Take the plunge? Help me spend $2,000

[DoomMan]

3-B800-W B800 White Studio Flash $279.95 ea.: $839.85

1-22R/DS22R 22-inch Pan Reflector with optional diffusion sock:$129.90

1-LB11 Boom Arm Attachment with 11-pound Counterweight $89.95 ea.:$89.95

2-The Vagabond II Portable Power System $299.95 ea.: $599.90

3-CSRB CyberSync Battery Powered Trigger Receiver $69.95 ea.: $209.85

1-CST CyberSync Trigger Transmitter $59.95 ea.: $59.95

1-FOB35 Foldable Medium Octabox (35in.) with attached speedring $149.95 ea.:$149.95

1-G35 Medium Foldable Octabox Grid (for the FOB35) $44.95 ea.:$44.95

1-HGX4 Set of 4 Honeycomb Grids $99.95 ea.: $99.95

1-LS1100 Backlight Stand $24.95 ea.: $24.95 Order Subtotal: $2249.20

Order 15 percent Discount: - $211.40
UPS (http://www.cartserver.com/sc/cart.cgi?item=s-1573&newups=5425) Gnd Residential [92260] Shipping: $122.91

Grand Total:$2160.71

Its alot of money, and before i click the "o god what did i do" button, I want to see if most of this is necessary. Just sold a lens and my spare flashes to help pay towards my new lighting setup so i have ~$600 to knock off the total price so for this i would only take a ~$1,500 hit. Right now I have 0 lighting gear left except 2 stands, and a heavy duty bag. Im going to need modifiers,lights,triggers,power supply,ect. Will this setup get me started or would my money be better spent on something else(please list it :D). Please remember im starting 100% fresh so if you have recommendations even as far as speedlites i wouldnt mind hearing. I've used vivitar 285hvs with cactus triggers so far, but looking to upgrade to better gear since i have money to spend now. My budget is around $2,000, but the lower is always better as long as it doesnt require too many sacrifices. Im also looking to have at least 2 lights(3 preferably). Any help is appreciated

[2112]

Looks like a killer setup to me! You have stands for the 800s?

[Hermes]

Can't really comment or make recommendations without knowing what you're shooting, where you're shooting it, if this is a professional investment you expect to see a return on or a one-off hobby buy, e.t.c.

[jbrown7815]

DO you need 2 vagabonds?

[m3rdpwr]

Looks like a killer setup to me! You have stands for the 800s?

That was my thought too at first glance... :)

-Mario

DO you need 2 vagabonds?
That too!

[doidinho]

I would skip the soft grid, the stands, and the boom arm as the quality of these items is not very good (even factoring their low price it's not worth it IMO). I think a lot of people will say go with the large octabox instead of the medium(I have the large and have not used the medium). The AB's have optical strobes, so you could get by with just one CS reciever to start and put that money elsewhere.

[DoomMan]

I was going to have one vagabond for the lights in the front and another for the back light. Will one vagabond provide enough power for long shooting and a quick enough recharge using three lights? I also have a friend willing to sell me 3 540ez with cp-e3 battery packs for $300 total.I got great light with my vivitars and used no modifers, so i'm also debating whether to stick to speedlights and just make profit

I do get return from the investment, but it will not be instant. Here is some of the photos i have taken in the past with 2 vivitars. I'm all portraits

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/1557640315_7bb0cee3a0.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/1557640157_bf1ada32d1.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1110/1425125475_43212390c4.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1201/1377626055_934f1fcded.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1267/1088532503_f51cda8109.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1026/1088528799_dc469077c6.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1274/1089372968_9d47827ea3.jpg

[jbrown7815]

I was going to have one vagabond for the lights in the front and another for the back light. Will one vagabond provide enough power for long shooting and a quick enough recharge using three lights? I also have a friend willing to sell me 3 540ez with cp-e3 battery packs for $300 total.I got great light with my vivitars and used no modifers, so i'm also debating whether to stick to speedlights and just make profit

I do get return from the investment, but it will not be instant. Here is some of the photos i have taken in the past with 2 vivitars. I'm all portraits








Let me know if your friend doesn't sell them to you. I could greatly use one set :)

[Palladium]

I remember someone had in their signature

"Friends don't let Friends by alienbees"

good luck

[tim]

Nothing wrong with AB, they're good value lights.

