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Archive 2012 · Suggestions for a beginner's lighting kit?

C Napa
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p.1 #1 · Suggestions for a beginner's lighting kit?

I'd like to get more serious with my lighting. I already have a SB-800 and SB-600. I would want a portable setup. I'm thinking I would need the following:

2x Umbrella
2x Light stand
2x Flash bracket
1x Wireless transmitter
2x Receiver
1x Carrying case

Am I missing anything else? Looking to spend around $200-$300. Any suggestions would be great.

Jan 01, 2012 at 02:36 PM

WayneF
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p.1 #2 · Suggestions for a beginner's lighting kit?

Sounds right, and I would suggest this umbrella kit as best buy:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/250348-REG/Smith_Victor_401484_UK2_Umbrella_Kit_with.html

It will need two flash shoes (for speedlights), and these are the best:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/50546-REG/Stroboframe_300_405_Shoe_General_Purpose.html

You may be interested in this page too: http://www.scantips.com/lights/umbrellas.html

Radio triggers could be two receivers, or one receiver with the SB-800 in its SU-4 mode, which is optical slave trigger, and will trigger from the flash of the other.
In a studio setting, I just use a PC sync cord to nearest flash, and SU-4 on the other.

Or, if your camera has a Commander (and FV Lock option), it would trigger both of these flashes remotely, and this normally works pretty well indoors with umbrellas for portraits. Could be a starting point.

Jan 01, 2012 at 06:11 PM

cgardner
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p.1 #3 · Suggestions for a beginner's lighting kit?

C Napa wrote:
I'd like to get more serious with my lighting. I already have a SB-800 and SB-600. I would want a portable setup. I'm thinking I would need the following:

You have the two most critical pieces of a portable solution you simply need to learn how to use them more effectively. A very simple but effective two flash portable solution would be to mount your SB-800 on a flash bracket with a diffuser as Master/Fill using your SB-600 off camera on a single stand as Slave triggered with the CLS system. I shoot similarly with my Canon gear. See: http://photo.nova.org/CanonPracticalUsage/ for rationale and examples.

Jan 02, 2012 at 12:20 PM

C Napa
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p.1 #4 · Suggestions for a beginner's lighting kit?

WayneF & cgardner, thanks for the advice.

Jan 03, 2012 at 03:02 AM

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