Lighting advice/recommendations?

[OiCecil]

Before I get started...


I currently have:

• Canon 450D (Rebel XSi)
• EF 17-55 kit lens
• EF 100mm Macro f2.8
• EF 50mm f1.4
• Speelite 430EX II
• Manfrotto Tripod

<div>I've recently been asked to do a shoot for a friends band to be used for their website and promotional material. I really love the creativity of my 430EX II but would like to further this with a better, more studio-like lighting setup. Although it will need to be portable, as will be used indoors and outdoors.</div>
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<div>I will be purchasing an ST-E2 remote to control the 430EX II, and a 580EX II to complement this further down the line.</div>
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<div>My main question is what gear (along the lines of stands/umbrellas/soft boxes etc) would be best suited to my needs? Obviously any other comments or suggestions on the rest of my setup for this would be appreciated.</div>
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<div>(Hope that wasn't too long for a first post) </div>

[Chuck Lee]

www.strobist.com


Lighting 101 and 102


My2Abes


Chuck

[Keith B]

I recommend Honl Grids, Westcott Apollo 28" Softbox, Photogenic Eclipse 60" Umbrellas and Expoimaging's Ray Flash.


Some 16" Apollo Shoot through umbrella come in handy too. They are good for filling a room with light to bring up backgrounds. I don't use them as key lights because they really flatten things out. Great for Product shots too.


I have SP stands but most import, get a Boom. Booms make life so much easier in a lot of situations. My boom set up cost me $150 (not the greatest but perfect for flash setup). After I bought it I wanted to kick myself for not getting it a lot sooner.

[bardinjw]

I second the strobist.com suggestion. Go through his material, take your time experimenting, and check in on the strobist flickr group. There's tons of old threads in the strobist flickr group on gear recommendations, and reviews. Shoot through umbrellas are probably the most versatile and portable solution to get you started. If you want to shoot outside, you may want to invest in radio triggers like PocketWizards or CyberSyncs. The canon infrared system starts to fail in bright sunlight.

[Sean Setters]

I recommend Honl Grids, Westcott Apollo 28" Softbox, Photogenic Eclipse 60" Umbrellas and Expoimaging's Ray Flash.
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I would agree with most of this statement, however, I've found what I think is a better grid. SaxonPC grids in foam housing fit better (as they're custom fit for the flash) and come in a variety of spread that enable much better fine-tuning of the light. I have a Honl 1/8" grid, but stopped using it the day my set of SaxonPC grids came in.

[Keith B]

I would agree with most of this statement, however, I've found what I think is a better grid. SaxonPC grids in foam housing fit better (as they're custom fit for the flash) and come in a variety of spread that enable much better fine-tuning of the light. I have a Honl 1/8" grid, but stopped using it the day my set of SaxonPC grids came in.

I'll look into those. I've been using the 1/8 and 1/4 Honl's and find the fit clunky at best.

[Sean Setters]

I'll look into those. I've been using the 1/8 and 1/4 Honl's and find the fit clunky at best.
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For about $10 more than the cost of one Honl speed grid and one [required] speed strap, you can have 6 custom fit SaxonPC grids varying from 10 degrees to 65 degrees. Of course, you have to find a way to transport/carry 6 diffferent grids, but that's what car trunks were made for. ;-)

[OiCecil]

Thanks for all the replies


Keith B - Great recommendations, you've given me a great place to start. The Photogenic Eclipse 60" Umbrella seems like the ideal size for my uses and I especially like the removable cover.


bardinjw - Thanks, I'll definitely look into the radio triggers. I have heard some reports of interference between Speedlites and PocketWizards though, is this something I should really be concerned about?


I'm still looking at what brand of stand(s) to go for. I like the look of the Westcott stands and boom, as well as Manfrotto's (although their range seems a lot more... complicated to choose from). Has anyone any experience/opinions on which stand brand to go for?


Again, thanks for all the replies.

[Sean Setters]

For the money, I'd go with the LP606 lightstand from mpex. I have 3 of them, and they work very well. They aren't meant to hold up the heaviest things (not sure I'd use a boom with one), but I've put 3 flashes and an umbrella on one and it held up decently. I've owned several brands of lightstands, and these are cheaper yet better built than most. Best bang-for-buck, in my opinion.


If you need something heavy-duty, try searching for "C Stands" at B&amp;H. The cost will be heavy-duty, too, though.

[bardinjw]

bardinjw - Thanks, I'll definitely look into the radio triggers. I have heard some reports of interference between Speedlites and PocketWizards though, is this something I should really be concerned about?

The only problems I've heard of are with the new canon ttl models that have issues with interference from the speedlight itself. The Plus II models still work great though. I went with cybersyncs because they're much less expensive, and I don't think I'll ever need the extra range.