strobists unite!

[BLAM]

Since a lot of us are or aspire to be strobists, I thought I'd throw up some infos since I am a dirty whore and have used a large variety of stuff.

FLASHES

I've used the 580exII, 430EX, 430EX II, sunpak 383 super, vivitar 285HV, alienbees B400, elinchrom D-lite 4

430EX: can be had for 200$ used
pros: ETTL on camera, always a nice feature to have as it is dual purpose
cons: doesn't play nicely with some older cactus triggers as well as the pocket wizards

430EXII: $300
pros: ETTL on camera, always a nice feature to have as it is dual purpose, better built than the 430EX, works wonderfully with pocket wizards for good range and reliability
cons: price

580EXII: $450
pros: ETTL on camera, always a nice feature to have as it is dual purpose, PC sync port, weather sealed, lots of power
cons: doesn't play nicely with the pocket wizards, and quite expensive

Vivitar 285HV: $110
pros: cheap, easy to use
cons: uses special vivitar cable (or use an adapter) cheap feeling, bulky, ugly.

sunpak 383 super: $110
pros: cheap small, easy to use, just as powerful as a 430ex
cons: can't find them new anymore!!! IIRC no PC sync so you need a hotshoe adapter or the sunpak cable.

In my opinion, best bang for your buck was the sunpak 383 super. it is small, light weight and 1/3 the cost of a canon 430exII

sorry, I have no review for Nikon flashes because Nikon users are a bunch sissies. jk


strobes

elinchrom D-lite 4: $500
pros: professional looking, fast recycle, consistent light, easy to use lots of light modifiers available, has optical slave great for indoors sans remote triggers, can buy parts locally
cons: power level are confusing (starts at 2, ends at 6 - wtfbbq?) expensive!!

alienbees B400: ~$300 landed
pros: very well priced, powerful, lots of modifiers available, mounting system allows easy to make DIY modifiers
cons: power level switch is clumsy, pack panel feels cheap, ugly, mounting system is poorly designed imho, pinkish hue at lower power levels, replacement parts must be ordered from the states. look at min. 30$ shipping charge on any purchase.

as a starter package, the alienbees are a great value.  I personally prefer my D-Lites however.  you can't go wrong with either unit.

Remote Triggers

I don't have experience with the newer 'eBay/DX' remotes so someone else might wanna chime in.

PocketWizards: $220 a piece up to 300 for TTL versions
pros: Industry standard, AA batteries make battery replacement a breeze, well built, great range
cons: doesnt like older canon flashes (430ex 580ex 580exII), expensive, large.

AB Cybersyncs: $60usd a piece
pros: good range, small, great manufacturer support, versatile
cons: no off button, coin batteries are a beyotch to find and replace, have to always keep spares

elinchrom skyports: 130$ a piece
pros: small, great range, easy to use
cons: battery isnt replaceable - this is the only reason i didn't buy them.

poverty wizards (DX/eBay): <$40 piece
pros: cheap!
cons: cheap!

this is a tough one.
for those that dont need range or professional appeal, i'd recommend the poverty wizards.
those that have a little more money laying around the Cybersyncs are a great alternative
if you need to look professional and full total reliability, the pocketwizards win my  vote
the skyports are somewhere in between the AB and PW.

[derrick]

Derrick's Strobist Gear

1x Canon 580exII Flash
1x Canon 430ex Flash
1x Canon 420ez Flash
3x DX PT-04 Radio Flash Triggers (Modified)
2x Cameron W804 7' Light Stands
1x Manfrotto Unknown Model 8' Light Stand
0x DX Shoot Thru Umbrella (I broke it )
Special Effects Gels
Color Correction Gels
Lots of Sanyo Eneloop Batteries
Home Made Light Modfiers

I think part of the fun of Strobist is you can do it on a budget, or go whoring like Blam. I do have quite a bit of stuff, but I've collected it over a couple years and the real expensive stuff I didn't even purchase specifically for Strobist.

The 580exII and the 430ex are the most expensive pieces I have and neither one was purchased specifically for Strobist. Penny and I needed on camera flashes with TTL so I bought the 580exII and Penny got a 430ex from Kev for Christmas.

The 420ez is a piece of equipment I've had from shooting film. Got it for free from a relative. No TTL, so it it is a little cumbersome to use on camera, but it works great for Strobist.

