Wanting to get more portable.

crashtestmac

crashtestmac

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Guys and Gals,

I have a studio kit that i have been using for about a year, i love it to bits and i am very happy with the results.

BUT.....

All of my shooting is done at other venues or other peoples houses. I want to move to using speedlites so i can take my camera bag a highlite and a couple of lightstands. When you factor in for events i have to then also take my printer, mounts, bags viewing stations etc, it is all a bit much.

So i am wanting to ask out loud for anyone to talk me out of this if it is the wrong thing to do.

I have 1 SB600 and i want to have some decent kit but not wanting to go crazy.

I am thinking that i need 3 lights in total so do i want to get my hands on 2 more sb600 and a SU800 or do i go with the FITP cheap ones and wireless triggers.

I know the cheap ones will do the job but is it worth paying the extra.

Does anyone know...!

Crash
 
From what you've said, it sounds like all you would be doing is swapping studio flash heads for hot-shoe guns (and all the downsides that goes with them).

Given all the other clobber you've got, where's the gain? Or have I misunderstood?
 
i think you have understood, i do all my shooting on location, don't have a studio and will not have for a long time so i want to downsize everything i have, wife is going nuts with all the crap i have lying about so i want to downsize before i get kicked out of the house... :-)

I mostly shoot events, presentations and portraits. Most of which do not need even 1/4 power of the lights i am using, i hate the softboxes i have because they are a **** to get up and down so i have switched to the umbrella pop up ones which now fit in my bag.

I know that i am going this a bit arse about face which i why i was asking if anyone had done it. I think that speedlites will work for me in this way but i just want reassuring...!

Crash
 
Depending on the studio strobes you're currently using, 1/4 power from those might be more than the SB-600 is capable of at full power.

Personally I'd only be considering the SB-900s (more power there when needed, zooms to 200mm - only 85mm on the SB-600 - for much longer reach, faster recycle time, etc).

Or, I'd you could look at the new YN-560 if you're happy to physically wander over to each light to adjust power as needed (I like the speed and convenience of being able to control the power from where I'm stood with the camera).

I have YN460-II flashes that I sometimes add to the mix with my SB-900s when necessary using RF-602 radio triggers, or as optical slaves, and they do work great for what they are. But, their flash head is fixed at 35mm. The new YN560 that's destined to replace it has a head that's zoomable up to 105mm (same as the SB-800), faster recycle time and the ability to use an external battery pack for even faster recycles and longer life.
 
Right that is the sort of info i am after, i am rubbish at reading so am easily distracted...!


Maybe i need a couple of sb600 for the back ground lights and an sb900 as well then...! or would i be better off with 2 cheap ones for the background an sb600 for hair light and sb900 for the main light...!

AAArrrrgh...

so confused..!
 
At the moment I have 3 SB-900s, an SB-600 and 2 YN460-II flashes.

Usually, I'll have an SB-900 on the hotshoe as a commander (if I need 3 groups, or the popup commander just doesn't have the power/range to trigger all the lights, or I need to have the commander firing flashes behind me I can just rotate the head around), an SB-900 as the key, another SB-900 as the fill, and the SB-600 as a hair/rim light when needed.

Sometimes if I need more power, I'll double up on the SB-900s as the key, with the two YN460-II flashes as the fill, then the SB-600 as the hair/rim light.

If I'm using radio triggers, I'll generally just use the SB-900s.

The only reason I use the SB-600 at all is simply because I have one. I wouldn't go out and buy one now. It was the first iTTL flash I bought, and just never got around to selling it.

I will eventually sell the SB-600 and pick up another SB-900, and I'll be getting rid of my YN460-II flashes and replacing those with YN560s too.

If you can afford to go with SB-900s, then go for it, you can never have too much power on a speedlight. Otherwise, I'd get 3 or 4 YN460-II flashes and RF-602 radio triggers (which would probably cost about the same as a single SB-600 anyway).
 
crashtestmac said:
Right that is the sort of info i am after, i am rubbish at reading so am easily distracted...!


Maybe i need a couple of sb600 for the back ground lights and an sb900 as well then...! or would i be better off with 2 cheap ones for the background an sb600 for hair light and sb900 for the main light...!

AAArrrrgh...

so confused..!
Click to expand...

Marginal power. Slow recycling will drive you nuts (better with aux packs). No modelling lights. You'll feel like an amateur.

You'll spend a grand :eek:

Bung SWMBO a ton and a bunch of flowers :D
 
Bearing in mind that you will be wanting the BG (in the hilite I assume) to be 1-3 stops more than the main subject to get it to blow to white then you would more than likely be better off with more powerful lights in there.

There are a couple of options to go for depending on what you get for your studio kit. Either you go all out on 2 x SB800's for BG, SB900 for main, SB600 for fill or you can swap any of those out for the cheaper alternatives depending on cost.
 
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