need some studio light advice

[akhoopes]

im sure this question has been asked a 100 times, ive tried to find it i tried the whole 580 ex and 2 430 speed light set up and im just not getting the results i want so im taking the 2 430's back, so im wanting to step up to 2 stronger studio lights that will cover the whole body eliminate shadows, and just make nice studio shots, full body, face and all that, except i have no idea where to start, im thinking 2 alien bee strobes, but do i need a steady light as well, im working in a normal size one car garage, im guessing alien bee's but im not sure how the camera will fire these, will the 580 fire them in master mode, do i need a pc sinc cord, and if so will i be tripping over cords while im taking the shots,

is there another way to fire them wirelessly, and how will i be able to tell if im getting a properly expsed shot , does ettl still work with these if not what tells me its proper, sorry to sound so stupid in this im fairly new, i have about $700 to work with and im trying to find something in that range, to include lights, soft box's, umbrela's whatever i need to fire them, im shooting with a 350d, any and all help anybody can give would be great, or if you can point me to a post that coevers all this that would be great as well, im really trying to get deep into this and start some where, aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh , help , thanks in advance.

[stanc30]

Well,

I know that you'll may get varying answers here on studio sets, but I've actually had success with Alien Bees (fairly popular with availability to purchase all of the afore mentioned items)....and I'm very satisfied with my recent purchases on e-bay from the seller "Amvona" (actually amvona.com online wholesale equipment, but you get better pricing on e-bay and it's fun:lol: )

So wait to hear from others and then go shopping!

Good luck!

[akhoopes]

so are you saying you can get the alein bee sets from amvona i cant find them there
thank you

also to anybody else, i just got off the phone with alein bees and im thinking about the digi bees upgraded to the b800, with the wireless transmitter to fire them cost is 802 dollars shipping included to my house. is this a good deal it comes with a shoot through umbrella, and a refletor umbrella

http://www.alienbees.com/digi.html

[akhoopes]

help

[akhoopes]

also at the top of the forum one of the adds in window is for

http://www.skaeser.com/?gclid=CLvAjYW27YgCFQYRSwodAmnkuQ

does this place sell quality equipment trying to get it right here thnks again

[FlashZebra]

You can get alien bee only from one source:

Here:

http://www.alienbees.com/

I suggest a couple of B800 units with the light modifiers of you choice.

For studio work, you made a good choice by moving away from the anemic and very overpriced Canon Speedlights (for their power) and moving to real studio flash units.

I also suggest paragraphs, I had a really hard time reading your initial post. A bit of white space, via paragraphs, really helps. Capital letters to start the sentences and periods would also be very welcome as their absence also increased the struggle to read your copy.

Enjoy! Lon

[akhoopes]

52 hits no reply i dont understand what this forum is for,anybody, im trying to buy tommorrow

[stanc30]

1st: http://www.alienbees.com/ is the best place to get the "bees", you may find some on ebay but stick with the "real" company. You can fire them by photo sensor, hard wire, and wireless. They have softboxes and all the good stuff as you have probably already seen.

2nd: amvona sells their stuff on ebay cheaper than they do on their .com site. I've purchase three different softboxes, a couple of hot lights, a great (solid) stand from them and will purchasing more over the next couple of months...your available $$ will go far here.

3rd: some folks read to learn from those who are willing to reply...if we screw up with our comments someone more experienced is almost certain to chime in.

Good luck as you shop around.

[akhoopes]

im sure this question has been asked a 100 times, ive tried to find it i tried the whole 580 ex and 2 430 speed light set up and im just not getting the results i want so im taking the 2 430's back, so im wanting to step up to 2 stronger studio lights that will cover the whole body eliminate shadows, and just make nice studio shots, full body, face and all that, except i have no idea where to start, im thinking 2 alien bee strobes, but do i need a steady light as well, im working in a normal size one car garage, im guessing alien bee's but im not sure how the camera will fire these, will the 580 fire them in master mode, do i need a pc sinc cord, and if so will i be tripping over cords while im taking the shots,

is there another way to fire them wirelessly, and how will i be able to tell if im getting a properly expsed shot , does ettl still work with these if not what tells me its proper, sorry to sound so stupid in this im fairly new, i have about $700 to work with and im trying to find something in that range, to include lights, soft box's, umbrela's whatever i need to fire them, im shooting with a 350d, any and all help anybody can give would be great, or if you can point me to a post that coevers all this that would be great as well, im really trying to get deep into this and start some where, aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh , help , thanks in advance.

[MaxZoom]

Please try the punction and paragraph thing, it is very hard to read your posts!:cry:

You will get a lot of help from this forum if we understand what the questions are.

[akhoopes]

i dont understand the ?'s are plainly asked in my post,

1) except i have no idea where to start, im thinking 2 alien bee strobes, but do i need a steady light as well, im working in a normal size one car garage, im guessing alien bee's but im not sure how the camera will fire these,

2)will the 580 fire them in master mode, do i need a pc sinc cord, and if so will i be tripping over cords while im taking the shots,

3)is there another way to fire them wirelessly,

4) how will i be able to tell if im getting a properly expsed shot ,

5) does ettl still work with these if not what tells me its proper exposer

sorry to sound so stupid in this im fairly new, i have about $700 to work with and im trying to find something in that range, to include lights, soft box's, umbrela's whatever i need to fire them, im shooting with a 350d, any and all help anybody can give would be great, or if you can point me to a post that coevers all this that would be great as well, im really trying to get deep into this and start some where, aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh , help , thanks in advance.

hopefully thats better to understand

[SkipD]

AlienBees lights are a great way to go for studio use. The best way to start learning with lights like the AlienBees is with a simple setup. Use one of the 15-foot PC cords that come with the AB lights (1 comes with each light) to connect one light to the camera. The other light(s) will trigger off the flash from the first. You will need an ordinary hotshoe-to-PC adapter - available for around $10 US.