Every few weeks NCIX has Eneloops on sale for $12 a pack. I've been buying a pack every time they go on sale and now I have like 40 AA batteries.

My Recommendation for Beginners

If you are just starting out I recommend the following equipment:

- A flash that will do TTL on your system and has manual controls. For Canon users a 430ex or 430exII is a good choice.
- Radio flash trigger. Unless you have a Nikon that can do CLS without another flash as a master, I'd go with a DX radio trigger. Cheap enough to get you into the game without breaking the bank.
- A light stand. They let you easily control and hold your light where you want.
- An umbrella to get you started making softer light. I like shoot thru umbrellas myself.

Minus the flash, we're looking at maybe $60-70 worth of stuff here. If you already have a flash you are off to a good start.

Why the expensive flash?
Okay so the 430 isn't cheap, why splurge when there are sub-$100 flashes that work for Strobist? Well because if you don't already have a flash with TTL to use on your camera it is good to have one, so why not spend a bit more for one that can do on camera for you as well as off camera? D'uh!

DX Radio Flash Triggers
I love DX flash triggers, except they suck. Out of the box they suck, but they are so damn cheap I can overlook it. Functionally they work so they are worth buying, but other things annoy me. Good thing they can be modified to more my style (http://www.bcmazda3.com/forum/index.php?topic=17087.0).

Light Stand & Umbrella Adapter
Trying to set up your light without a stand is quite tedious. A stand is $30-40 and you will use it. Buy one for each of your flashes in the future.

You will also need an umbrella adapter for your flash to connect to the top of the light stand. Follow the link above and buy one from Flash Zebra. Don't buy the DX one, it is poorly built.

Umbrella
You don't really need an umbrella, but it is a cheap way to get a feel for harsh bare flashes versus softer light. A cheap one is less than $10 from DX. Order one while you order a radio trigger.

If I like you, you can borrow some of my Strobist stuff. Just ask. I don't shoot that much.

[BLAM]

oh, i'd also recommend light stands with LEVER style locks, rather than screw locks. saves a lot of time and much easier to use.

Also, if you want, you can borrow my stuff but you have to come to edmonton to get it.

[jimmy]

derrick im going to take up that offer one day lol

so far i got a poverty wizard from dx

and i was about to buy the lightstand adapters off of dx, but they weren't getting good reviews
the one u posted looks ALOT sturdier and well built,and still isnt super expesive lol

what is pc sync?? what advantage does it have compared to... poverty wizard triggering??

i already have a 430exII... but im probably looking for some 2nd or 3rd flashes to use.. .but i dont want to drop another $400 OR MORE on something i already have (im not gonna buy another 430exII because i have one, and i dont want to buy a 580exII yet...)
anyone tried the dx flashes??

[derrick]

On some flashes (Nikon & Canon 580exII that I know of) there are PC sync ports so you can plug a wire in to connect to the trigger, versus connecting to the hot shoe.

I prefer using PC sync just because the flash is more stable when using the DX triggers. I modified my triggers and flashes so I can use PC sync even on my 430 and 420 that don't have PC sync ports.

I looked at the DX flashes before and it looks like they don't have manual control, so they aren't suitable for Strobist use.

[dmogx]

SB-900 with Gel kit..
..
..
.. 

that's all
i'm thinking of getting a few more sb-600's eventually and use Nikon's CLS.

[IMASA]

My only advice is to invest in good quality light stands.  I prefer bigger stands as I find the smaller ones too flimsy.  

My setup

Speedlights:
Nikon SB900
Nikon SB800

Strobe:
Alienbee ABR800 flash ring

Softbox:
Photoflex QXS for speedlights
Alienbee 30" moon unit

Triggers:
Pocketwizard II x 3

Stands:
1 x 10ft Alienbee
1 x 13ft Alienbee

Battery pack:
Nikon SD-8A
Alienbee Vagabond II

As for Nikon speedlights, I find I like my sb800 the best.  The 900 has been giving me mixed results, plus if you leave thermal protection on, it will shutdown after a few consecutive shots.  My SB800 fires like a champ all the time.  My friend has 5 SB800's and he beats on them pretty hard and they've never failed, even after dropping one in a pool.  Probably why they still go for $300+ used.
The SB600 is pretty good for the price, but I would never buy one as it doesn't have a PC sync port and doesn't recycle fast enough for me. 

