Looking at buying an old lighting system.

the problem with old strobes is they are inefficient compared to newer models.

the ebay triggers are crap, spend a little more and get the one from dot-line.

Its really not a bad price for the lights, and will probably serve you well for a long time. (you can probably get a better price for the battery at a battery store, you only need replace the cell, not the entire pack) and you might be able to bypass the battery and plug them in.

I may be too late with this- you may have already purchased the lights.  I'll write this anyway- it may help you if you have them and need a bit of troubleshooting advice or some tips.

Norman lighting equipment is pretty tough stuff- they are very durable and straightforward.  Some of the earlier models look as if the were made in a garage in that the ain't too pretty in terms of industrial design- but they work well and take a licking and keep on ticking.

As with any used equipment, you can make a good buy and have years and years of service or possibly end up with a beaten up old lemon that is on it's last legs.  Many of the Norman units were used in high volume location school portrait situations and have been dragged around for years with an awful lot of "mileage" on them. 

As far as I know the replacement flash tubes and modeling lamps are more expensive than you have been quoted.  Thing st watch out for on older units is carbonization of the flash tube electrodes- the is a blackening that forms where the electrodes enter the flash tube or a graying of the tube itself.  This can cause a red bias to occur in the final photographs that is difficult or impossible to correct.   

Other problems to look for are frayed cables and carbonized or burned contacts in the male or female connectors and jacks. If the unit has not been fired for a long time, allow it to warm up for an hour to give the capacitors a chance to reform before firing.

Some of the older models do not have anti UV coatings on the flash tubes.  You can get your new flash tubes with this coating and replace the envelopes on the older tubes with anti UV coated ones.

The Norman flash heads have good mounting facilities for umbrellas and soft boxes. If there are any mounting or set screws missing, the are easily replaced with 1/4 X 20 thumb screws, wing nuts and lock washers. 

I have some very old Norman units that I had neglected in the truck of my car- the were left there for emergency spares.  The outer cases were badly rusted and there were dents as well.  I plugged it in, let it warm up and it worked perfectly the first time.  It is now mounted on my studio ceiling as a low power fill source for use with my soft focus lenses. 

The portable Normans are built like brick outhouses.  The power packs are encased in a metal cabinet with a heavy duty leather shoulder strap.  The batteries are a pack of Sub-C Ni-cads which are in a very flat configuration.  If you replace them with the original type of cells you can use the Norman charger.  If you replace them with a 12 volt single sealed lead acid battery, you will need to charge in with a dedicated charger specifically designed for that battery.  Again theses units do not have very sleek lamp heads but they are very durable.  You can also purchase a Q Flash head which is specifically wired to work with your Norman power pack.  The heads enable a number of automatic and manual modes. The Norman portable heads can be fitted with normal, wide angle and telephoto reflectors.

Just to let you know- Besides my photography business, at one time I was building, designing, repairing and modifying electronic flash equipment.  The Normans were easily repaired when the occasionally broke down and were great for modifications.

Best of luck with this equipment.   Ed





       

Didn't find any carbon problems to speak of. Had to try them out and all I had to work with was myself. Hand held and sorta aimed using my reflection in the lens. This was just one light bouncing out of a silver umbrella.

Reviving an old thread here but I have a related question. A set of four Norman LH-4 heads and the power pack have come in to my possession, all work and fire fine although I don't currently have a way to trigger them from my camera. What would you recommend as a trigger to work with a Nikon D90? Something to suit a budget would be ideal as I'm really just wanting to try them out and see how they work for me, I may just decide to move them on as I am limited in space.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Chris.

I highly recommend this.



Can't beat it for $60 Extra receiver is $35

I have four of the china made sets.. (the eBay ones) and they are all crap. I don't know about the one you use Mike but it does look better made than the ones I got off eBay. That price is retail at a local camera store. 

The above unit, for me, has NEVER missed, the ebay triggers for me were like 10% miss.

I'm sure Mike will ship them at a fair price.

http://www.superiorcamera.com/