Equipment guidance for beginners please!

Marcus Geezer

Marcus Geezer

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I'm contemplating expanding my equipment to include a home studio flash kit and have tried to use the search button and look through the threads but I'm a bit lost, so am asking for some equipment advice.

I consider myself a seasoned newcomer to photography and will be an absolute beginnner to studio flash work, and am looking for a setup that will enable me to learn and also to eventually produce some good quality shots.

Can anyone recomend a setup? If I was to choose a budget I would aim for around £300, but if it meant spending more to get some decent shots could stretch to £500 possibly.

For reference I have a Canon 400D, if this is relevant at all. I've seen the Element G2 set-up, but was wondering is this was the right way forward at all?
 
I have a vested interest because I'm the techie and customer support muppet for Lencarta but take a look at the new Lencarta SmartFlash 200 kit, which has everything you need to get started (except perhaps for a 5 in 1 reflector, which you can add very cheaply.

I'm not going to knock other brands, but you should make a distinction between established Companies that sell their own products and those that buy from a number of sources and re-badge the products as their own. That applies to most Ebay sellers and some others. It pays to get products that will be supported in the future, and that produce consistent colour temperature and consistent output especially when you're just starting out and don't have the experience to work out why some shots have gone wrong - and it's a very bad decision to buy lights for which a good range of accessories aren't available.

Once you've got your equipment you'll find it a challenging but fascinating learning curve. There are a few free tutorials on my own website and others on the Lencarta website
 
Thanks for taking the time to post. I've had a look at this and it looks lke the kind of equipment I'm after and in my budget.

A couple more questions.... :)

If I was to buy this kit would it just 'work' wiith my Canon 400D or would I need to buy extra bits and bobs? Aside from of course things like background, reflectors, etc...

I'm also a bit concerned with the amount of room I have in the house, but I suppose thats always manageable! ;)
 
No problem with your camera. Just plug the radio trigger into the hotshoe, set the camera to manual and the shutter speed to 1/125th or so and you're OK to go. The only extra you need is knowledge.

More space not only makes life easier but also allows a wider range of lighting and a wider range of subjects. But the amount of space doesn't affect the quality.
 
^^^ Garry always gives good advice :thumbs:

I would only add that I think with digital absolute power is not nearly so vital as it used to be with film, as ISO levels are generally two or even three stops higher. I have an Elinchrom D-Lite 2 set up and it's plenty powerful enough for me. What I think is more important is control, and the ability to turn the lights up or down in smallish half-stop increments is invaluable. My old flash units had loads more power, but could only do full and half power, which sometimes meant moving the lights back and forth to get fine adjustment - both position and distance are important to get the best light.

Also budget for a flash meter. You can manage without by shooting trial shots and using the LCD and histogram, but it's a right faff when you're trying to balance light levels accurately. About £100 extra. And a wireless trigger of some sort if that's not part of the kit.
 
I am in the same position as you just a little more budget, i have used flashguns for any of my portraits and its hard to get right off straight away, so i know the pitfalls of doing things on the cheap.

I will be going with a Lencarta setup, Garry has been helpful in anything i have asked. Agree with Hoppy as well, budget for a lightmeter, it takes the guess work out of everything when you are starting out. eventually you will come to rely on it less and less.
 
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