... please bare with me. While I have been a member here at FM for years I have only rarely swung by the lighting section of he forum for a quick peak.
Perhaps slightly intimidated by the endless line of options I have not ventured into the world of lighting yet. I have done photography as a part time business for a number of years and have gathered up a nice SLR setup including a 5D and some L lenses. I also have the 580EX and two 430EX speed lights.
So far I have mainly used the two 430EXs as slaves for interior real estate photography. It's been OK but I haven't ventured into buying stands or umbrellas for the extra speed lights. So far I've kept the 580EX on the camera.
For portraits I have relied on the 580EX along with my 85 or 135 and if at all possible I would use outside light and at times a reflector.
..... now I am planning to expand on my lighting options. Reasons being that I've turned away some business, as I didn't feel I could deliver acceptable results.
After doing a bit of research here and on Strobist I’ve bumped into AB800s, Elinchrom D-Lite 4s, 400BX, 600RX… but the list really seems endless especially when start looking at umbrellas/softboxes/ light meters / triggers etc.
I am really up in the air on how to approach this as it really depends on whom you ask. I’ve often valued input here from FM so let me know your thoughts please:
With the D-Lite 4s I have read that they are excellent light but he build quality is perhaps not the best but I have not read that anyone actually managed to break these?… it gets better with the 400BX I guess.
I would rather spend a bit more and then slowly build up a system.
So here are some Qs:
Is it viable to plan using my 580EX on a stand w/umbrella reflector in a lighting setup with the more powerful strobes? How would I trigger it? I’ve read about Power Wizards?
One moment I tend to think: go with one good mono light and a reflector and perhaps my 580EX.. and the next moment perhaps the D-Lite 4s would be a more flexible option due to portability. I may use the entrance in my house as my home studio so this of course I could not leave it set up permanently.
Sorry for the long post… any input will be appreciated.
im kinda in the same boat, ive been browsing the lighting forums as well as strobist for a little more than a year.
I plan on upgrading to studio strobes as my flashes (2 580II's) are not strong enough for large modifiers and boxes in the daylight, but pretty sufficient with no modifiers on them. Im planning on still using a 580 or two for back/rim/hair lights (as 580s are still very good when "naked").
Any radio triggering can be used with the speedlights in conjunction with the studio strobes as long its all the same make of transmitter/receiver.
One prob may be that speedlights might have a slower recycle times than a studio strobe, not a prob for real estate unless your popping off shots left n right quickly. A possible solution can be a Quanttum Turbo Battery pack and hook it up to a your speedlight.
I've turned down a couple of corporate portraits and plan to shoot a soccer team... perhaps bring the setup out to weddings. For the majority of the real estate shoots I do I would not need to bring lights but for the occasional shoot... yes perhaps I would.
mfoto,
you actually articulated the advice i give most often: start out with one good light..and one or two modifiers, and some reflectors....learn how to use it, don't worry at this point about whether you are going to use the 580 with it or not...
if you are considering the one light approach, i would set 500-600w/s as the power range. in selecting a brand, i would look at the other lighting solutions/options a company offers and see it you like them, and feel you could meet your needs as you grow...
I mostly use hot lights for interiors . I have also used strobes . Hot lights get the job done quickly for me and let me see where I need to add light quickly and having multiple dimmers makes power adjustments quick .
I spent a day with one of the busier architectural photographers in chicago and he uses nothing but hot lights, and it completely makes sense. They are the same light temp as most interior lights, if doing extended exposures (blurring people) then hotlights will burn in similar to normal interior lights.
ericevans and littlebike... thanks for the input... how do hot light work for other applications such as portrait in comparison to strobes... the interior shot above is not an example of interior photography... it is my lobby where I plan to set up my studio lights.
if you mix portable flashes with studio strobes, please keep in mind that your portable strobe probably won't be able to keep from a certain point. I have Elinchrom and they recycle very fast. If I would combine them with my 580EX (wich I have done), I'd check regularly to ensure the 580 won't melt
What I did try: if you hook up the 580 ex with a Pocket wizard and activate the slave eye on my strobe (fx 400; same as bx400), the strobe happily shoots along with the portable flash, as long as ambient light is low enough.
I've never used hot lights, I can imagine they are very usefull for interior shots but for shooting people I'd reckon they are way too warm? Gel filters (CTO) might work as well.
mfoto wrote:
how do hot light work for other applications such as portrait in comparison to strobes...
They basically suck for portraits.
It takes a lot of watts to get usable shutter speeds and prevent blur (above 1/60 and f 2.8) Even with a higher shutter speed, portraits shot with hot lights often lack the crispness of a strobe shot. The flash duratiuon of the strobe light is much shorter than most possible shutter speeds.
The heat is a real problem with the continous lighting (although there are some flourescent kits available.) Thelight is bright enough to be obnoxious, making people squint, so they can be uncomfortable, etc.
That said, there are folks who successfully use hot lights. Look at any standard light setup for a TV interview - you should be able to find some typical setups online. A few softboxes, a few hot lights, etc.
Rather than fighting with your equipment and trying to incorporate the 580, I would suggest getting 2-3 decent strobes and using the strobes only. If you buy used you should be able to sell them later for not much out-of-pocket cost.
Yes, you can use the 580 as part of a kit. Yes, you can use a 580-only type set up. Yes, you can use hot lights. But it can be a real PITA. Just do it right and get the best tools for the portraits if that is what you want to do. Then you can focus on learning and making images, instead of struggling to solve technical problems.
YMMV of course - there area lot of folks who believe differently. I have tried all different approaches in the past though. Just do it right to start and avoid the aggravation.
I am leaning more and more towards getting the one good light and a soft box
(not sure which softbox to get but read a comment from Carmen that the softbox is like your lens so I guess again you may as well get a good one right away... Rotalux?)...... then use a reflector for a starting setup.. I read somewhere that you can use the 580 to trigger the strobe. I've read good things about the 600RX from Elinchrom... could start with one of those and then ad the 300RX later on.
As for the build quality of diff brands, I'd love to hear opinions from long time experienced users (particularly Elinchrom and Profoto), regarding any problems, broken parts, functionality, etc.
These brands are pretty expensive. I dont have any experience with them, but I just fiddled with them at B&H and honestly, the Elinchrom heads kinda feel plastiky, light and cheap compared to the Profotos and other brands. I am planning on getting the freelite heads (along with a Ranger, which of course is built like a tank) and hope they are durable for years of use.
I prefer the design of the spring-clamp attaching method on the Profoto's more than the twist-style of the Elinchrom. But, I guess this makes it possible for their easy setup softboxes, and is one of the reasons I want to go Elinchrom.
The top reasons I am leaning towards Elinchrom (Ranger) over Profoto is - Skyport remote power controls, easy & fast setup soft-boxes, a good variety of mods, cheaper and more bang for the buck, more power, more outlets, 1/10 stop increment power adjustments.
mfoto wrote:
ericevans and littlebike... thanks for the input... how do hot light work for other applications such as portrait in comparison to strobes... the interior shot above is not an example of interior photography... it is my lobby where I plan to set up my studio lights.
I own strobes and a ton of hot lights . Each have a purpose . Use hot lights when the subject is not moving and longer exposure does not matter .
