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Flash: go for the cheap or invest?
I haven't read thru the entire thread, so some of the points may have been mentioned a dozen times over. The lights I been using is nothing really special (Norman P500-M setup), but they're strobes and capable for the most part. Course I have tried the route of using a couple potatoe masher flashes on wireless triggers with ratios preset (you know like a Sunpak 611 or one of those other big flash units) in the sense of being more portable, kind of lighting *in a pinch*. Boy I'll tell ya its much easier said than done, not in terms of getting a look but more in actually using them. The first thing you'll notice is that for the amount of light you would need to match the strobes recycle time takes a serious hit. You could be waiting several seconds before moving onto the next shot. Also I won't even bother mentioning batteries, recycle time is still a problem even if I have all the flash units hooked into an AC outlet or a direct power source. Also if the flash tube burns out, its out, might as well get a new flash unit. With the strobes you can replace the bulb, and better yet you can choose to replace them all at the same time so that they all have a much better chance keeping the same life. Which can be very important if you want correct color temperature so that the mixed age of the lights don't cause 'mixed lighting' ,even with digital it would become very difficult to have to correct for one light being a couple hundred kelvins off on temperature due to age. Also a strobe unit isn't that expensive when you compare to the highest end flashes. Two of the big things the shoe-based flashes have going for them is portability and automation. But you can even get a 1600 Alien Bee unit for less than the price of a 580EX (or two 400s for just over it, course consider price of 50$ light stands, and modifiers of your choice), if I was going to do a lot of controlled lighting set ups, I would opt for a cheap AB unit than I would for an 'expensive' canon unit. Jan 15 08 11:45 am Link Sventender wrote: I started with a 430ex and quickly got frustrated with the limitations of on-camera flash. I considered getting an ST-E2 but finally went with the 580EX2 as that give me more long-term options. My set-up right now is the 430 firing into an umbrella as the key light, with the 580 on camera with a sto-fen omni-bounce diffuser for fill. I've only used it on 2 shoots so far so I'm still working out the kinks, but so far I like it better than my attempts using continuous lighting. Jan 15 08 05:44 pm Link JLC Images wrote: I do as well -- I can throw my entire studio rig in a backpack and take it with me anywhere I go. Jan 15 08 05:52 pm Link |
