If you were me, what would you buy next.

I find myself not using my lighting equipment nearly as much as I'd like to. I primarily enjoy shooting snowboard/ski stuff but also really want to start shooting portraits (on-location and/or in studio). I'm going to list what I own, and hopefully you guys can make some solid recommendations. I'm mostly concerned about modifiers.

- 1x Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS (kit which comes with standard reflector and umbrella)
- 1x Elinchrom Freelite A head
- 1x Elinchrom Maxi-Spot (for ski/snowboard)
- 1x Mola 22" Demi with opal glass diffuser, grid and sock. (no boom though. thinking C-Stand).
- 1x Lastolite 6' x 4' White/Silver reflector (never used)
- 1x Lastolite 2' EzyBalance Gray Card / White Reflector
- 2x YN-568
- 4x YN-622c
- 1x Impact '6 light stand with umbrella mount and cold shoe
- 1x Westcott 45" convertible umbrella

What I already know I'm lacking:
- Light stands (for speedlites)
- Boom (for Mola Demi). I want a C-Stand after borrowing one for 3 months.
- Sand bags
- Either more umbrellas or softboxes. I'm interested in something like the 24" collapsible softboxes for speedlites. Contemplating Rolalux modifiers but super pricey. I am afraid to cheap out though as my last knock off 5' octobox was too heavy and put stress on my Eli head.
- A way to trigger my Elinchrom. I don't know if I can use my YN-622's as I haven't honestly tried yet. I used to have PCB Cybersyncs which worked great with a special cable from Flash Zebra (still have this). I'm considering selling my Freelite 'A' head to buy an 'S' head to try and play with hypersync if possible with the YN-622's.

GO NUTS.... I'm open to all kinds of suggestions. Mainly looking for modifier recommendations and a new way to trigger my Ranger.

Deep octa. I have a 39" SP Studio, and it puts out great light.

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #16262056
Deep octa. I have a 39" SP Studio, and it puts out great light.

SP Studio? Never heard of them? I mentioned above that I'm skeptical to use modifiers OTHER than Eli now since my last 5' octabox was too heavy and broke my head, requiring repair.

link?

I know its off brand, but mine has been fantastic. Accidentally ran mine over with my SUV, and it still works. Very light weight. Aluminum ribs.

Copying link from mobile, hope it works :

http://m.bhphotovideo.​com …Z+Softbox+Octag​onal+37%22

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #16262134
I know its off brand, but mine has been fantastic. Accidentally ran mine over with my SUV, and it still works. Very light weight. Aluminum ribs.

Copying link from mobile, hope it works :

http://m.bhphotovideo.​com …Z+Softbox+Octag​onal+37%22

Interesting. Only 5 people have rated it. One mentioned this, though...

Which is precisely what I am concerned about.

Never had a problem with mine, and that was with cheap Chinese made strobes. I had more of a problem with wind outdoors trying to turn the modifier.

The extra contrast to the light versus a shallow octa is really nice though.

So this is the cable that I used to connect my Ranger to my Cybersyncs (which I recently sold). This cable will no longer work because the YN-622 uses a PC connector instead of the 3.5mm jack. Any suggestions would be much appreciated as it sounds like I might be able to use hypersync (supersync) with my ranger pack if I can find a way to connect it to my YN-622.

I had the SP 37" for my quadras, It was great and was 95% as good as the Elinchrom Deep Octa at about 1/3 the price. I sold it because I didn't use it much (love using the 50" apollo) and was holding on to the quadra adapter just to use with the octa. Someone (not sure if it was this forum) has a comparison of the 2 of them and they are the exact same weight to the oz.

I'm not sure if the Ranger power can be adjusted using the Elinchrom skyport triggers but if they can pick them up I love the fact that I can be laying on the ground and change the power of a light that is 15 feet away without having to move.