[doidinho]

I was going to have one vagabond for the lights in the front and another for the back light. Will one vagabond provide enough power for long shooting and a quick enough recharge using three lights? I also have a friend willing to sell me 3 540ez with cp-e3 battery packs for $300 total.I got great light with my vivitars and used no modifers, so i'm also debating whether to stick to speedlights and just make profit

I do get return from the investment, but it will not be instant. Here is some of the photos i have taken in the past with 2 vivitars. I'm all portraits










Excellent series. Looks like your doing very well with the shoe mount flashes. That said you could really open up some doors with some portable studio lights. I say keep the speed lights and get some studio strobes. AB/WL's are a very good choice for someone wanting to do location shoots. The next step up is the Elinchrom Rangers, which are quite a bit more. If you haven't already checked out White Lightnings (same maker as AB's) you should; they have a better build quality and the 1600 and 3200 models have a 7 stop range vs the Ab's 5 stop. You can totally power 3 strobes with one vagabondII; recycle rate is 2.7 seconds with 3 AB/WL 800's. I would say get one for now and invest in modifiers; your will likely want more modifiers more than a a 1.7 second decrease in recycle time (of course this depends on exactly what you are shooting).

[DoomMan]

ill defiantly check out the wl's. Is there any arguments for sticking with speedlites over studio lights? One of the shots i posted i did on a dock, which was rather small(look at her feet) and barley fit me, the model, and the light.What i loved about my vivitar setup was i could fit EVERYTHING(stands,lights,ect) in one bag and throw it over my shoulder. I had a xti at the time of all the shots as well so i had no problems carrying everything myself. Even climbed to the top of a building via escape ladder. I know that studio lights would make it impossible to do this as easly but would the size/weight of a studio lights impact versatility alot? Especially since im talking about 3 lights+modifiers+stands+vagabond battery

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/1557640157_bf1ada32d1.jpg

[Vascilli]

Strobes are big. Really big. Even my D-Lite 4 kit with just 2 strobes and 2 small softboxes requires two bags. If you want portability strobist is the way to go. You can use Radio Poppers as triggers to keep E-TTL metering if you like.

[doidinho]

ill defiantly check out the wl's. Is there any arguments for sticking with speedlites over studio lights? One of the shots i posted i did on a dock, which was rather small(look at her feet) and barley fit me, the model, and the light.What i loved about my vivitar setup was i could fit EVERYTHING(stands,lights,ect) in one bag and throw it over my shoulder. I had a xti at the time of all the shots as well so i had no problems carrying everything myself. Even climbed to the top of a building via escape ladder. I know that studio lights would make it impossible to do this as easly but would the size/weight of a studio lights impact versatility alot? Especially since im talking about 3 lights+modifiers+stands+vagabond battery




It's a give and take situation. Strobes give you way more options to modify the light, let you shoot continuously, give you modeling lamps (which is huge), and give you more power.

Shoe mount flash is way more portable. If you constantly find yourself wanting more power and softer light then strobes can easily take you there. If not you may be just fine with a strobist setup. I think ultimately your going to want to have access to both though.

[Hermes]

It's a give and take situation. Strobes give you way more options to modify the light, let you shoot continuously, give you modeling lamps (which is huge), and give you more power.

Shoe mount flash is way more portable. If you constantly find yourself wanting more power and softer light then strobes can easily take you there. If not you may be just fine with a strobist setup. I think ultimately your going to want to have access to both though.

Modeling lamps are pretty useless outdoors anyway. Studio lights do give you more options to modify light but the difference isn't huge - most studio modifiers can be used with speedlites or have speedlite-compatible equivalents.

Bottom line -

If you're shooting in a studio, buy studio strobes.

If you're shooting outdoors and you value power and recycle times more than portability/weight/setup speed, buy a proper location battery pack and heads

If you're shooting outdoors and you value portability/weight/setup speed more than power and recycle times, stick with hotshoe flashes.