Some Portable OCF Advice

Kevin Twitchett

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Kevin Twitchett
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Hi

Just discovered this forum and spent a few hours looking through and like the way members are offfering advice. I live in Dubai (hot, hot and more hot) and sometimes getting gear here can be a real pain in the a**, not to mention expensive on some stuff.

Anyway here's my dilemna..

I have a basic 2 light home studio setup (cheap and cheerful VIsico gear) supplemented when needed with a SB-900 abd a SB-700, which i have a lot of fun with even if the results aren't always as good as i hope. In a few weeks I am trabveliing back to the UK with my GF (her first time in the UK) for my brothers wedding.

My parents are travelling over from France and we are all staying at a rented farmhouse up in N. Yorks, I have discussed with my family taking some family portraits and whilst the Visico kit comes with a really nice wheeled case I really don't wanna lug it 5000mi, so I started looking at options.

The triggers I currently have are very inexpensive Phottix ones, nothing clever just fire the strobes and speedlights, and after a frustrating shoot in very low light outdoors I want more control without running back and forth to each speedlight.

I have been looking at the Yongnuo 622N series and the Cactus V6 - good reviews on both but the Yongnuo seems to be able to control the flash zoom, how important is that?

Plus the Cactus RF60 speedlights have the receiver built-in, which is great - so i am thinking... Do i go with the Yongnuo 1x TX and 2x RX and get an additional Yongnuo 565 (does this have the rx built in too? - reading conflicting info on that) or the Cactus V6 and get three Tx/Rx and 1x Cactus RF60?

Now to portable modifiers, the two types of softbox I have looked are the coldshoe mount, Lastolite Ezybox (not keen on that one) and the flash head grip type (Cactus CB-60 and Hahnel softbox) - the other option is the F-Stoppers Flash Disc, so the question is this, will the Flash Disc's do the job? Or do they lose too much light - 6 Adults and three kids is a lot of light needed I think.

Has anyone any suggestions?

TIA
Kev
 
First my advice as a photographer for the family shoot:

Forget the flash, get them outside somewhere pleasant in open shade. Nothing you can do in an impromptu studio with speedlights will compare.

But to answer your question, the Yongnuo 622 setup is excellent, but you will need a receiver for each flashgun, the zoom function isn't that important and the grip type flashgun mount is the best type by miles.
 
Thanks Metroman/Phil

Phil, good point...

One of the things I liked about the Cactus was the hotshoe on top and that each unit can be used as a tx or rx - tho the 622 controller is certainly a better interface. I just keep going round in circles on this lol
 
The 622s are transceivers, but using the camera menu is a PITA.
 
Yep I agree, now i need to decide which two speedlights to buy, any suggestions?
 
I thought you already had a couple of SB's?
For price to go with those, YN 565s will do nicely.

If you need HSS , YN568. I keep a couple of HSS enabled flashes, which is enough for on camera as required.
 
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