cheap studio lighting

[Jon_Anhold]

Hi all. First, a little background..

I've been enjoying photography as a hobby since 1999.. First with a Nikon N60 & Promaster lens, which I exchanged in a matter of days for a Canon ElanII and a 28-135 IS.. Then a Canon G1, followed by a borrowed D30 for the past 7 or 8 months. My 10D arrived this past Wednesday 4/9.

I've done quite a bit of indoor/outdoor shooting both available light and on-camera flash, and some off-camera flash holding it in my hand with the canon off-camera hotshoe cable.

I'm now looking to learn some more about 'studio' style lighting. I don't have a lot of money to devote to equipment, having just dropped the $1500 on the 10D so I'm looking to do this on the cheap for starters.. In the $200-$300 neighborhood.

What would be a good (and CHEAP) way to get a basic lighting setup to use with my 10D?

Any pointers to articles on using a DSLR (10D specifically?) in the studio?

If I get a couple of cheap slave flashes, will the 10D meter correctly with FEL (the slaves firing when the master ETTL flash fires on FEL)?

Thanks!

-j

[rgbman]

Kind of depends on what you mean by cheap.

I have heard good things about Alien bees lighting system.

You can start small and add to your lighting as you go.

There's a one light package w/stand, honeycomb grid and case for only US$290 pluse $14 for US shipping.

I've heard these 400 units are plenty powerful. Then add to it when the funds are available.

good luck, hope this was helpful

here's the link:

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

[Dans_D60]

It just seems to never end! First the camera body, next lenses, and now lighting! O’ but wait, you will need backgrounds and meters and .. and … Just kidding! It will be difficult to get much for $200 - $300 range. I see this question asked a lot here and other forums. It all depends on your style and what you are attempting to accomplish. I started with a small three strobe lighting system from JTL. This manufacturer is not much different than any of the low end lighting equipment. It is reliable and I still use these strobes on occasion. The strobe kit cost about $500 for three 110 WS strobe moonlights with stands, umbrellas, other support equipment. Knowing what is on the market today, I would most likely opt for the Alien Bees http://www.alienbees.com/ I did purchase a few of the B800 units and very pleased with size and build quality. I know they have a dual lighting setup will all the necessary goodies for $599. Anyway, let others chime in with their thoughts.
Dan
http://www.pettusphoto.com

[rgbman]

Dan do you use all monolights in your studio work, or do you also use powerpack lighting systems?

[Dans_D60]

rgbman wrote:
Dan do you use all monolights in your studio work, or do you also use powerpack lighting systems?



Both. I picked a used complete four-head Novatron power pack-system. But, it was a few years old and needed a factory update to limit the trigger voltage to 6 volts. I like the light head design, power, and versatility. I don’t like big fat cables running everywhere. Most of my studio setups use a combination of monolights and the Novatron power-pack.
Below is an example of a product shoot with both Novatron and monolights to achieve the desired effect.
Dan
http://www.pettusphoto.com

BOTH POWER-PACK AND MONOLIGHTS SETUP
http://www.pettusphoto.com/setup.jpg

[Longwatcher]

Some cheap studio lighting for the starter.
My Dad (a former wedding photographer) gave me a wonderful suggestion when I first got my D60.
Go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up a couple of work lights. I should point out my dad has some good lights.

I went and got both a 1000 watt and a 2000 watt work light (which I should point out are not as powerful as a 600 watt studio light in terms of light returned from subject). I used them for over 6 months and they worked great.

The catches:
1. They get really hot after awhile
2. They given a slight yellow orange cast (can be corrected if you shoot in Raw or custom white balance)
3. They don't look like professional studio lights (although a can or two of BBQ Black spray paint will take care of this to some extent)
4. They tend to only go on the stand you buy them with.
5. They will tend to cast heavy shadows.

In short they work and will cost you less then $100 for the pair. However, it is much like buying lenses. You get what you pay for, and I am finding that studio lights give me more flexability in lighting then the work lights.

[justme_dc]

I say save a little dough and get a couple of quality monolights. I use the Calumet/Bowens Travelites. They are bullet proof! Calumet sells them under their name in the U.S. elsewhere they are usually sold under the bowens name. Same great lights, different name.

The reason I suggest mono lights is that although they can be had in a kit, if you are really on a tight budget you can buy them one at a time and keep adding to your set up. Also, consider the accesories available for the lights you buy. Cheap lights that you can put soft boxes or reflectors or umbrellas or snoots on aren't such a great deal after all.


good luck to you.

[lziering]

If you can stand the heat you might try the following. Use construction work lights you buy at Home Depot ($30-50), diffuser panels made from PVC sprinkler pipe and surpuls parchutes, and reflectors from any art store or retail display supply outlet.

If you want a solution with flash, then buy old Metz lights on eBay and use the PVC pipe and diffusion panels.

Dean Collins, a great pro photographer, has lots of similar ideas. Try visiting his website.

[robertwgross]

lziering wrote:
If you can stand the heat you might try the following. Use construction work lights you buy at Home Depot ($30-50), diffuser panels made from PVC sprinkler pipe and surpuls parchutes, and reflectors from any art store or retail display supply outlet.
...

Last year I purchased two 500-watt quartz worklights for the grand price of US$9 each. I have those hanging from the ceiling rafters. Then I move in close with whatever Canon flash is convenient.

---Bob Gross---