If you are looking for a modifier for speedlights the westcott apollo series is nice but if you are looking for something cheaper check out this http://www.ebay.com …ain_0&hash=item​485524dccd for the price it's practically disposable, and fwiw it's as durable as the $100+ 28" apollo.

shuttereye wrote in post #16262262
I had the SP 37" for my quadras, It was great and was 95% as good as the Elinchrom Deep Octa at about 1/3 the price. I sold it because I didn't use it much (love using the 50" apollo) and was holding on to the quadra adapter just to use with the octa. Someone (not sure if it was this forum) has a comparison of the 2 of them and they are the exact same weight to the oz.

I'm not sure if the Ranger power can be adjusted using the Elinchrom skyport triggers but if they can pick them up I love the fact that I can be laying on the ground and change the power of a light that is 15 feet away without having to move.

If you are looking for a modifier for speedlights the westcott apollo series is nice but if you are looking for something cheaper check out this http://www.ebay.com …ain_0&hash=item​485524dccd for the price it's practically disposable, and fwiw it's as durable as the $100+ 28" apollo.

Not a big fan of the Apollo but thanks for the suggestion. As for the skyports, I always have an assistant so changing the power remotely on the Ranger isn't a big deal. I'm more curious at the moment as to whether or not I can find a cable to connect my YN-622's to the Ranger pack.

How about purchasing a Strobella ?

I don't think it would be too heavy for your Elinchrom Ranger heads, and you can definitely use it with speedlites as well.

Pompei Drasteria wrote in post #16262380
How about purchasing a Strobella ?

I don't think it would be too heavy for your Elinchrom Ranger heads, and you can definitely use it with speedlites as well.

LOL.

Aressem wrote in post #16262200
So this is the cable that I used to connect my Ranger to my Cybersyncs (which I recently sold). This cable will no longer work because the YN-622 uses a PC connector instead of the 3.5mm jack. Any suggestions would be much appreciated as it sounds like I might be able to use hypersync (supersync) with my ranger pack if I can find a way to connect it to my YN-622.

A PC-sync to PC-sync cable is widely available. By using one with a YN-622C trigger, it should sync your strobe. No remote power level adjustment is available that way, but you do get 1CS, 2CS and pre-shutter "supersync".

CliveyBoy wrote in post #16262529
A PC-sync to PC-sync cable is widely available. By using one with a YN-622C trigger, it should sync your strobe. No remote power level adjustment is available that way, but you do get 1CS, 2CS and pre-shutter "supersync".

Right but my Elinchrom Ranger doesn't have a PC-sync connection. It has that weird one seen in the image posted above.

if you had a 5 foot octa how did you like the light ?
ya got a 22 mola skip the 22 softbox IMHO

without knowing what you want to shoot for portraits ?
kids ?
adults ?
fashion ?
single or small groups like a family ?

maybe another large octa or 60 inch softlighter ? something to get that large soft light ?
nice to have soft light for some kids and some adults that dont want the harder edge light

one stand that has a adjustable leg ? handy when you need it in a park or something
or better yet someone to help hold your lights so you can run and gun easier

22 mola (have)
39 octa (SP or Eli ? )
60 inch soft something

with those you can do a lot
grid for hairlight maybe and those times you need that kinda narrow focus ?

building on the recommendations about the EZ octa, I have several "EZ" modifiers made by Fotodiox (strip banks, soft boxes, "deep octa"-type-banks - I absolutely love them. They are extremely fast to set up, very durable, and offer several different lighting options. (inner diffusers, amazing priced grids). I've worked with rotalux modifiers in the past. They are ideal, no doubt. My thinking is that if I can get the same general effect but have left over money for more modifiers, more sizes, the addition of grids, etc., then it's best to go the bigger bang per buck option. I haven't tried Fotodiox's non-EZ modifiers mind you. There is more setup involved with those products, I've read. (i.e. their 80"? light bank)

My only complaint about the cheaper build quality of the fotodiox is that their speedrings all tend to fit a little too loose and it can be a little tricky mounting /dismounting from the strobe at times because it will slip rather than twist on/off.