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Still trying to figure this stuff out

pennypenny Registered Users Posts: 23 Big grins
edited March 25, 2009 in Accessories
I know I asked the question before, yet after doing some research and talking to my wife (the studio kit is a surprise gift for her) I have come to the conclusion that I would like to get her a monolight kit. Can someone please direct me as to a good site and brand. I was told that some brands just dont cut, hence I do not know what is a good and what is a poor quality brand when it comes to this stuff. Mind you this is her first studio kit, one of my concerns is that I get all this stuff and she gets overwhelmed. I am just looking for the basics. She wants to shoot portraits and models.

I was advised of this kit from a freind, yet he too is starting out.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459064-REG/Impact_VSD160_2KIV_VSD160_Two_Monolight_Kit.html

I have been told the following site has some good quality productshttp://www.alienbees.com/packages.html
http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-White-Muslin-Background-10-Backdrop-Support_W0QQitemZ160322184869QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item160322184869&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1234|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1309|301:0|293:1|294:50

Any adivce would be appreciated. Also I keep running into this brand Smith Victor, is it something worth buying??

v/r

Penny

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    Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited March 24, 2009
    penny wrote:
    I know I asked the question before, yet after doing some research and talking to my wife (the studio kit is a surprise gift for her) I have come to the conclusion that I would like to get her a monolight kit. Can someone please direct me as to a good site and brand. I was told that some brands just dont cut, hence I do not know what is a good and what is a poor quality brand when it comes to this stuff. Mind you this is her first studio kit, one of my concerns is that I get all this stuff and she gets overwhelmed. I am just looking for the basics. She wants to shoot portraits and models.

    I was advised of this kit from a freind, yet he too is starting out.

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459064-REG/Impact_VSD160_2KIV_VSD160_Two_Monolight_Kit.html

    I have been told the following site has some good quality products
    http://www.alienbees.com/packages.html

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-White-Muslin-Background-10-Backdrop-Support_W0QQitemZ160322184869QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item160322184869&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1234|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1309|301:0|293:1|294:50

    Any adive would be appreciated

    v/r

    Penny
    I found this backdrop stand, yet don't know if its of good quality at

    B&H is a good company to deal with.

    Alien Bees I have never used BUT I have used Lights by their parent company PAUL C BUFF.......I have always had great products from him and if I need to speak to someone they were more than welcome to help.

    I buy background off ebay mostly but I only use one 10x24 blk muslin and I color it with colored gels from a theatrical supply here in town.

    I have heard good things about flash point mono lights.

    Advice given to me from a world reknown glamour photog about buying lights.......you can start out with 3 but 4 is better and make sure all are the same model or at least have the same power output .....

    good luck
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

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    pennypenny Registered Users Posts: 23 Big grins
    edited March 24, 2009
    Art Scott wrote:
    B&H is a good company to deal with.

    Alien Bees I have never used BUT I have used Lights by their parent company PAUL C BUFF.......I have always had great products from him and if I need to speak to someone they were more than welcome to help.

    I buy background off ebay mostly but I only use one 10x24 blk muslin and I color it with colored gels from a theatrical supply here in town.

    I have heard good things about flash point mono lights.

    Advice given to me from a world reknown glamour photog about buying lights.......you can start out with 3 but 4 is better and make sure all are the same model or at least have the same power output .....

    good luck

    I've been to the B&H but have no idea what kit to get, plus they carry various brands. I have no clue what to or not to get. Yet, I want to get her something reliable and of good to great quality.
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    Shane422Shane422 Registered Users Posts: 460 Major grins
    edited March 24, 2009
    Checkout the Digibee package from Alienbees. It is a 2 light setup for $600. Alienbees are kind of the "GM" of the lighting world. There are definitely more expensive brands, but the Alienbees will do most anything she needs. The great thing about them is that they can also use almost any light modifier (i.e. softbox, beauty dish, ...) and they have a port that allows a few different trigger systems (Cybersync and radiopoppers) to controls their output remotely. I have one Alienbee and have been very happy with it.

