Lighting Recommendations

Hi everyone,
I have recently started dabbling in off camera flash photography....and I want more! My current gear is a 430exii Speedlite with my 5D3, a Cowboy Studio umbrella stand/diffuser kit, and an OCF gear 30' cable. Very quickly I came to realize that I do not want to use a cable. It works, but I want something more mobile and less restricting. What I am looking for:

1. Adding an additional flash (maybe even 2) so I can really open up the lighting possibilities

2. Wirelessly triggering

3. Something fairly mobile and easy to setup so I am more inclined to practice/shoot this way, even out in public or in an outdoor shoot.

Right now I am considering the following:
-Buying a 580exii, two Pocketwizard Plus iii's (one for the 580, one for the camera, then the 430 would be triggered from the 580) and another Cowboy Studio umbrella stand/diffuser. In addition, I plan to scour craigslist for a used 430ex ii to make it 3 total lights.

For this kind of money should I consider something else/different? What about standard strobes? If I bump my budget a bit does it open up any much more recommended possibilities? I just want a good reliable flash/strobe, wireless triggering and the ability to shoot in most situations (including outdoors and with sunlight....I realize the 580 would have to be close to overpower the sun). I'm very open to suggestions and am not set in any way on the list above. I just don't know enough about what the possibilities are.

Thanks for any suggestions or recommendations, and let me know if I need to provide more clarification on anything!
This shot is one of my favorites that got me really excited to shoot with flash.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/80603897@N08/8​390260895/

Nothing!? Would an AlienBees B800 be a better choice than the 580?? I noticed this is what Melanie Hood uses in the video on the Pocketwizard site, along with a lithium batter pack.

http://plusiii.pocketw​izard.com/#Videos

First, the 580EX when fired by a pocket wizard off camera will not trigger a 430 as a slave.
Now, if you want maximum flexibility with your 5DIII then consider the 600EX-RT.
It is a versatile speedlite system that will provide you will lots of options.
If speedlites are limiting, then there are two other options that I'm aware of that offer remote power control. First, Einstein monolights from Paul C Buff Co. along with Cyber Commander controller.
The second is the just announced Cheetah CL-180 from Cheetahstand.com. It too has a remote power control capability. Both of these options lack TTL capabilities which are included with the Canon 600EX-RTs.

You may have guessed I am a big fan of remote power control. Once you've used it you'll never want to go back to running from light to light when setting up.

Thanks! I did not know that about the 580 when used with a pocket wizard. Glad I asked! That definitely defeats part of the purpose of what I want. With that said, I assume the 600 doesn't have that same problem?

With a second receiver for a few more $$, you can trigger the 430. I have a 580ii and 2 430ii and I trigger all of them with phottix (sp?) triggers. Speedlites are very useful and very portable. However, I find myself constantly calling the engine room and shouting "Scottie, I NEED more power!" The next step is to spend $1 to $2 grand on strobes/battery pack/modifiers. You get the power but lose some of the portability. It's alway a compromise, isn't it?

Get Phottix Odin. Done.

Stay away from the primitive Pocket Wizard & Canon RT system.

dmward wrote in post #15577544
First, the 580EX when fired by a pocket wizard off camera will not trigger a 430 as a slave.

The second is the just announced Cheetah CL-180 from Cheetahstand.com.

Actually the 580EX connected to a manual PocketWizard will trigger the 430ex as a slave in the Canon wireless system, but you would be limited to about 1/125th shutter speed. And in general its just no a very efficient way to operate.

For radio triggers, remote, or manual I have put some guides up here if that may help - http://flashhavoc.com/​gear-guides/

I am also very interested in the new Cheetah CL-180 as David mentions, as it combined the power and light quality of monolights with the compact size and weight of speedlights -

http://flashhavoc.com/​cheetah-cl-180-released/

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1270039

If you want to go with speedlights, another option within budget may be the coming Phottix Mitro flash with the Phottix Odin remote triggers as mentioned. The Canon 600EX-RT are a great system too but cost a bit more.
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GuitarDTO wrote in post #15578211
Thanks! I did not know that about the 580 when used with a pocket wizard. Glad I asked! That definitely defeats part of the purpose of what I want. With that said, I assume the 600 doesn't have that same problem?

Actually, you can trigger a 430EX with a 580EX that's triggered by a PW. However, I wouldn't recommend such a setup unless you're really in a pinch. Instead, each light should be connected to its own radio trigger.

[Edit: Looks like Elv beat me to it. ]

Thank you! I'll check out those links and recommendations. Never heard of Phottix triggers. I understand the tradeoff of portability vs. power as well when it comes to speedlites/strobes. I think at this point I'm inclined to stick with speedlites and later advance to strobes if I need more power. So I'm leaning towards a 580exii, and another 430, and then I just need to figure the best way to trigger all of that wirelessly! (while still being able to adjust the manual power settings from my camera?)

GuitarDTO wrote in post #15579128
Thank you! I'll check out those links and recommendations. Never heard of Phottix triggers. I understand the tradeoff of portability vs. power as well when it comes to speedlites/strobes. I think at this point I'm inclined to stick with speedlites and later advance to strobes if I need more power. So I'm leaning towards a 580exii, and another 430, and then I just need to figure the best way to trigger all of that wirelessly! (while still being able to adjust the manual power settings from my camera?)

If you are doing manual you can save yourself a lot of cash and get a manual speedlite like the YN560II over the canon.

GuitarDTO wrote in post #15579128
So I'm leaning towards a 580exii, and another 430, and then I just need to figure the best way to trigger all of that wirelessly! (while still being able to adjust the manual power settings from my camera?)

PW's MiniTT1, FlexTT5, and AC3. You can control from camera location both manual flash output and FEC if you feel like using ETTL.

In addition to the Odins and PW flex systems mentioned above, the Pixel Kings and Yongnuo 622's are other options:

http://www.amazon.com …er-Receiver/dp/B005TQFRTY
http://www.amazon.com …=8-1&keywords=yongnuo+622

Wow so many choices, my head is spinning.

Do the YN560 flashes work correctly with Pocketwizards (or similar) triggers? Can I control the output from my camera? That really is quite a price difference, and I really think I will do most of my shooting in manual power. I could buy 4 flashes for the price of 1 canon. The only question then is the triggering system.

YN 560s are manual only flashes. You have to change the power output on the back of the flash by hand.
Yongnuo do make TTL flashes that are considerably cheaper than their Canon counterparts, that is where you can start looking for changing flash output remotely.
ex: YN468, YN565

GuitarDTO wrote in post #15580557
Wow so many choices, my head is spinning.

Do the YN560 flashes work correctly with Pocketwizards (or similar) triggers? Can I control the output from my camera? That really is quite a price difference, and I really think I will do most of my shooting in manual power. I could buy 4 flashes for the price of 1 canon. The only question then is the triggering system.

Pocket wizard is a brand, they carry several products so its helpful to be clear which product you mean. As mentioned above those flashes have to be controlled at the head, but at roughly 1/6 the price you have to ask how much convenience is worth.