Looking to buy

RWilliamson

I am currently using a nikon d300 with softbox lighting. I want to switch to strobe, and start using a light meter, and wireless remote. What would be a good choice to make in buying these items?:thumb

Jeremy Winterberg

first things first, whats your budget? How high quality of monolights, meter, trigger do you want? Do you have light stands and light modifiers that will work with full size monolights already (softbox's and/or umbrellas)? and whats your budget?

RWilliamson

I have 4 1000 watt softbox lights now. I will be using them mainly for team pics and some portraits. I am looking around $500 or $600. Using strobes and remotes and metering is all new to me. Only used it one time. I just know its time to switch.

Art Scott

RWilliamson wrote:

I am currently using a nikon d300 with softbox lighting. I want to switch to strobe, and start using a light meter, and wireless remote. What would be a good choice to make in buying these items?

What type of flash are we talking about?? As it is a decent lightmeter (sekonic L358 or better) is all you really need.....if you're using a hotshoe flash (strobe) with a softbox......just turn the D300 to Manual mode and do the same with the flash.......

A good place to start for an education is STROBIST ..... teaches a lot about using hotshoe flashes rather than studio flashes.....Also Joe McNallys book HOTSHOE DIARIES ....is very good at explaining various situations and how he used various hotshoe flashes to obtain the results.............

If you're just dying to spend money then the Alien Bees are good lighting system to get...........along with brolley boxes or more softboxes or umbrellas .....all on the AB website........but if you want really good light inexpensive light go the strobist way and buy a few Vivitar 285HV's off ebay for ~$89.99 each......absolute workhorse flash units and basically totally manual........


EDIT:
I am a slow typist and jeremy got in before me...from your first post it sounded like all you had was a softbox on a speedlite............but I will reiterate again.....you coulda saved some money by using hotshoe flashes and also weight and space...... lastolite, photoflex, interfit and brewers brackets.... all make multi-flash brackets and with a triple flash sync connector you can fire more than 1 flash from a $20 ebay remote RF trigger...........it will also save you on liability insurance since you will not need extension cords to power the hotshoe strobes............

Jeremy Winterberg

RWilliamson wrote:

I have 4 1000 watt softbox lights now. I will be using them mainly for team pics and some portraits. I am looking around $500 or $600. Using strobes and remotes and metering is all new to me. Only used it one time. I just know its time to switch.

Ok, so you're switching from continuous lighting to strobes? gotcha..

I suggest checking out the Alien Bee's, White Lightning's, or the Calumet Genesis. You won't be able to get 4 strobes for $600 but it would be a nice kit. You can get two Alien Bee's 800's for $559, white lightnings a lot more expensive and the genesis for $229/ea for 400 watt monolights.

I suggest holding off on the meter for right now, because for a decent one you're looking at $200+. I have been looking at the Sekonic L-358.

And for the trigger there are pocket wizards but you're looking at paying $120+/ea... or you could get some inexpensive ebay triggers for $30. Art Scott uses them, they're 16 channel transmitter/receivers, and he swears by them. I think these are the ones he uses by gadget infinity.

You could also go the hotshoe flash/strobe route. Get a couple vivitar 285hv's... They're like $80 on ebay. Thinking about picking up some of these myself.

Hope this helps!

Jeremy

Art Scott

here is a link to the remote flash triggers I use.......1 transmitter+3 recievers for 39.99.....it is also the company I buy from out of NY.....................

I thought you had 4 - 1000wt flashes and softboxes and was moving from automatic/programmable i or e ttl flashes.........I took 1000wt to mean 1000watt-second (flash power)......so any of the methods I mention or that Jeremy mentioned will save you on liability insurance for shooting team pics.....but I still would recommend doing it with HotShoe flash units and quantum battery packs....which I also buy used off ebay as long as they have the charger with them.....if they have charger but the pack won't hold a charge I can have "ALLPAK BATTERIES" rebuild a Quantum Battery 1 for under $30.....so far the 2 QTB 1's I have have a total cost of $225 including cables for a Vivatar 285HV, Sunpak 622 and Konica Minolta 5600HS.......................

Tim Kamppinen

As far as budget triggers go I'd suggest the Yongnuo RF-602's. They're 2.5 Ghz and better than any previous chinese triggers. 16 channels, no misfires, and they work out to around 300 ft. I have four and I'm extremely glad I upgraded from my unreliable cactus V2s triggers.

RWilliamson

The lights I have now are continuos lights. (softboxes) I am looking to buy a couple of strobes, a trigger, and a lght meter. I will look on ebay. This is so overwhelming.

Art Scott

RWilliamson wrote:

The lights I have now are continuos lights. (softboxes) I am looking to buy a couple of strobes, a trigger, and a lght meter. I will look on ebay. This is so overwhelming.

It is fun tho......and so rewarding
in the end.........:Droflrofl