Another one of those "start up kit" threads...

toadstool

toadstool

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,837
Name
Toni
Edit My Images
Yes
I'll apologise now :naughty:

I'm looking to try my hand with lighting and I'm looking for a pretty basic kit to get me started with that I can add to and expand should I find myself liking it.

I'm basically looking to see if this would be a decent start. I'd have liked a background but I'm stretching the budget so close to Christmas as it is.

Smartflash 200 £109.99 http://www.lencarta.com/smartflash-200-compact-flash-head-254

60x60cm softbox £44.99 http://www.lencarta.com/60-x-60cm-24-x-24-square-softbox

100cm umbrella £14.99 http://www.lencarta.com/white-100cm-umbrella

5 in 1 reflector £14.99 http://www.lencarta.com/80cm-32-pop-up-5-in-1-reflector

light stand £29.99 http://www.lencarta.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=264

receiver £19.99 http://www.lencarta.com/16ch-wireless-flash-trigger

Which brings me onto triggers.. I've done basic studio lighting before in college years ago and remember this being a stumbling block. I'd ideally wanted to spend circa £200 which I'm already pushing (the above comes to ~£220) but I understand triggers are necessary? Of course a background isn't in budget just yet but I'm hoping that can come later :cuckoo:

To start off with, is this a decent start up kit? And, if so, is there any way I could pull a bit of money back for the triggers? Anything I could do without for now?

(whilst I'm here, if anyone has any links with lots of examples of one light setups with pullbacks, that'd be great! Just to get an idea of what I could be looking at to eventually achieve - maybe set aside a day to read that huge thread to find them? :lol:)

Thanks in advance :)
 
Last edited:
If you are looking for value for your £200 plus peace of mind in terms of having an active service and customer advice back up, then you aren't going to be too far out with this little set. The Smartflash are great for those less experienced with flash, and a good stepping stone up from speedlights.

You don't need a trigger set as the heads come with a sync cable, but working with a radio trigger is so much easier and so much safer.... If Granny wants to spend £30-odd on you, adding a Wavesync trigger to this set would be a good investment.
 
Thanks, Jon. I might be able to stretch the extra ~£30 - what I was looking at on the site was a lot more, that's why I was worried about cutting back a bit!

I didn't see this one first time round - is this what I should be looking for and is the receiver necessary too (can't see it on there) or do the heads come with that already? http://www.lencarta.com/16ch-wireless-flash-trigger
 
If you really want to save, you could get cheaper accessories than all those listed. As theres no grid available for that softbox, you'd not be losing too much IMO.

Maybe stick with the Lencarta stand, the cheaper ones arent really much use for setups of any decent weight. But the softbox, reflector and brolly could all be replaced with cheaper versions without any major loss. In fact if its kit you'll be packing away I'd recommend a pop up type softbox (try amazon)
 
Thanks very much Phil! I'll look into the cheaper accessories. I was reading up on the differences between a softbox and an umbrella (I've only ever used a softbox and "light shapers" before, years ago) and decided I'd like to have both to see the differences myself. Although I struggled with whether I'd be better with opaque, white or silver! Does a grid on the softbox help control the light? I guess this is all stuff I'll need to get looking up! :D
 
A softbox is a little omnidirectional, the grid helps by adding direction and putting a slight edge on shadows. I think there's an article on the Lencarta website that shows the effect of different modifiers.
 
Thanks Phil. I followed a link on their page that shows the effects from the different light shapers but it was a dead link - I'm back home on Monday so can have a proper look about then!
 
You need a transmitter and receiver, a pair of cheap Yongnuo YN 602s are reliable and not too expensive.
 
If you get the Wavesync set, it comes with transmitter and receiver.

Looking at your link, that is the transmitter only. The set isn't showing at the moment, probably out of stock, but if you call Garry he will probably be able to give you an eta.

As you can't see it, the receiver plugs neatly into the mains in line, with a short jack lead off it into the sync socket.
 
Last edited:
I would go with Phils option and get your self a set of Yongnuo RF602s or even 603's.

They both operate at 2.4Ghz and they cost less than the trigger only that you have linked to.
If I remember correctly, I paid £14.90 inc postage for my RF602's.
 
Awesome, thanks guys.. looking at the yongnuo set do I need to be looking for one specifically for my 5D? From what I can see, there are none.. just 5D II, 7D etc. Or does that not matter?
 
That's what I thought Stuart but just wanted to make sure before I bought them - thanks very much!

So are the ones for, say, the mkII more expensive than the 500D just marketing then? Not too much more though.
 
All canon triggers should be the same price from the same seller.
Price variation should only be between different sellers not different camera models.
 
Not sure why there's a difference in price in all honesty.
Both will work on your camera.
 
What are you looking to photograph? For portraits I most often use a single light with a silver brolly. You can use white sheets, white cardboard or silver foil as a reflector if you need to.

I think it's always better to buy the bare minimum, then when you find you need/want something else you can buy that. (Mind you, if I'd followed my own advice I'd have saved myself rather an awful lot of money by now).
 
It's portraits I prefer to shoot now and looking to expand on what I can do with them now with lights Charlotte. I was in the studio quite a lot a few years ago and done a lot of work with just one light (won't have a clue what to do now though!) which is why I've gone for better quality with less quantity. That way, if I get into it and enjoy it, I can just add to the kit I have rather than replacing it.
 
There's no equipment list that will cover every eventuality, like everything else in life, it becomes a compromise.

A lot of people recommend starting off with just one light, and there's good reason for this because there is just so much that a skilled operator can do with just one light, and it's also easier as well - but it won't do everything.

Of course, there are always going to be people who think that light is about quantity rather than quality and that one light with say 1 umbrella will in fact do everything, but they're wrong.

So, if the budget and/or space is limited, then by all means get just one light, perhaps the ElitePro 300, plus a standard reflector, a couple of different umbrellas and a 5 in 1 reflector, and then add to it later.

As for example shots, they really wouldn't help. It's similar to shooting outdoors in sunlight, where there is just the one light but it's a light that can be modified in innumerable ways and which can come from innumerable directions - different people get very different results simply because they use that light in very different ways.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top