Strobist advice needed

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kevmalone

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I've just finished Reading the Hotshoe Diaries and am well and truly inspired. Sadly my budget won't vstretch anywhere near a bag full of sb900 or sb600s so I need advice on the budget end of the manual flash market.
I have no idea where to start....

I already have a few cactus v4 triggers...
 
You could try searching your local camera shops/ carboot sales for old Vivitar 285s and the like, just don't let them anywhere near the hotshoe on your D80 :eek:

Alternatively, there are some cheap new Strobist-type flashguns coming out of HK just now - around £30-40 would see get you the likes of the YongNuo YN460, which might be worth considering.
 
Any flash with a hotshoe fitting and manual adjustable controls will work with the Catcus'
 
Cactus make a clone of the vivitar 285 which is ok on the hot-shoe not that you're likely to have it there for this strobist business, it's called a KF36. I got one last week for about £60 from gadget infinity.

I'm thinking about getting a yn460 also.
 
Hundreds of people on Strobist flickr have had masses of issues with the Cactus version of the 285. The build quality is the main thing, i think they have passed out to chinese manafcturers and the quality has dropped through the floor:thumbsdown:
 
Thanks for the replies all.
I really like idea of only paying £10-15 for some effective flashguns so I'll be keeping an eye open for the Nissins.

Thanks again...
 
Flash In The Pan said:
You could try searching your local camera shops/ carboot sales for old Vivitar 285s and the like, just don't let them anywhere near the hotshoe on your D80 :eek:
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I have an old 285 and I wouldn't even show it to my D40! (Trigger voltage is around250v I believe :eek:) but it's ok on a trigger. HOWEVER, the recycle time at higher powers is woeful, and they're not all that cheap either. I got mine from a second hand shop that didn't know what they had. I've seen them go on ebay for over £40.
 
ChrisMClark said:
I have an old 285 and I wouldn't even show it to my D40! (Trigger voltage is around250v I believe :eek:) but it's ok on a trigger. HOWEVER, the recycle time at higher powers is woeful, and they're not all that cheap either. I got mine from a second hand shop that didn't know what they had. I've seen them go on ebay for over £40.
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Wise man, you need to be careful with them on some of the ebay triggers too, as the likes of the Cactus V2s (not the V2) are only designed to work with newer sub-12v flashguns (I should start calling them strobes, just to annoy POAH :naughty) but if you can get them for peanuts then :thumbs:
 
I'm getting rid of the Vivi when I get back from Canada, I think I'm gonna get a cheap manual gun from HK, and maybe a Jessops TTL dedicated gun. The Vivi's ok, but the recyc time is a real PITA and the fact I can't shoe-mount it means it's next to useless when I'm out and about.
 
newyorkaddict said:
They are good flashes for the money mate, built like tanks, mine have been knocked over about 10 times each so far, and they are still going strong:thumbs:
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Just got my first 360TW, got another one arriving tomorrow (nothing like jumping in with both feet eh), I am assuming that the hole just above the hot shoe connector thingy is a PC Sync socket of some variety?

Do you get different PC Sync connectors or are they a standard?

I am going to be ordering up a couple of wireless triggers/receivers (RF-602's) and am assuming that if they don't work directly off the hotshoe on the receivers I will need to buy me some PC sync leads.

(Apologies for the thread hijack)
 
Foggy said:
Just got my first 360TW, got another one arriving tomorrow (nothing like jumping in with both feet eh), I am assuming that the hole just above the hot shoe connector thingy is a PC Sync socket of some variety?

Do you get different PC Sync connectors or are they a standard?

I am going to be ordering up a couple of wireless triggers/receivers (RF-602's) and am assuming that if they don't work directly off the hotshoe on the receivers I will need to buy me some PC sync leads.

(Apologies for the thread hijack)
Click to expand...


I use mine directly off the hotshoe of my CTR triggers, but you can use a PC sync/Hotshoe thingy. I got one with the first 360 i got, but have never used it so far.;)
 
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