I'm looking for a real lighting set up. I'm looking for the following....
No more then 2 lights
light stands
umbrella and or softbox
portable power would be a plus...not 100% necessary yet.
Possible transmitters/receivers to my camera
Current equipment
Nikon D50 (hopefully getting replaced soon)
Nikon SB-800
other lenses....
Looking to use them mainly for studio type of work and on location wedding/event shots. Yeah i know the D50 has to go, but i can't afford that yet. I usually rent a D300 or a D90 for big events and SB-900.
I was looking at different alien bees packages, but not sure if you are "paying for the name" or if they just are that good.
Would i need a pocket wizard or radio poppers to send the signals? or can i use my SB-800 to be the master and fire the other as slaves?
Looking to spend around 500...i know it's tight but lets see what you guys can think of.
Alien Bees' are your best VALUE. They are not high end lights, but they give great consistent results.. and can not be beat for the price! The Vagabond II is also wonderful for power on the go!
BastaTag wrote:
I was looking at different alien bees packages, but not sure if you are "paying for the name" or if they just are that good.
Actually, the Alien Bees are budget lights - compared to the professional units such as the White Lightnings, Photogenic PL series, Elinchrom, etc... they are FAR less expensive. While not pro lights, there are a good value, and for mobile studios a good option because they are far lighter than my Photogenics. Quite frankly, for your budget, Alien Bees are your best option (most of the other "budget" lights I've worked with suck swamp water).
Would i need a pocket wizard or radio poppers to send the signals? or can i use my SB-800 to be the master and fire the other as slaves?
While you could trigger the strobes with your SB800, you would probably be happier with either a remote or wired trigger. In a wedding environment with many people shooting of photos with flash, having a receiver/wire on each strobe head becomes your only decent option.
BastaTag wrote:
Can i get away with the AB400 to start? Or should i stick with the 800?
That depends on how much light you need - For comparison, typically the SB800 is rated at GN125 - the AB400 is GN118 and the AB800 is GN172... For lighting groups, I prefer more light (that way I can increase DoF to make sure multiple rows are within the DoF)... The other thought, is if you are working in environments with a lot of ambient light, having a bit more power is also very nice...
On the other hand, for portraits, small groups or working in a small studio space, the AB400 is a great option.
