Mini Studio Using Flash Guns

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Snake Man

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Andy
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I read in another lighting thread that someone had setup a studio using only flash guns and I am now thinking of doing the same thing.

I've recently been messing about with my Sigma 500 super off camera and am liking the different effects that can be created with all the new angles.

I'm thinking about adding two more flashes but my question is which ones? My first thought is to sell my current flash and buy the Nikon SB800 and 2 of the cheaper Sigma 500/530's. I want to be able to trigger all the flashes without buying additional equipment. Is this the best combo?
 
Thanks for that link. Gona be reading through that for some time but looks excellent.
 
After having a good read through that site (still got lots more to do) it looks like I could get great results with just 2 flashguns. So, I'm thinking of getting the Nikon SB800 and use my Sigma on a light stand. The 800 would be on a coiled sync cord (anyone know where I can pick these up cheap?). Does anyone know if the sigma would still trigger via the infra red when the the Nikon flash is attached? I won't have the money for a pocket wizard for a while.
 
You could look at these as alternatives for the PWs. Not the same quality, but almost throw-away prices. I managed to get 1 trigger & 2 receivers for about £25.

Trigger & Receiver:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Wireless-...ryZ15215QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem

Additional receivers:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-channels-Wi...ryZ48515QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem

These are in Hong Kong, but if you look hard enough on Ebay, you can get 'em in the UK too.

Biggest problem is the way it extends the 'height' of your flash unit (which makes it harder to position the flash into an umbrella. Also, I was interested in using these triggers with the "Lastolite Ezybox hotshoe" softboxes, but an email from Lastolite says they won't fit :(
 
Snake Man said:
I read in another lighting thread that someone had setup a studio using only flash guns
Click to expand...

That might have been me.

and I am now thinking of doing the same thing.

I've recently been messing about with my Sigma 500 super off camera and am liking the different effects that can be created with all the new angles.

I'm thinking about adding two more flashes but my question is which ones? My first thought is to sell my current flash and buy the Nikon SB800 and 2 of the cheaper Sigma 500/530's. I want to be able to trigger all the flashes without buying additional equipment. Is this the best combo?
Click to expand...

Watch out for pre-flash!
Many cams fire a pre-flash, a split second before the main flash (for measuring distance). That pre-flash would set off your slaved flashgun(s) so that it/they will fire before the shutter actually opens for the exposure. You don't want that!
So if your cam uses pre-flash, you will need to be able to switch that off in order to make optically slaved flash possible.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the advice. Once I have the SB800 I won't have to pop the other flash with the built in one. I'll just have to check weather or not it has a pre flash.

You could look at these as alternatives for the PWs. Not the same quality, but almost throw-away prices. I managed to get 1 trigger & 2 receivers for about £25.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. They might be more reliable than the infra on the camera and a good fill gap until I can get a pocket wizard
 
I've used IR slaving for years at upto 20 feet distance without a hitch. Radiographic triggering (like the pocket wizard) begets you a working distance of upto 1500 feet. But I've never – in 45 years of photography – needed that. So why pay for it? Another drawback is that you also get to schlepp around a transmitter and a receiver that both need to be kept charged!
And then there's the price . . . !
 
1500 feet! A bit excessive and much more than I'll ever need. I had a quick look up of the SB800 and there is a way of stopping the pre flash. Just need to meter it on the camera, then flick the FV lock. As long as the distance of the flash/object doesn't change too much I should be ok.
 
pre-flash is only for TTL modes, if you put the guns in manual the pre-flash should stop anyway.
 
I'm going down a similar route with my portable studio so I don't have to lug loads of kit around. I will be using the SU-800 commander on the camera which will control a couple of SB-800's and umbrellas for the subject and one or two SB-600's for the background, using this method I can retain full TTL and do away with cables. The other advantage of using the SU-800 as opposed to the built in commander mode on the D200 is that it does away with the pre-flash, it is all done by IR.

The synch chord you want is the Nikon SC-29 (I think - check to make sure) but they are not cheap, about £50 iirc.
 
Thanks for that Hacker. I had a look for the SC-29 but couldn't find it on warehouseexpress, I did see the SC-28 if that is the same thing?

At the moment I only have about £300 to play with, so that will get me the SB-800 and the cord. Have to wait til the new year to add additional flashes and maybe the commander kit. I was thinking about using a light stand rather than a tripod to mount the flash on. Would I need an umbrella adapter for this or can I just attach via the flash stand?
 
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