Interfit EX150 lighting

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Cliveyp

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Clive
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As things move on I'm looking to expand my kit and provide myself with a budget home studio for both portraits (and possibly animal shots for friends) and the RC car work that I currently have.

I'm looking to utilise the spare room in the short term, either using a white wall or pinned sheet/paper background.

I currently have a Canon 430EXII and a Cactus v4 trigger set. I'm thinking of going for the Interfit EX150 setup as it seems to get good reviews for its price (I'm not expecting a 20 year life from a £200 set, just something useable). Would this be a good idea?

I've thought about using the 430 to light the background fired through the Cactus, then use the light from this to trigger the Interfit setup. Would this work? Would this be a good budget setup?
 
Clive,

I've just fired up one of my old EX150's and triggered it with a 430EXII. It even works with the 430 about 5 metres infront of the EX150 so I don't see any problems with triggering.

The EX150's are adequate within the confines of a "spare room" but do beware of the colour temperature change when you modify the power output....it's far more extreme than would be the case with more powerful lamps.

Bob
 
Nowt wrong with these lights . I used them when I first started out . They performed very well and more than paid for themselves . But you do get why you pay for . I am now using elinchrom . And they are amazing lights . But you will not be disappointed in these lights . The only real down side is they don't have an in built fan :-(
ATB Mark
 
Thanks guys, this is good news to my ears. As much as I'd like an Elincrom/Lencarta setup, I just can't afford nor justify it at the moment with the use it's going to have, so hearing the EX150's are adequate is great!

Roll on Focus 2012 so I can buy them now!!
 
Sorry to go against the flow, but even if your budget is very tight my advice is different.

If you can't afford new Bowens/Elinchrom/Lencarta, you may want to see what you can find second hand.

Fast recycling, consistent power every pop and consistent colour every pop are very important.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Fast recycling, consistent power every pop and consistent colour every pop are very important.
Click to expand...

The recycling time is a bit of a mute point for Clive's stated usage as the EX150 will recycle in half the time of the 430EXII he'll be triggering it with.
The head will recycle in 1.5 seconds on full power which as actuay faster than Elinchroms new Style RX600's on full power although I appreciate the RX600 will win hands down if only 150w/s are required.

Colour temperature variation is a big let down (as I alluded to in my first post).

"Get the best you can afford" applies here as well as anywhere though.
Bob
 
Thanks for your input both, all comments are being taken on board, and I will look at both options over the coming weeks.

As Bob has mentioned the colour temperature changing, does anyone have any sample shots of the effects of this? I would like to see just how drastic it is if possible!

Thanks again
Clive
 
Cliveyp said:
As Bob has mentioned the colour temperature changing, does anyone have any sample shots of the effects of this? I would like to see just how drastic it is if possible!
Click to expand...

Clive,

Just take one of your flash shots and move the temperature slider about 300 deg up and down to get an idea.

Bob
 
You get what you pay for.

I used the exd 200 kit 9 times for a couple of hundred shots per day. 3 heads blew up in that time (taking into account returns and replacements).

The zip on the bag burst the first time I used it. I sent it in for repair and it burst again upon return.

Changed over to Elinchrom. The first set worked flawlessly and you can immediately tell the difference in quality.
 
I disagree with everyone ... I originally bought an ex150 set and sold it within six months. If I were you I would get another speed lite "580ex"... They are a bit expensive but if you go manual you can buy Yongnuo yn460 ll for abou 25 quid each they are plenty powerful enough for indoor portraits. Modifiers are cheap too. Use brollies and or the 24" folding soft box off eBay. You will find Nimh batteries give you a full power pop with a two sec recycle time... (faster than the interfit units and easier to carry) when you want to venture out... I now have six with Yongnuo triggers and they are perfectly good while costing less than you Canon 430. I sold my Canon flashes as I prefer manual control for portraits.. I am only two steps away from the flash!
 
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