portable lighting kit on a budget, sigma vs canon speedlites, pocket wizards etc...

[johnker]

I'm just getting back into photography and I'mbuildinga potable lighting kit to shoot portraits of bands while I am on the road. If you have ever seen "confessions of a professional photographer" on you tube, I am trying to emulate his set up. I'd like to have 2 remote flash units for lighting, so my question is... Should I buy high end canon flashes or can I get away with sigmas? And... what is the best way to wirelessly trigger my flashes, is there an alternative to pocket wizards? Being a musician/photographer means I'm on a seriously tight budget. I have done tons ofresearchon the internet, just looking for some human feedback and suggestions! Thanks!

[devsalvi]

I read Bryan's review on 580exII and decided to give it a try. It has worked great for me so far. I would not think of buying any other flash for canon cameras. I just ordered my second flash, another 580exII and the remote transmitter st-e2. Some of the things you buy from canon, you will not regret, like this flash or the L series lenses.





Cheers!


Dev

[Joel Bookhammer]

I would use the Canon flashes, they work great and they are built to last. I use Cactus V2s for the wireless flash setup. I think that there is a newer version of them now, they arenot as well built as the PW's but for a fraction of a cost they work for me.


thanks


joel

[johnker]

thanks for the tip! the cactus V2 looks amazing for the price, found a review and link to www.gadgetinfinity.com i'lldefinitelybe picking some of these up!

[jea lee]

i mount a 580ex2 on my 5d mk1 and sync it to two 430ex flashes. works great.

[Jayson]

Joel,


When you use the Cactus system, do you have to use your flash on manual mode or can you use it as normal? I have been looking at the PW but this might be a good alternative.


Thanks,


Jayson

[Sean Setters]

To Jayson-


By and large, most radio flash triggering solutions only transmit one command, "FIRE!!" You have to adjust the flash power manually (either by adjusting the output of the flash, or by adjusting the distance of the flash to the subject). It takes some getting used to, but it works great once you get the hang of it.


The new PocketWizard Flex units will transmit ETTL data so that you can adjust your flash units from a master flash on your camera. That said, the earliest reports indicate that PocketWizards somewhat rushed the product to the market before fully testing them. The reliability and range of the units seem to be very "un-PocketWizards-like." The RadioPopper PX system transmits the ETTL data as well, and they have quite a loyal following. The only complaints with RadioPopper PX units usually focus on the mounting (the receiver units must be mounted to the flash in order to work properly). RadioPoppers are going to address that issue soon enough when they release a bracket mount that will make the standard issue velcro a thing of the past.


Now, the biggest problem with using the new PocketWizard Flex and RadioPopper PX units is that they require you to buy expensive flashes. For the price of one 580EX II, I can buy 3 cheaper flashes that don't have ETTL capabilities.

[Rodger]

I know almost nothing about remote flash photography and I don't mean to change the subject of this thread but what is the difference between TTL and ETTL flash capabilities?


From what I gather, ETTL allows you to change the flash settings like power, from the camera, while TTL does not.

[Sean Setters]

To Jayson-


By and large, most radio flash triggering solutions only transmit one command, "FIRE!!" You have to adjust the flash power manually (either by adjusting the output of the flash, or by adjusting the distance of the flash to the subject). It takes some getting used to, but it works great once you get the hang of it.


The new PocketWizard Flex units will transmit ETTL data so that you can adjust your flash units from a master flash on your camera. That said, the earliest reports indicate that PocketWizards somewhat rushed the product to the market before fully testing them. The reliability and range of the units seem to be very "un-PocketWizards-like." The RadioPopper PX system transmits the ETTL data as well, and they have quite a loyal following. The only complaints with RadioPopper PX units usually focus on the mounting (the receiver units must be mounted to the flash in order to work properly). RadioPoppers are going to address that issue soon enough when they release a bracket mount that will make the standard issue velcro a thing of the past.


Now, the biggest problem with using the new PocketWizard Flex and RadioPopper PX units is that they require you to buy expensive flashes. For the price of one 580EX II, I can buy 3 cheaper flashes that don't have ETTL capabilities.

[peety3]

Start with two Canon 580EX II flashes. Use one on-camera and one off-camera. Either through the camera or on the master flash, you can control the remote flash either through E-TTL or manual power settings. See if you can become comfortable with manual flash in such a way that you wouldn't need to walk over to the remote flash(es) to adjust power. If so, many of the triggering tools out there would be great. If you're better off using E-TTL, consider a third Canon flash as your B remote. If manual flash is OK, various triggers that only signal "Flash now!" will be OK.