I have finally decided to take the next step in my photography journey and get in to off camera flash. Since I am just getting into it I need some advice on what gear to get.
First things first, I am on a budget and am trying to be as minimalist as possible... I am planning on sticking with Chords instead of going wireless.
I have
A Canon 40d & a Canon 580ex II
I am looking to just do family and single portraits.
Advice please....
Thank in advance.
Merry Christmas
Some guy who regularly posts to the forums here created a pretty good write-up based on his experiences with strobism. Might want to check those threads out...
Of course, you'll also what to read everything you can at David Hobby's site, Strobist, and more specifically, the Lighting 101 section.
As far as the chords go, I'd highly suggest FlashZebra as an online retailer. He sells gear specifically targeted toward the strobist population, and he sells at reasonable prices. FlashZebra's customer service is top notch, too.
You need to bookmark www.strobist.blogspot.com in your browser haha. And Sean Setter's articles that he linked to above. Both David and Sean are very knowledgeable. (Sean is a tad bit more accessible should you ever have a question though
Both those sites can explain what you need far better than I can. Read those, and if you have any specific questions, please dont hesitate to ask!
Merry Christmas!
-Rodger
What do you need? Light stand (Manfrotto 001B or similar), umbrella adapter, umbrella, Strobist gel pack, and a way to trigger your flash. You could do a hot shoe to PC adapter and a cord, but I see that as a big safety risk. Amongst lots of trigger choices, you might consider a Canon 430exII as your remote flash, with your existing 580 as on-camera trigger. This would allow you to do 'pure Strobist' stuff like manual flash settings but they'd be set via your camera's menus (i.e. you wouldn't have to walk to the flash), and you could use the 580 as an on-axis fill when desired.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Thanks people, I went and read a good deal on the strobist blog and got an idea of what to get. I called the people at mpex.com and they were really helpful, so I got a newb storbist kit! I'll share some pics when I get my strobist pants on...
thanks for the info
metakephotos
Start planning for another camera bag now. Strobist supplies will begin to take over your current bag until you basically have no room for lenses. Flashes, cables, batteries and chargers, light modifiers and other gear take up considerable amounts of room.
Originally Posted by Graydon
Veryy solid advice!
Have fun with your new kit!
+1 on this. I have the LowePro Nature Trekker bag, a 1-series body, the 16-35, 24-105, 50/1.8, and 70-200/2.8. More than enough space in the bag, right? Nope. Four 580 flashes, two battery packs, six PocketWizards, a grid attachment, a manila folder full of gels in zip-lock bags in the outer pouch, and heaven forbid I rent a lens or something (I'm renting the 17TS right now...talk about a large lens and a huge lens cap!). The 70-200 often rides in a LensCase 4 on the side of my bag, and gear often "spills" over to my fiance's Slingshot 200 bag.Factor in the ~60 extra AA batteries I often carry, and you see why my bag is usually 28-32 pounds when we travel.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
I hear you. I even broke down and got a bag to carry light stands and umbrellas. I got tired of a mess of them with ball end bungee cords holding them together. My main bag is back to lenses and stuff and the second bag is full of flashes, mounts, batteries and chargers, cables and etc.
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