    If you want something more expensive, Scott Kelby did a nice write up on an Elinchrom set. http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/3874
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    ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 23,848 moderator
    edited March 25, 2009
    I use and I can recommend the FlashPoint II series monolights. If you need a kit to start, this is not too bad:

    http://www.adorama.com/FP620APWK.html

    I do recommend at least 1 softbox but I recommend a 36" x 36" at least. I also use a 60" umbrella with a removable cover sometimes, especially for a remote shoot where I need to setup quickly and easily.

    For the softbox I went with a "universal" clamp type similar to:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-Professional-36-x-36-Softbox-with-FREE-Speed-Ring_W0QQitemZ330315316555QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item330315316555&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72:1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

    I'm not crazy about the softboxes and how they go together or mount but they do the job and seem sturdy. I put them together once and then transport them assembled if need be.

    I am strongly considering the Photek SoftLighter in the 60" size for the best combination of portability and utility.

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/75852-REG/Photek_SL_6000_Umbrella_Softlighter_II.html#reviews

    Radio slaves are important for event shooting and I use something similar to the Cactus units:

    http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/product.php?productid=16656&cat=274&page=1
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
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    Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited March 25, 2009
    penny wrote:
    I've been to the B&H but have no idea what kit to get, plus they carry various brands. I have no clue what to or not to get. Yet, I want to get her something reliable and of good to great quality.

    Something I am familiar with will be Alien Bees......so go for the mid range AB800.....get 4 if you can afford it.
    I also use their brolly boxes a soft box shoot thru umbrella combo..........really nice and inexpensive.

    light stands......max height 10'......you can start out with inexpensiveones from ebay or even Amvona

    Background a very dark grey or blk muslin is most usable and easy to color

    Gel holder....lik this: NRG GEL HOLDER ......ONLY NEED 2 for the back lights

    Radio Frequency remote triggers ...... need 1 reciever for each light and at least 2 transmitters.....my sugestion is 6 recievers and 3 transmitters
    ebay RF Triggers >>>>>>>>>>> RD616: 16Channel Slave trigger ..... so you don't have sync cords going to any of the lights......also the AB's have built in optical slaves so if one light flashes they all do.


    the 1st 3 tiems are all you actually need to start work.....aside from a camera and lens.......all the others make creativity grow and flourish
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

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    Scott_QuierScott_Quier Registered Users Posts: 6,524 Major grins
    edited March 25, 2009
    15524779-Ti.gif with statements RE: AlienBees. I have a set of 4 AB800 strobes and REALLY like them. I've been using them for about 2 years now and have had ZERO issues. They fire first time, everytime. I tend to treat my gear with a bit of care, so I also got the carry bags - nice for when you need to transport them.

    In studio, radio transmitters are nice but not a REQUIREMENT. The ABs have an optical slave in them that will cause the strobe to fire when it senses another flash. So, it's quite easy to trigger them with either a camera on-board flash or an external (i.e., a Canon 580EX) pointed away from the subject(s) and set to a very low power (so that it doesn't contribute to the exposure).

    For location shooting, some sort of RF triggers are just about mandatory. More money gets you better range and/or better reliability.

    Lightstands. One for each strobe (D'oh). They come in at least two different basic flavors. Those that are air cushioned and those that aren't. I didn't get the air cushioned ones and now wish I had. The first time you get careless and the lightstand collapses when you slightly loosen a clamp - well, I've gotten blood blisters from the event. The air cushioning prevents them from suddenly collapsing on you.

    It might also be a good idea to get a backdrop lightstand - a very short lightstand to position the strobe behind the subject(s) to light the backdrop. I don't have one, wish I did - I currently use a stool of the appropriate height to get the job done.

    Light modifiers - Art and Ziggy have already covered that in more than adequate detail - no sense repeating that information - besides, they know more about it than I do bowdown.gif
    Scott
    My Photos
    Thoughts on photographing a wedding, How to post a picture, AF Microadjustments?, Light Scoop
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