First Lighting Kit.

Andysnap

Andysnap

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Andy Grant
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Hi All,

I'm thinking of getting a starter lighting kit for taking some portraits at home. I've read a tutorial by Garry Edwards who says that one light would be enough for most circumstances if you have the correct reflectors etc.
Given that I'm only thinking of spending about £200 I think this would be the way to go. So, any suggestions as to what would be a canny buy, what other kit would be useful and what to avoid. :thumbs:

Thanks

Andy
 
Andysnap said:
Hi All,

I'm thinking of getting a starter lighting kit for taking some portraits at home. I've read a tutorial by Garry Edwards who says that one light would be enough for most circumstances if you have the correct reflectors etc.
Given that I'm only thinking of spending about £200 I think this would be the way to go. So, any suggestions as to what would be a canny buy, what other kit would be useful and what to avoid. :thumbs:

Thanks

Andy
Click to expand...

What about another speedlight to go with your SB-600 and a couple of stands and brolleys and a reflector, and use the CLS system on your D90, very portable :)
 
Aye not a bad idea that, although portable is not so much of an issue. I was thinking more of something i could use a softbox with.

Andy
 
you can go down to jessops and get:
flashhead-£60
air dampened light stand-£40
softbox-£40
so thats a light for £140, then you get a reflector for £35. thats pretty much a very basic light set sorted.

btw the air dampened light stand is important because it cushions any collapse.
 
Andysnap said:
Aye not a bad idea that, although portable is not so much of an issue. I was thinking more of something i could use a softbox with.

Andy
Click to expand...

You can use a softbox with something like an SB-600 no bother...

softbox.inside.jpg
 
mastertrinity said:
you can go down to jessops and get:
flashhead-£60
air dampened light stand-£40
softbox-£40
so thats a light for £140, then you get a reflector for £35. thats pretty much a very basic light set sorted.

btw the air dampened light stand is important because it cushions any collapse.
Click to expand...

Soz but there's a reason proper lighting costs, and a £60 head & £40 softbox is gonna be rubbish - you'll be wanting to replace it within weeks and hence it's not £200 saved but £100 wasted

And the gas-damped light stand idea is a waste of money on a limited budget, so long as you have two hands it's not an issue

If you believe in Garry's advice at all - buy the basic Lencarta kit he advises - I would in your postion

DD
 
Interfit EX150, 2 heads 2 stands 1 brollie 1 soft box £230 ish ok for a small studio, not been let down yet at six months old. ( can't turn the ruddy beep off though ) may be worth a look but £200 is cheap so wouldn't have thought they would be upto heavy use.
 
If you're on a budget, go for second hand.

I recently bought 2 (ancient) Jessops PowerFlash studio flash units that came with 2 new stands (budget ones, obviously) and two new umbrellas (a silver one and a gold one) for £150 on eBay. Not had chance to use them yet, but I've used PowerFlash before and was very happy with them.

Don't go down the route of trying to use flash guns (SB-600 etc.), the recycling time will drive you and your models insane. This is very important, a recycling time of more than 1 second is just pants.:bonk:
 
Dave is right.

Basically you get what you pay for and although a skilled AND knowledgable photographer can get good results with literally any kind of light, the crap brands, with their inconsistent colour temperature and inconsistent power output make life impossibly hard for beginners. Buy less if you need to, but buy better to make your life easier.

Hotshoe flashes fired into softboxes don't really work unless the reflector is removable, and very few are. If the reflector can't be removed the flash just fires straight onto the diffuser, it doesn't bounce around inside the softbox so doesn't produce 'softbox lighting'.

You can get a Lencarta kit with a single light and all the bits you need for £371 or for £445 you can get a similar kit with 2 heads
 
Ok guys thanks for all the advice. I've had a think and I have decided to go down the route of being patient and saving a bit more to get some good kit as Garry suggests. No point in spending £200 now and then having to upgrade in 6 months I might as well wait.

Thanks

Andy
 
Andysnap said:
Ok guys thanks for all the advice. I've had a think and I have decided to go down the route of being patient and saving a bit more to get some good kit as Garry suggests. No point in spending £200 now and then having to upgrade in 6 months I might as well wait.

Thanks

Andy
Click to expand...
I purchased the Lencarta kit and I am getting what I think are great results with it despite the fact it's the first time I've ever shot with studio lights. Definitely worth their money in my book!

I also have some Interfit Stella 300's loaned to me by a photographer buddy. I haven't tried them yet as they turned up the same day as my Lencarta's but they look like they would do the job and I think they are a tad cheaper (given Lencarta's recent price increase due to the weak pound).
 
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