el-cheapo strobe setup. Whatcha' think?
LivingLarge
Registered Users Posts: 120 Major grins
OK. So I am a rank newbie here at DGrin and SM. Just got my new 50D and have the 10-22 ef-s and kit 28-135 ef lens.:barb Will be getting 70-200 2.8 later. For now, I want to be able to have strobe light from at least 2 sources, (basic studio setup) but don't have the coin to give up for the kits I see in the mags. These going for $800-$2000. :dunno Sooooooo....I am thinking of getting one 580ex II for master and two older 420ex for slaves and using Canons wireless TTL. The 580 can be set to NOT FIRE yet still send the signal for the 420's to flash. I can use these as a moveable, flexible and most importantly, CHEAP "strobe kit". This setup will fit in my bag along with my body and lenses so is VERY PORTABLE. Any comments?
Living Large
Living Large
“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
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Transmitter instead of one flash to control the other two flashes.
The super el Cheapo route would be to buy two used Nikon SB-24
and an 16 channel eBay Radiotrigger set. Drawbacks are that the
SB-24 cannot be mounted directly on your camera and that the
flashes have to be set manualy.
― Edward Weston
Get some cheap lightweight stands (at least one 6-7 ft high) and umbrellas too, other than that it's a good plan
http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Pyry, Excellent idea for the umbrellas/reflectors and stands. Does anyone know where I can get a couple of stands "el-cheapo"? I would prefer 13 foot size but will make do with 9 or 10 foot.
Thanks for the feedback!
LivingLarge
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
1. Take a look at Adorama and/or B&H and see what you can find - remembering that you don't need something to hold 50 pounds of light so you won't need to spend for the expensive stuff.
2. Take look through Stobist for some really creative ideas on doing off-camera lighting on the cheap. He is like the master at this.
The question: From where abouts in MT do you hail? I went to school in Bozeman and my folks live in Joliet (about half way between Billings and Red Lodge). Just curious.
HTH
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I also found out that the ST-E2 is cheaper by almost 1/2 the price of a 580EX II.
Long distance transmission are very uncommon when shooting portrait like
situations. Thats where radio triggers come into play they are much more
reliable because they don't rely on a line of sight like the IR based Canon
trigger system.
― Edward Weston
13 foot light stands are trusses and umbrellas don't come in sizes that big..
Try searching dealextreme.com - absolutely no guarantees on quality, but it is dirt cheap.
http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
ST-E2 uses IR, but the flashes communicate with the main bulb (try it, cover the main on the master and slaves go quiet) - they hide the talking in the preflash sequence.
One thing about using multiple hot shoe flashes btw - batteries, they will have a set each for breakfast these things. I would consider making AC-adapters and carry a pile of rechargeables.
http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
Good point on the price, however I will have the 580ex II anyway and it can function in the same respect. Point taken.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
Pyry, I was thinking ahead on the 13 footers. Later on with larger strobes/guns and doing group shots:D Also, great point on the batteries. I have a bunch of nihd recharges and several chargers, but I did not consider this before and will factor it in!~
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
I recommend starting with a single flash and some inexpensive modifiers. Later, you can add more flashes and build your lighting system.
If nothing else, add a single Vivitar 285HV, a Wein "Peanut" slave and use the Canon 580EX as trigger (in manual mode). Lots you can do with just those 2 flashes.
Simple flash modifiers you can build for very little:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3
http://abetterbouncecard.com/
Joe Demb also makes an interesting device for sale (reasonable):
http://www.dembflashproducts.com/flipit/
I own a FlipIt product and it works well and is very well made.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
I've never heard about that, where can I read that up? What is the IR for then?
― Edward Weston
Thanks Ziggy, I have perused these sites/pages as well, all very good info. I have and will continue to use a few of the tips. I am definatly gunna look into the Vivitar and "peanut" combo too!
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
Oh I do think the receivers are all IR - there's just no point to putting a second transmitter in the flash because the main bulb will emit plenty of IR to do that job as well. As for the IR emitter on the st-e2, it's more discreet, uses less power and doesn't mess with preflashes.
This is a good read.
http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
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All good points Pyry and Raphy...I guess I am looking for the cleanest, most function (TTL) setup that I can utilize later even after getting high power strobes. I like that I can carry the 420 flashes in my bag - although I will also have to get a bag for the stands and umbrella reflectors too!
Great feedback all and I thank you. Any other points I would love to hear from ya.
LL
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heartis an artist.”
...which won't have any kind of TTL-function. The 580EX is the most powerful flash available from Canon with wireless E-TTL. More power from there means going to studio strobes, which are all manual mode stuff as far as I know. Only option to increase power while maintaining E-TTL is adding more flash units.
http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/