available if I need them one day?
Of course. We stock a full range of spare parts, from the largest light stands, to flash tubes, bulbs and right down to the smallest fuse. Spare parts can be ordered from us directly.



What aftersales service do you provide?
All Lencarta products come with a 3 year manufacturer's return to base warranty. Modelling lamps are considered to be consumable items and are excluded from warranty. Batteries and flash tubes have a limited warranty of 6 months. After the warranty expires, we continue to service Lencarta products for a nominal fee. Our service centre is based in the UK.

All our products are supplied with a "30-day cooling off period", within which customers can return the purchased goods for full refund. Goods returned for refund must be delivered to us not later than 30 days after delivery of the order and must be returned in their original packaging and both the goods and the packaging must be in new, unused and unmarked condition. Goods are accepted Monday - Friday except during normal working hours, Bank Holiday excepted.