Studio Lighting Decisions : One Einstein or Two [Already have 580EXII]

I'd love some input on how well I can pair an Einstein with one 580EX II. My goal is to get an Einstein , potentially the cybercommander and an octa diffuser and/or a PLM. I'm wondering what I need to do on the 580 [gells or the like] to help match the colour temperature of the output.

Given that I make no money with my gear, I'm really torn as to whether or not an extra Einstein is required.

I'm partial to a full body shot versus a portrait, potentially shooting very small groups of friends [2-3].

Will my 580EX be sufficient for blowing out backgrounds which I really like creatively.

Like with all multiple lighting sources it will be about how each light plays off the other in terms of lighting ratios, overlap, etc. The Einstein has a lot higher power potential. However, if you power it too high the 580 may not 'keep up'. You will likely have to use the Einstein in some of it's lower power settings when used with the 580. Of course all depending on light to subject distances as well. As far as color temp, not sure. I've used my 580s with my White Lightnings quite a bit and if there is a temp diff (I am sure there is) then it's not enough to bother me.

Honestly all depends on what you plan to shoot. Why Einstein, CC etc if you can't afford more lights? I will go cheaper AB800 route then (all depending on what you shoot). More lights more important if I want to shoot white seemless than one powerful light. And don't under stand why everyone wants to do white seemless without proper tools. I would want atleast 4 strobes, couple of different modifiers atleast.

Personally I do use 550ex in Qbox24" when shooting single person shots outdoors with my AB800. Since flash is hair/rim light and usually gelled, I don't care for the WB differences.

I've been bitten by the buy cheap bug a few times with my other gear. I'm trying to budget such that I dont buy twice. I'd rather limit what I can shoot at first and build my kit over time. I'm just wondering if I can get around buying two Einsteins from the outset.

You can get by with one Einstein and a 580, sure. But you may have to settle for something other than white seamless backgrounds being blown out. Blowing out white backgrounds pretty much means pouring a lot of light on them, counter to your one light plus 580 probably can handle... especially at full length shots. But this setup can be very flexible in other shooting situations.

If you have the urge to get another einstein you may regret other lights. If your considering a cyber commander life is much easier having identical lights for remote "power level" control purposes. CSXCV on reciever for einsteins are only 29bucks.

For simplicity purposes sometimes its nicer to have one large light source to fill flash a group.

I use both PW flex for Ettl running and gunning or manual flash indoors (manual mode) to get consistent light exposure.

Having strobes is certainly nice when you wan to start shooting smaller apertures. Somtimes speedlites just dont have enough juice unless you want to ramp up your ISO to make due with the smaller power levels.

Regardless of NOT making money the passion/interest in photography may justify your layout of cash. You may feel the impacts of laying out cash initially but I'm assuming it'll pass once you have a second Einstein in your hands.

The glory of the Einstein is that you can work at lower power so that you can match the speedlite to it if you need to. But after you start using studio strobes, with large modifiers, speedlites become less satisfying for certain jobs. Ultimately you will want at least 2 studio strobes.