Yes, I know there are a zillion threads for this type of question, but need a bit of custom advice
- I moved from a total Speedlight setup to include a single Studio Strobe five months ago. I heeded advice and started small to get my feet wet. Purchased a PCB AB400, and a couple of PLM’s (one is silver bounce w/diffuser sock) to get started. I normally use 3 -4 light setups so am still using the speedlights for everything buy the Key.
-- Move ahead five months... Love the Studio Strobe, have adapted quickly and not looking back. I want to continue to build on my initial incremental light investment with another $600 spend (yes I know that's not much).
My needs:
- All existing lighting equipment will now be utilized for studio AND field shoots (well most of the time unless I can squeeze by with a speedlight).
- Need to purchase at least one more Strobe - should definitely provide more power than the AB400 (which will still be used). I doubt I will be doing any weddings or large group shots, so can be somewhat conservative with power.
- Purchase portable power for the AB400 and the new strobe. Again, no weddings, perhaps no more than 150 full-power shots needed per charge for the AB400 + the new strobe
- Purchase an Octa or Stripbox that has a mount compatible with the new strobe. The PLMS are good but want need/want more control at this point.
Any suggestions? I was contemplating being lazy and staying all PCB by adding an AB800, Vagabond Mini, and some PCB light modifiers. I want to stay loosely in-budget, but also don't want to hamstring myself down the road either. Of course going full bore and spending $3K-$4K would just answer all my needs and beyond, but that's not feasible at the moment. What’s the biggest bang for the buck in your opinion balancing the factors of: Quality/Functionality/Must Have Features/Nice to have features/Compatibility?
Appreciate any responses/suggestions
