looking for some pointers getting into strobes

I currently use up to 3 speed lights with triggers and a variety of Modifiers.

I like the results I'm getting but I've heard some say once they started playing with strobes it took it to a whole new level or something to that effect.

I do like to have fun with HSS once in a while but i was told strobes cant't go past 1/250th shutter speed

Can someone point me in a direction to get started, best bang for the buck lets say

then possibly a middle of the road setup and maybe explain what i get with the cheaper and how the later would make it spend a little extra.

thanks
michael

Let's start with your modifiers you already have- what mounts are they in? You'll want to choose lights that will work with your existing modifiers if possible, or can be upgraded with a simple change of speedring instead of rebuying them all.

What do you shoot the most? Indoors (studio setting) or mobile (outdoors, and multiple locations)? Depending on how they are being used, portability/weight/pow​er supplies make a big difference.

For modestly priced pack/head kits that are mostly going to be used in a single location, speedotron, norman, etc make stuff that is well built and will last for decades.

For more portable solutions, paul c buff einsteins with vagabonds, bare bulb flashes like the CL-360, and elinchrom d-lite kits are much more portable options.

MichaelLynn wrote in post #17580771
I currently use up to 3 speed lights with triggers and a variety of Modifiers.

I like the results I'm getting but I've heard some say once they started playing with strobes it took it to a whole new level or something to that effect.

I do like to have fun with HSS once in a while but i was told strobes cant't go past 1/250th shutter speed

Can someone point me in a direction to get started, best bang for the buck lets say

then possibly a middle of the road setup and maybe explain what i get with the cheaper and how the later would make it spend a little extra.

thanks
michael

Its not the strobe that can't go over 1/250 it what ever your camera sync speed is.

Like Scott said above the limits on sync speed are those of your cameras shutter. HSS is a speedlite thing where the flash pulses to mimic continuous light. With certain strobes, combined with certain trigger systems can make use of the long tail burn of the flashtube to use a technique called hypersync. The flash triggers early and the camera captures the residual glow for a brief continuous light. All sync speeds anove your cameras native sync come with tradeoffs. Hypersync cant be metered with a light meter and often results in inconsistent exposure across the frame. Its often easier to use ND filters to slow the shutter speed and use the power of the strobe to make up the difference.

I just rented the Profoto B1's last weekend. I know this is not the middle of the road, but these lights are amazing. They can do HSS and they didn't miss a beat when I was shooting 10 fps. And they are the ultimate in portability with having no wires or cords to worry about on location.