 

[jimmy]

wow shit ballin
3 pocketwizards


and fuk!
derricks guide has convinced me to buy the hotshoe adapter so i can do the pc sync mod LOL......

or should i try for the mono audio jack mod as mentioned???....is it the same idea??
i jsut need to find a hotshoe adapter that takes in audio jack as opposed to pc sync?

[BLAM]

you can get hotshoe adapters with 3.5mm jacks instead of PC Sync.  the 3.5mm jacks are easier to use, cheaper to find cords and more reliable.

as IMASA said, don't cheap out on light stands.  but you also don't need heavy duty ones for a speed light.  pick appropriately for your application

[derrick]

Mono is more common. I'd probably go mono if I did it again.

[derrick]

you can get hotshoe adapters with 3.5mm jacks instead of PC Sync.  the 3.5mm jacks are easier to use, cheaper to find cords and more reliable.

as IMASA said, don't cheap out on light stands.  but you also don't need heavy duty ones for a speed light.  pick appropriately for your application

Yeah, the flashes are light so not a big deal. I would try to find some weights to hold the stands down though if things get windy outside. Especially if you have an umbrella or softbox.

[jimmy]

Mono is more common. I'd probably go mono if I did it again.

that site that u got the hot shoe from
i found the hotshoe that has the mono connector
but i can't find a cable thats bare on one end and male jack on the other
theres only full extension cords... does that mean i have to cut off the female end and solder it to the same spots as the PC?
would mono cables be cheap and accessible locally? (like lee's electronics)

[BLAM]

yes. you can make your own as well

[derrick]

Mono is more common. I'd probably go mono if I did it again.

that site that u got the hot shoe from
i found the hotshoe that has the mono connector
but i can't find a cable thats bare on one end and male jack on the other
theres only full extension cords... does that mean i have to cut off the female end and solder it to the same spots as the PC?
would mono cables be cheap and accessible locally? (like lee's electronics)

Mono cables are cheap and yes you can make your own. But I think it would be cheaper to just buy them. Maybe find one that is longer than you need and cut it in half that way you get two cables in one.

If I were to go mono, I would try to put jacks in the body of the trigger as well. But that is more cost and possibly another point to fail at the cost of looking cleaner.

[jimmy]

nahhh probably wont do that... they're too cheap to begin with for me to justify buying another jack on the body lol


anyone know if mono cables are available at lee's???

[Ice-520]

580EXII
Metz Mecablitz 32CT3

DX triggers

No light stand

[jimmy]

how much was the metz?


would this  work for modifying hte trigger to send out signal to a 3.5mm jack?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.5115

i know this is a stereo cable (but its dirt cheap), but can it be plugged into this hotshoe?

http://www.flashzebra.com/products/0135/index.shtml

if so, i just have to find out which of the two channels makes a connection with the shoe? (or solder both non-ground wires to the "patch above the positive battery terminal")


theoretically would that work?

[derrick]

You could probably get something similar local for about the same price. Lee's would have it. And probably the dollar store.

I would stick with a proper mono plug though, just for simplicity sake.

[derrick]

Trying to find single receivers on eBay, and ran into this.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/New-Flash-Speedlight-YN-462-for-Canon-Nikon-Olympus_W0QQitemZ220492536086QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigital_Camera_Flashes?hash=item3356611916

Infinitely adjustable? But doesn't show exact power settings, 1/4, 1/32, etc?

Cheap though.

Found the receivers as well:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/PT-04-Single-Receiver-for-Wireless-Flash-Trigger-PT-04_W0QQitemZ260495899181QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCamera_Flash_Accessories?hash=item3ca6c3fa2d

[jimmy]

http://www.kurbsterphotography.com/archives/65

review for the 462
it looks promising if you're not time constrained to test/play with the flash settings

that said, the 460 is $10 more.... for a button controlled power setting and can visually see which power level you're at exactly


im confused as to what this optical slave function and how it works on the 460 in the google results im getting


http://www.flickr.com/groups/yongnuo/discuss/72157616928734025/
3.5mm mod for the 460 flash!

but then u'd still need some kind of hotshoe adapter to hold the flash onto a lightstand/tripod

Radio Shack sells a 3.5mm mono cable that is 6 foot in length with a bare open end for only $2.99
I also bought a pack of just the 2.5mm mono plugs for $2.49 (The package contains 2 plugs)

ah if radio shack sells it for that cheap, lee's must have it for dirt cheap!