sunpak platinum plus

Autonomous

yeah it's called
"Deluxe digital imaging kit platinum plus by sunpak"
it includes versatile compact tripod (about 42" high), compartment bag, combo flash and video light with accessory bracket and built-in slave (???), and sunpak lenspen (lens cleaning kit thing).
i saw this package thing somewhere in the local store around my area for $50.
and since I'm a total beginner and new into the photography world (im a hs student and just started like a month ago), should i get it? is it worth it?
what are your thoughts and opinion?
thanks and appreciate it!

Art Scott

It is not worth the package it is in............it does not deserve being called junk as junk is much better...........this is just my 'umble opinon also.

I like my tripod to be at least chin high without camera or anyting attached (I'm 5'9")......
sunpak makes some very good flashes....but a combo vid+ strobe has got to be junk, cause it can't be a good vid light or good strobe...........

Save your money....buy a good cheap used tripod....I use the Giottos brand and mine is no longer in the line up but I paid a tad over $100 for it and it is a pro model in 4 sections....I wanted for sections to get the smallest size I could for backpacking it and I sold a bogen to buy this one.......

For a beginner flash I would suggest a sunpak 383 or vivatar 285HV...neither are dedicated flashes but both are work horses and I believe under $100 ......... I shot for several years using the Vivatar 285HV then went up to a larger flash the Sunpak 522 then up to the bigun Sunpak 622 (you can see pics of these at BH photo's website.............

Do you have a camera yet?? What is it?? for future reference you might want to list gear in your signature or at least in your bio.........

ziggy53

It's a kit with a very cheap tripod, a cheap plastic case, a cheap light (probably similar to a flashlight) and a lens pen. It looks like you probably saw it at a "Best Buy" store.

No, it's not really anything you need right now and certainly not a bargain or value.

What do you really hope to accomplish with your camera?

Autonomous

I just wanna accomplish of taking a professional shot you know.
so it's not worth it?

oh and I have canon XTi

du8die

Cameras, Flashes, Tripods, etc are only tools. They do not make a shot "professional." The tool that does that is your eye.

I've seen some very good shots come off of Point and Shoot cameras. The best thing you can do to improve your shots is to learn as much about your camera as you can. Learn what Aperture priority and Shutter Priority mode does. Then, go out and buy the tools that you need to supplement what your camera is capable of. Lenses are a great place to start.

You may already know this all, so I don't mean to insult your intelligence. But, buying a $500 flash will not make a shot good if you don't know how to take a good shot without it.

Good Luck,
d8

ziggy53

Autonomous wrote:

I just wanna accomplish of taking a professional shot you know.
so it's not worth it?

oh and I have canon XTi

While you probably do need a tripod, you need something better than the one included in this "kit". I would scour yard/garage sales and thrift shops and such to get an older but functional tripod.

The first thing I would recommend to purchase is an electronic flash. It doesn't have to be too fancy, a simple auto/manual flash will often do the job. If you buy used, make sure the "trigger voltage" is very low in order to be safe with your digital camera. Use the following site for a guide:

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

If you want to purchase a new flash, the venerable Vivitar 285HV is back in production and would make a marked difference in the quality of indoor images and even outdoor images when used as fill light. A couple of cheap and easy DIY modifiers will lend additional capabilities and light quality:

http://www.fototime.com/inv/908195739C4C0D3

http://abetterbouncecard.com/

While I really recommend a flash with both tilt and swivel, the Vivitar above (tilt only) is a great start. It's also pretty easy to slave for off camera use.

For more flash topics and tutorials:

http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/