portaflash

[sammi]

HELP!!!!!!!

I have been offered a portaflash series two set up with a black/white background thrown in for 80 pounds, i just wandered wether this is the bargain it sounds or am i missing something, have been told i would need to buy a flash meter, is this the case , so far i have only done hobby photos and am now wanting to go up a gear ...is this kit ideal for me to play around with and get a feel for the world of studio photography. Thanks in advance for your help / advice

 

[HoppyUK]

As far as I know, Portaflash is Jessops own brand kit, now discontinued? As I recall, it was ok low budget stuff.

You don't say much about what you've got, but for £80, if it works, I don't see that you can go wrong.

 

[ianmarsh]

I bought a bunch of portaflash lights, stands etc. They are pretty basic but they were cheap and they work fine. I found out from them that I don't like studio lighting much, and that I can do enough with off camera flashes. One issue with the ones I got is that they don't have many power settings (full, 1/2, 1/4). Often even 1/4 is way too much so you may want some ND filters to get better control over light levels.

 

[Rudesing]

I've used Portaflash (series 3) for two years. I've found it a great starter kit but am planning to upgrade now.

If you're unsure how much you'll use it & it's mainly for hobby photography then I'd buy it for that (mine cost £250). It does have limitations which has caused me extra processing time, but for the price you can't have it all.

If it were me, I'd buy it!

 

[Flashman]

Bet you could flog it for more than 80 squids if you don't want to keep it... win/win!

have been told i would need to buy a flash meter, is this the case ...

You don't NEED a flash meter... but it does help. You could manage without one and chimp to get the exposure right. The histogram is a good exposure guide.