Best and cheapest studio kit for beginner?

http://s89.photobucket​.com …ld-1_zpsd0b6a97b.jpg.html thers a photo taken by a friend, i was hoping to make pictures like that of bikes

jonathanheierle wrote in post #16322281
http://s89.photobucket​.com …ld-1_zpsd0b6a97b.jpg.html thers a photo taken by a friend, i was hoping to make pictures like that of bikes

To do white background shots you generally need 3 lights and a big modifier.

You've got competing interests then.

You can go cheap speed lights, or cheap studio strobes. Most would say in the long run, reliable cheap speed lights can be used in more situations than cheap studio strobes, which most would say are junk.

However, building on either is problematic. Right now, you have a range of things you'd like to do but don't want to spend the money to buy quality that is something you build on.

So, my suggestion is to go the cheap trigger and speed light route, simply because then you can used those as background lights and kickers or on location lights if you like the studio and want to invest in a decent strobe kit. Getting the flash off the camera is critical to real studio work, and the best way to start there is wireless triggers.

Long term, if you like studio work, you will want strobes. BUT for starting out and learning, I started with a set of RF 603 triggers, one flash, a brolly umbrella and used the heck out of all manual set up, added old flashes that could be adjusted manually, then finally sprang for some decent strobes.

After you test out and use cheap stuff, you figure out 1. if you are interested enough to invest more, and 2. what kind of photography you want and you know the kind of gear you need, but questions start asking about different quality/reliability of brands instead of the general "What do I need to get?"

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. If you can get to a camera store with studio equipment and look stuff over in person, I highly recommend that. Build quality can be huge, and make things a pain, or make things easy to do.

ksbal wrote in post #16322288
You've got competing interests then.

You can go cheap speed lights, or cheap studio strobes. Most would say in the long run, reliable cheap speed lights can be used in more situations than cheap studio strobes, which most would say are junk.

However, building on either is problematic. Right now, you have a range of things you'd like to do but don't want to spend the money to buy quality that is something you build on.

So, my suggestion is to go the cheap trigger and speed light route, simply because then you can used those as background lights and kickers or on location lights if you like the studio and want to invest in a decent strobe kit. Getting the flash off the camera is critical to real studio work, and the best way to start there is wireless triggers.

Long term, if you like studio work, you will want strobes. BUT for starting out and learning, I started with a set of RF 603 triggers, one flash, a brolly umbrella and used the heck out of all manual set up, added old flashes that could be adjusted manually, then finally sprang for some decent strobes.

After you test out and use cheap stuff, you figure out 1. if you are interested enough to invest more, and 2. what kind of photography you want and you know the kind of gear you need, but questions start asking about different quality/reliability of brands instead of the general "What do I need to get?"

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. If you can get to a camera store with studio equipment and look stuff over in person, I highly recommend that. Build quality can be huge, and make things a pain, or make things easy to do.

Yeah, maybe a speedlight 580 or something like that and reflective sheets as a light option, and i could sell the speedlite and invest in real dedicated lights if i found a real interest in studio work

jonathanheierle wrote in post #16322305
Yeah, maybe a speedlight 580 or something like that and reflective sheets as a light option, and i could sell the speedlite and invest in real dedicated lights if i found a real interest in studio work

No, not a canon 580. For the price of one 580exII you can buy multiple YN manual flash and the stands and umbrellas.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16322315
No, not a canon 580. For the price of one 580exII you can buy multiple YN manual flash and the stands and umbrellas.

what would a good flash be?

jonathanheierle wrote in post #16322262
sorry about all the confusion, I'd just like to keep it as cheap as possible but I could slowly add high quality pieces to a studio if it was worth it, since ive never done studio work im not sure where i wanna go with it, just not sure if i wanna go blow a bunch of money on something that doesnt interest me

if you get cheap junk gear that's unreliable or not consistent, you may lose interest for all the wrong reasons.

jonathanheierle wrote in post #16322318
what would a good flash be?

the Yongnuo flashes are inexpensive flashes, and worth considering. I know they make a line of TTL flashes, although I only have experience with their manual flashes.

I have 3 of their yn-560 units, and they've worked quite well for the last few years without problems.

PLLphotography wrote in post #16322321
if you get cheap junk gear that's unreliable or not consistent, you may lose interest for all the wrong reasons.

Thats also a very good point, I guess for now I can save up money and find good and solid studio gear

jonathanheierle wrote in post #16322318
what would a good flash be?

YN 560II, its a manual flash (no ETTL) it was designed to be used as an off camera flash for just this type of kit. Basically look at that amazon list that was setup before. There are still issues in that shooting big product work with a white seemless like the sample image is not easy. You need big modifiers and the backgrounds needs one, if not two, lights just to make it white. If your friend took that shot, why not train with him a while before you jump in?

Buying used Alien Bees may be the route to take, generally they won't loose much of their value. Cowboy Studio Strobes and others like them will loose lots of value.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16322340
YN 560II, its a manual flash (no ETTL) it was designed to be used as an off camera flash for just this type of kit. Basically look at that amazon list that was setup before. There are still issues in that shooting big product work with a white seemless like the sample image is not easy. You need big modifiers and the backgrounds needs one, if not two, lights just to make it white. If your friend took that shot, why not train with him a while before you jump in?

I'll consider it, what exactly is a "big modifier"?

Like the big 60" umbrellas from that list. Something that modifies the light from the flash. Softbox, umbrella, etc.

With 3 flashes you should be able to pull off a white seamless background and subject. I used 2 flashes when doing smash the cake sets with my son with great success. Of course a bike is bigger than a 2 year old

PLLphotography wrote in post #16322372
With 3 flashes you should be able to pull off a white seamless background and subject. I used 2 flashes when doing smash the cake sets with my son with great success. Of course a bike is bigger than a 2 year old

haha yeah! what lens would you reccomend? I have a 70-200 F4 which will be useful, and an tokina 11-16 which would be useless IMO