Studio Flash Kit Recommendation

i have seen a post here about the older minolta 4000 flashes which seem to be freely available, are powerful, and very cheap. Providing you are prepared to set up your studio for manual exposure (which many do anyway, since its pretty static) this may be a good option. Someone mentioned like $30 each. You could get four of these, and a few umbrellas and stands, some light modifiers, and off you go! i did this with the minolta 5400's and it works like a charm and is very flexible. My wife's studio is around 4.5m x 3.5m Also go have a look at the strobist website - its also very illuminating (sorry, couldnt resist that )
pigi

Imho it depends what you want to do and how much money you have to spend. To start off, and learn to play with studio lights, the suggestion I made is a low budget and practical one.

The disadvantages are:
1. you need to charge batteries for a shoot or have spares or convert your setup to run off a powerpack
2. the recycle time for a flash can be up to 4-6 seconds, depending on what power setting you use. If you keep it down to 1/4 power, it is typically less than a second. Sometimes much less. Like 1/10 second.
3. for a BIG room, you may need a big flash such as 5400 or 5600 which gives good firepower. For a 3m x 3m studio, however, you do not need serious firepower imho. And space may be more important.
4. you may get a weird look from the "pro's".

the advantages are:
1. it is portable
2. it requires no ac power
3. it is cheap - you can easily expand
4. it doesnt require much space
5. you can easily locate them exactly where you want them - even overhead!

if you are experienced, and have a large multiple room studio, and are making money daily (your sole livelihood) off your shoots, go for studio lights by all means. In your 3mx3m studio, i doubt you would fit in more than a reflector and a softbox, however. And I'm not sure if you are using the studio regularly or occasionally. Else consider the flashgun option as well. You can also fit them into reflector and shoot-through umbrellas. I have had very good results with multiple HS5400's, with a stofen-type diffuser, placed inside a shoot-through umbrella. Very soft, diffuse light.

Maybe go rent someone's studio for a session, if you can, and get a feel for it yourself?

kind regards
pigi

1. Elinchrom

2. Kit as you can save quite a bit than buying seperate

3. A bulb in the flash around 150w so you can see where your shadows are and position your flash heads accordingly

4. Search for some reviews, its the sort of ? you will get 100 different answers for

I can't reccomend this set but have seen very good reviews about the supplier and some of the other kits they sell

http://www.studio-flash.com/professional-lighting/elemental-ultra-g3-kit-complete-studio-kit-p-647.html

I think its the kit I am going to buy in the next week or so after doing a bit or research it seems to be best bang for buck to suit me.

Elinchrom is far to expensive unless your making a good living from your work.

Hope that helps

Well I bought the kit I linked to above, ordered it Thursday they despatched Friday and it was at my local DHL office this morning so I gave them a call and arranged to go pick it up (wasn't due to be delivered until Monday)

3 boxes in total
1 box contained the background support kit in its own carry bag
1 box contained studio bag with 1 light stand 1 flash head 1 reflector for flash head power and sync cables modelling bulb and spare fuse and a 24" x 24" softbox in its own bag and complete with internal diffuser layer.
1 box contained studio bag with 2 light stands 2 flash heads 2 reflectors for the flash heads sync and power cables spare fuses 2 modelling bulbs 1 40" umbrella 1 90cm octagonal softbox with internal diffuser layer in its own bag 1 80cm 5 in 1 reflector in its own bag and a generic 8 channel radio trigger system in a plain white box.

I have to say I am very impressed with what you get for your money and the heads look to be very well made and good quality.

Unfortunately can't have a play yet as I omitted to buy a flash meter lol

I sourced a Sekonic L-358 on the bay last night and am picking it up tomorrow night so hopefully should be able to give it all a test on Monday

hoge-fan, I have been really busy this weekend but finally got to have a play this evening.

I will try to post a review tomorrow when I have taken some pics of the kit, but for now here is a shot of my daughter using 2 of the lights and a reflector

That one shot alone has already paid for that set up if you ask me. If you never use it again it was well worth it.

For $500 you can do a lot. Here is a setup I used recently with my cousin and daughter as the models. It is small and readily portable. Don't discount how inexpensive stands with adapters and umbrellas are on ebay. They can almost be had for a song compared to brick and mortar stores.

1 - set of Pocket Wizards - $300 (ouch, but worth it. If you go with ebay triggers subtract $250)
2 - Cheap umbrella stands w/mounting gear- $50
1 - 40" white reflector umbrella - $15
1 - 34" white shoot through umbrella - $10
2 - 5400xi flashes - $100
1 - iISO hotshoe slave - $20
2 - Home made Pocket Wizard Cables - $10
Total - $505 ($255 with ebay triggers)