Recommendations for flash setup

Tom Pinchenzo

Tom Pinchenzo

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I’m looking for a first lighting kit - flash head, modifier, stand, trigger etc. Can anyone recommend a good starting point?? What’s a good system to buy into? Just dipping my toe in so cheaper the better! Would consider buying used.
Any advice welcome!
 
Godox.

I've been using the SK400ii models for a few years now and I haven't been able to fault them. An XPro trigger to suit your camera and bob's your uncle.

There are cheaper and dearer models, but the beauty of Godox is it's all compatible, so you can start small and add to it as you need. I have four other strobes as well as the four SK400ii ones (can't remember the model as they only come out occasionally) and a couple speedlights, but they all work together flawlessly.
 
Sky said:
Godox.

I've been using the SK400ii models for a few years now and I haven't been able to fault them. An XPro trigger to suit your camera and bob's your uncle.

There are cheaper and dearer models, but the beauty of Godox is it's all compatible, so you can start small and add to it as you need. I have four other strobes as well as the four SK400ii ones (can't remember the model as they only come out occasionally) and a couple speedlights, but they all work together flawlessly.
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www.onbuy.com

Godox SK400II Studio Flash Light Bowens+95cm softbox+2m Light Stand on OnBuy

With built-in Godox 2.4G wireless X system,SKII Series is a cost-effective compact flash strobe for e-commerce product shooting,portrait and...
www.onbuy.com www.onbuy.com

Reckon this is a good starting kit?? Guess I’d need a trigger as well?
 
Yes, that will do it. The trigger you want is the XPro which will be followed by a /N, /C, /S, /F etc. depending on your camera. Add a reflector or two - some foamboard will do and you're in business.

Don't rush into it, prices vary so do have a good look around - I picked up my four for £90.00 each (new) on the evil bay. A lot of people buy studio stuff, but then don't bother learning how to use it, so good second hand bargains can be had.
 
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I bought my 3 Godox D300 heads about 6 years ag and despite the drops and me being daft (removing the boom counter weight first) they are still going strong.
 
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See if you can find a kit based on their MS300 - should be a similar price, and has a greater range of power adjustment (down to 1/32 rather than 1/16).
300 w/s is often plenty of power (so you don't gain by having the 400ws units), and more often you'll find you need to turn them down (I have older DE300's, and often wish I could turn them down more).
 
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Godox make some excellent flash units but they also continue to make their original, very poor models, so some care is needed. Don't buy any of the older ones, which have non-removable reflectors.

Also, Godox provide zero customer support, which means that if you buy from one of the many online sellers that don't have a bricks-and-mortar business in this country, you'll be stuffed if the units need repair - which is why many people are happy to pay extra and buy from an established company such as Lencarta.

In terms of power, 300 Ws is ample for most people, most of the time.

This question might have been better asked in the Lighting Forum.
 
There are two Godox AD200s for sale in the Items for Sale/Accessories section.
 
Snapsh0t said:
There are two Godox AD200s for sale in the Items for Sale/Accessories section.
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The AD200 is useful, but a bit of an oddity. It's primarily a reasonably powerful off-camera flashgun, useful outdoors when the sun isn't too bright, and usable indoors. But, wherever mains power is available, it would be better, cheaper and easier to get mains-powered flash heads.
 
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Simple answer is Godox.
More complex answer is whether you want after sales support. if you do, Lencarta or Essential sell Godox products with support.

The other issue is that the cheap lightstands and soft boxes that come in the eBay type kits are ‘usable’, whereas you can get better ones at good prices from Lencarta. Their light stands are an absolute bargain, and the softboxes are much better quality than the box shifters albeit at a premium.

If it was my money, I’d get a cheap Godox head and go to Lencarta for the stand, and shop around for the right softbox for my needs / budget.
 
Phil V said:
Simple answer is Godox.
More complex answer is whether you want after sales support. if you do, Lencarta or Essential sell Godox products with support.

The other issue is that the cheap lightstands and soft boxes that come in the eBay type kits are ‘usable’, whereas you can get better ones at good prices from Lencarta. Their light stands are an absolute bargain, and the softboxes are much better quality than the box shifters albeit at a premium.

If it was my money, I’d get a cheap Godox head and go to Lencarta for the stand, and shop around for the right softbox for my needs / budget.
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That’s helpful. Thanks Phil.
 
One thing to look out for on softboxes - if you are looking for a setup you will be assembling / disassembling (rather than leaving assembled in a studio from day to day), then the extra for 'umbrella style' softboxes (See https://www.lencarta.com/redline-pro-profold-folding-octa-softbox-lencarta-120cm for an example) over 'standard' is well worth the money - wrestling with fitting the rods in a normal speedbox is a guaranteed way to start the day badly!
 
Faldrax said:
One thing to look out for on softboxes - if you are looking for a setup you will be assembling / disassembling (rather than leaving assembled in a studio from day to day), then the extra for 'umbrella style' softboxes (See https://www.lencarta.com/redline-pro-profold-folding-octa-softbox-lencarta-120cm for an example) over 'standard' is well worth the money - wrestling with fitting the rods in a normal speedbox is a guaranteed way to start the day badly!
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That’s useful advice.
 
Can I just ask if you are looking for a mains powered ( studio type ) set up or a portable ( speedlight type ) set up.
 
troutfisher said:
Can I just ask if you are looking for a mains powered ( studio type ) set up or a portable ( speedlight type ) set up.
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I don’t really know. I guess the battery powered ones are more convenient and versatile. But more expensive?
 
Speedlight/flashgun setups are relatively cheap (if you avoid the fancy high-spec ones) but nearly all have a fixed reflector, which substantially restricts their versatility

Portable flash (mostly) doesn't suffer from that limitation but they are significantly more expensive and tend to recycle fairly slowly.

Mains-powered are much cheaper, have plenty of power, are convenient to use and recycle quickly, so are the obvious choice provided that you have mains power available.
Please see https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/tutorials/which-type-of-flash.153/
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
I don’t really know. I guess the battery powered ones are more convenient and versatile. But more expensive?
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I went through a similar excercise last year when I wanted to try OCF but did not want to spend a fortune on something I was not going to use a lot.
I did not have the room for studio lights and I wanted something portable so I went down the Godox speedlight route.
I got a couple of Godox TT685 flash units , a transmitter , a white umbrella ( to bounce off )and a flash stand .
I got the flash units and transmitter off here , (supposedly used but they looked brand new) and the stand, flash holder and umbrella from Lencarta.
The whole lot, flashes, transmitter umbrella etc cost just short of £230 and it runs on AA Batteries.
The only drawback is there is no modelling light so its a matter of chimping until you get the settings correct-I suppose if I had an exposure meter it would be easier but I manage quite happily without one and TTL gets me pretty close most of the time.
 
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