new to "strobist" do i have a good camera to get into this?

Hey guys, so i spent some time reading about it, but couldnt get all the info on getting started.


Im using the canon rebel eos t2i (no pc jack) and need a hot shoe from what ive read so far.


Anyone currently heavily into this area of photography using a canon such as mine as well?


Where/how do you go about getting hot shoes and other sync related items to start


experimenting with this.


Is the 580exii a good choice for a master?


could anyone put together like a shopping list of what i would need to do just basic experimental "strobist" photography.


Any advice isreally appreciated, i love this forum.

The thing about lighting is that it makes great pictures from cameras that aren't that great in general.





580 ex II is overkill. If you really want a canon the 430 ex II will do just fine. Third party flashes are much, much, cheaper and will do just fine.


You'll need 2 lightstands


2 umbrella swivel adapters


2 umbrellas


Now to connect all that:


I really like the radio popper jrx units. They're reliable, have good range, and are much cheaper than pocketward units. They are only sold on their website. The transmitter will fit right onto the hot shoe on your camera. If you flashes have a pc sync port your golden but if they don't then you'll need a hot shoe to pc sync adapter.


After you've mastered the umbrellas, you'll want to start to look at other ways to modify your light such as softboxes, ringlights, beauty dishes, octobanks, strip lights, etc.....


finally a note about color temperature. The color of natural light changes from location to location. your flashes are always daylight balanced. To the flash's temperature to match that of the ambient or natural light you'll need to use some gels. To match a sunset you'll need an orange one (refered to as a CTO gel and its available in a variety of 'powers' like 1/4, 1/2, or full depending on how strong the ambient light is. For indoors the other common light source is sodium vapoer lights that give off a green cast. for this you'll just need a green gel. Just tape these gels over your flash units to get everything the same color.

I'll have to agree that the 430 will work fine... its only weakness is no PC socket so you'll have to mount it on the radio receiver (not really too much of a problem because it's quite a bit smaller than the 580 so it won't sit too high on the umbrella mount). Just make sure you turn off the auto power off function on your flash (in the custom function menu) or you'll be having to manually wake it up every time it takes more than a minute to adjust your set/subject.





Also, if you're looking for the cheapest possible radio slave set that will work consistently, I've had good experiences with the Cactus V4 set (at about $70 USD for the trigger and two slaves it won't hurt you too much if one gets destroyed and it'll definitely let you know if off-camera lighting is something you want to seriously pursue). If you really don't want to go wireless and want to go the cheapest possible route, the hot shoe to PC adapter will work, but I find it annoying to be tethered directly to the flash (plenty of possibilities for yet again proving Murphy's Law).





P.S. If you don't feel inclined to mess with gels (you should, but just saying) you can always balance light to your liking by setting your camera's white balance to Kelvin and picking the appropriate temperature.





P.P.S. Here's a good place to start for all your strobist needs: Midwest Photo Exchange (link is for the 2 light kit page). They have absolutely fantastic service and a knowledgeable staff. Highly recommended.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IAMB

P.S. If you don't feel inclined to mess with gels (you should, but just saying) you can always balance light to your liking by setting your camera's white balance to Kelvin and picking the appropriate temperature.

---

If your dealing with two sources of light with different temperatures then there is no way your camera can compensate. One or the other will look off.

I'm inclined to agree with you, but quite a bit can be accomplished by selecting a nice happy medium if you have no other option.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IAMB

I'm inclined to agree with you, but quite a bit can be accomplished by selecting a nice happy medium if you have no other option.

---

Sure, just correcting for your subject does a good enough job usually.

Agreed re 580EXII being overkill though I find the way to go for anything on camera where you want the ETTL (camera does the thinking) which the Rebel has.


In terms of strobism for the price of that flash you could probably get two Vivitar 285HV (or the china copy KF36 which I have) and the rest of the stands/adaptors/umbrellas/gels/triggers listed above. Its the way to go to start out


I am assuming Sean will weigh in at some point [:)]


If you havent already seen the posts search for "Interested in Strobism". Its like an encyclopedia

Please check out the extremely informative threads that Sean Setters put together. He spent a lot of time on these and it shows! After reading these you'll have a much better understanding of what direction you need to move in.


1. Interested in strobism?


2. If my flash isn't on my camera, what is it attached to?


3. Bare flash still looks a little harsh...How can I make it look better? [Light Modifiers]

Thanks guys, very helpful.


Think i got a handle on it now.


[8-|]

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by crosbyharbison

580 ex II is overkill

---

I'm no strobist man at all, but yesterday I tried to make a portrait with an off camera 430EX2 flash at full power without interruptions like umbrella's/gels/etc from like 1,5m and with a covered sunset (sunset behind clouds) the 430s power just didn't do it. It was the first time I felt like needing more power.


But most of the time the 430 will do just fine, but if you're serious about strobism, I could understand why you would pick the 580 over the 430. Also the fact that you might not need to use the full power of the 580 all the time would help you out with flashrechargetimes.


If I were to make the same choice again and thinking that I would use my flash more than I do now, I would probably spend a little more and go for the 580. But perhaps 3rd party alternatives might even have better offers [H]


Jan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sheiky

430s power just didn't do it

---

The 580 is only moderatley more powerful than the 430. If you need to overpower the sun I'd consider a 1600 watt studio strobe. The Hot-Shoe flashes are around 200 watts. The 430 will do just fine in a studio setting.

I haven't weighed in this week because I've been putting in 14-15 hour days at the office (everything should be back to normal next week). What I would have suggested has already been said (check out my Intro to Strobism!). It's nice to know I have a legacy to look back on when I'm old and grey.. ;-)

Question: Should I create a general purchase list of items that a strobist might purchase at 1) Budget/Entry, 2) Advanced Hobbyist, and 3) Professional level?

yes please!


could you gear it towards a camera such as mine ( no pc connection rebel t2i)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sean Setters

Should I create a general purchase list of items that a strobist might purchase at 1) Budget/Entry, 2) Advanced Hobbyist, and 3) Professional level?

---

I, for one, would like to see such a thing.

I'll try to put something together in the next week.