If you're afraid of tripping on the cord, suspend it from the ceiling or tape it to the floor.

The easiest way to set up exposures with studio lights is by using a handheld light meter that can measure light from flash sources. By far the most popular meter is the Sekonic L-358. I use one and like it very much.

You will set the camera to M mode (manual exposure control), set the shutter speed to 1/200 second or slower (you cannot exceed the "max sync speed" for the shutter), and set the aperture according to the brightness of the flash lighting and the ISO setting you use (lower ISO settings are better for quality).

FORGET using your Speedlite with the studio lights until you thoroughly learn all about both the studio lights and the Speedlite independently.


Side note: It is far easier to read a post that has been written with each sentence separated by having the first word capitalized and a period at the end. Capitalizing the words that need it - such as Canon, ETTL, or "I" (meaning "me") also makes reading a little easier.

[MikeMcL]

I have 2 Ab 800's and an ab400, and i got the wired remote they sell. The remote allows full flash control for up to 4 ABs right in your hand, it is nice.

The 2 AB setup you refer to will work fine, and the "modeling" lights that come with them should be enough in your garage to work with. the shoot thru, and the reflect umbrella they give you will be a nice cheap start to get the hang of modifiers. You may end up getting barn doors or a beauty dish later.


Ettl Does not work, and you have to shoot in full manual mode. if you cannot fathom manual mode at this point in your skill evolution, then be ready to suffer a learning curve. (its not that hard)

as for the amvona comment, they dont have flash yet. they are getting some in the next few months, but have no product at the moment... They do have many hotlights though, which might be a bit easier in your situation. They are great to work with as well.

If you are patient, and willing to trial and error a bit, you can learn without a meter... it is nice to have one though.

The bees fire very well in the slave mode, with on camera flash , or a sync cord on one firing the other. You could also shoot the 580 straight up or behind you to fire the ABs wirelessly. the 580 wont fire them using the IR signal, only the flash will fire the bees.

follow with more questions, if you have them.

[MaxZoom]

i dont understand the ?'s are plainly asked in my post,
Its all about presentation - just like in photography :)

1) except i have no idea where to start, im thinking 2 alien bee strobes, but do i need a steady light as well, im working in a normal size one car garage, im guessing alien bee's but im not sure how the camera will fire these,
You have a standard 100W modelling light in each alien bee. Should be enough light for safety from these. 'Normal' studio photography will only use the light from your strobes unless you want a special effect you should not use non-strobe lighting - colour temperature will be all wrong. Using exposure times in the hundreths of seconds will ensure most other light sources will be of no consequence.

2)will the 580 fire them in master mode, do i need a pc sinc cord, and if so will i be tripping over cords while im taking the shots,
No experience with a 580 - I normally use one flash unit to trigger all the others through oprical link. My strobes are VERY OLD they fire from a PC cord or from another flash in the room. I do that to avoid the tripping over sync cords and I'm happy that way.

3)is there another way to fire them wirelessly,
There are IR (Infra Red) triggers but I'm no expert.

4) how will i be able to tell if im getting a properly expsed shot ,
I use a flash meter. And now we're digital you can have a quick look on the LCD. To make sure I bring my memory card to my PC and print what I hope is my perfect setting to see if everythin is really perfect
When I started out I took lots of 35mm test shots endless metering etc. Now I can pretty much put everything in place set my known good settings and start shooting, usually just adjust the front strobes up and down a bit for different height subjects to avoid any unfortunate shadows.

5) does ettl still work with these if not what tells me its proper exposer
I use a flash meter, dont have ettl.


hopefully thats better to understand
Very Much - Thanks. Hope tha answers are better for you too. :)

[akhoopes]

much more helpful guess i need to examin my posts better when i type them, im no english major but ill try better next time thanks for the help every one

[FlashZebra]

much more helpful guess i need to examin my posts better when i type them, im no english major but ill try better next time thanks for the help every one
Your post need not be perfect, but you need to present them in a manner that a reasonable human can consume your copy without a struggle.

This is a technical forum, not a chat room.

My first suggestion would to be start using capital letters at the beginning of your sentences, and when you complete a thought place a period. I am not sure what is going on with all those commas.

The humans on this forum are very knowledgeable and helpful. But, your written words are all they have to go on,

If you make your words very difficulty to understand and consume, few will bother, as others need help also.

But, the big point is that this is not a chat room, but a technical forum.

Enjoy! Lon

[akhoopes]

Your post need not be perfect, but you need to present them in a manner that a reasonable human can consume your copy without a struggle.

This is a technical forum, not a chat room.

My first suggestion would to be start using capital letters at the beginning of your sentences, and when you complete a thought place a period. I am not sure what is going on with all those commas.

The humans on this forum are very knowledgeable and helpful. But, your written words are all they have to go on,

If you make your words very difficulty to understand and consume, few will bother, as others need help also.

But, the big point is that this is not a chat room, but a technical forum.

Enjoy! Lon


well thank you

[DC9]

ee cummings lives

This is outside your price range but an interesting piece of equipment.

http://www.qtm.com/QFlash/?res_set=yes&res=1280&resh=1024