Single light setup

[ecsrobin]

I'm getting more into doing portraits and the such and so I was looking at getting a studio light.

Now I've done a lot of reading on here with people often buying budget 2 light kits. But I've read that a lot of people say start with 1 light so I've got a budget of around £300 and I'm thinking one good quality light and softbox.

Am I thinking along the right lines and can anyone provide any recommendations?

 

[amfoto]

Ive done the same as what your looking to do.

1 light setup and build from there

i went for Lencarta head and Profold softbox,

http://www.lencarta.com/lighting-store/flash-heads

 

[Garry Edwards]

I don't think it's really that you buy just one light to start with so much as that you should start to learn with just one light - 1 light is very versatile and a very good learning tool, but a second one is very likely to be needed, sooner or later, and there are savings to be made by buying a kit.

This SmartFlash kit, with 1 softbox and 1 umbrella, is one of your choices at £320.

If you bought 1 of the same flash heads, with a slightly bigger softbox and stand, it would cost you £210. If you then add another stand, a reflector holder arm and a reflector, this will add another £63, bringing the total cost up to £273. The reflector, the arm that holds it and the stand that it fits to would again increase the versatility.

 

[Johnd2000]

I'd certainly endorse the suggestion that one should learn how to use single light source first. It's not called a "key light" for nothing. It's the most critical light in any setup (just about).

However, it doesn't take long to work out and you'll soon want to experiment with fill light, edge/hair lighting and backdrop lights. when i bought my kit, the prices on 2 or 3 light kits were much better value than buying individual lights and modifiers.

 

[ecsrobin]

I don't think it's really that you buy just one light to start with so much as that you should start to learn with just one light - 1 light is very versatile and a very good learning tool, but a second one is very likely to be needed, sooner or later, and there are savings to be made by buying a kit.

This SmartFlash kit, with 1 softbox and 1 umbrella, is one of your choices at £320.

If you bought 1 of the same flash heads, with a slightly bigger softbox and stand, it would cost you £210. If you then add another stand, a reflector holder arm and a reflector, this will add another £63, bringing the total cost up to £273. The reflector, the arm that holds it and the stand that it fits to would again increase the versatility.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Now that does look a very appealing package at a good price I currently have a large reflector and stand as well so that's covered already.

So worth getting that twin kit, start off with 1 light then progress to the second?

 

[HoppyUK]

Buying two/three head kits is a better deal, and yes you'll soon be wanting more than one head, but the bundle deal only works if you're sure want everything in the kit.

Kit softboxes are often the cheaper, smaller, single-diffuser and harder to put up jobbies, so if, like I did, you end up with two softboxes you don't want and never use because you've replaced them with something better/different, then the kit has actually cost you more over buying separates.

You may also find that the second/third head you buy needs to be more powerful, or less powerful, or you'd like another feature like remote control or a proportional modelling light. These things you only get to know about after you've had some real use - and it's usually personal/subjective type decisions that nobody else can really advise upon.