Looking for a lighting kit

Hello all! I was browsing the photography subreddit and came across this blog post about lighting. they have a listed lighting starter KIT. My question is if this kit is still a decent purchase? I am barely getting into lighting and would like the convenience of just buying a kit with everything ready to use. if anyone has any other recommendations that would be fantastic! I wouldn't mind having more than 1 light setup, but will be happy with just 1 light.

It's still a decent purchase, but a lot of us would probably advocate a different choice of flash and trigger, and possibly getting a bracket instead of or in addition to an umbrella swivel, depending on what you plan to use as modifiers in the future.

The triggering system matters because it affects future expansion in the same way a camera lens mount does.

The LumoPro LP180 is a terrific flash, particularly in terms of reputation and reliability. But it's manual-only. And it's a little expensive for a manual-only flash, if you don't need pro-level hardy reliability. It does have features most other 3rd-party manual only flashes won't (3.5 sync port, mount hole on the side). But it won't do TTL and it won't do HSS, and the only bigger light it works in concert with, so that you have remote power control for both the speedlight and the monolight, would be the Phottix Indra. Which is pretty pricey. And, on top of that, the LP180 has no built-in radio trigger, you have to add an Ares transceiver to its foot. If you have to go with this system, the Ares II and Phottix Juno or LumoPro LP180R might arguably be a better choice, just for the built-in radio receiver.

The Ares I triggers, similarly, are very tough and reliable, but again, manual only, without TTL, HSS, or remote power control. You can only get these feature if you get a Mitros+ and move up to the Odin II triggers, which are pricey. And the Ares I triggers are not compatible with the Odin/Strato compatible gear, like the Phottix Juno or LumoPro LP180R.

David Hobby, as a working pro, would prefer simpler gear that's more reliable, even if it's more expensive, so that's why the kit he put together includes the flash and trigger system it does. But if you're just a hobbyist, whose reliability needs are more modest than a Pro who may have a client breathing down their neck, has to sling their gear into bags for air travel, and shoot all day long with the stuff, then the Godox system, at present, offers more bang for the buck, and a helluva lot more convenience for the same or less money.

With the Godox X system, you can start with just a $65 TT600 and an $45 X1T or $70 XPro transmitter. $65 flashes make it easier to build a multi-light setup if you want one. The flash has a built-in radio transceiver in the Godox system, so you don't need to stack it on a receiver, which is more convenient (you don't have to remember to bring along the receiver and any batteries for it, and you don't have to attach it), and more stable, as well as bringing the flash head closer into line with the center of a modifier. It will give you remote power control over the flash (you don't have to walk over to it to adjust its power setting). And you'll have HSS, if you shoot Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, or micro four-thirds, with the appropriate transmitter on the camera.

There are also a lot more choices in the Godox system for additional lights: they can be both TTL and manual-only; they can be speedlights (both AA-powered and Li-on pack powered), bare bulb flashes, or studio strobes. And the lights all have built-in radio triggers that work in the same system. And can be used with all five supported camera systems. So, the expandability, if you ever decide to do more than one light, is much better, and not tied to your camera system. Phottix at the moment, only supports Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony, and the TTL gear doesn't switch. If you get TTL gear in the Phottix system, you'll have to rebuy it if you swap camera brands.

The tradeoff, however, is that Godox is one of the Chinese companies in Shenzhen that makes low cost a priority. They do this in two ways. They're a little looser on their QA, so copy and component consistency may vary more widely than with more expensive gear. You may be an inadvertent beta tester on new models early in the release cycle. And you might have to rely on/wait for a firmware update to fix an issue.

The second way they lower cost is to push all customer support off on the retailer. So who you buy from becomes more of a concern, since you aren't going to be getting factory warranty repairs or customer support from the manufacturer. In the US, Adorama has rebranded and is supporting (with unit exchanges) the Godox X system gear as Flashpoint R2 gear.

So, the lower pricetags and more features don't come for free. But for a lot of us, it's more than worth it.

One last note, if you've never used a hotshoe flash before, I would actually recommend first being sure you know your exposure triangle and how to swap stops among iso, aperture, and shutter speed (i.e., be comfortable shooting in M on the camera), and getting a TTL-capable flash with 360º swivel capability (e.g., Godox TT685), and learn to do on-camera bouncing with TTL before going to off-camera flash.

Off-camera flash may end up adding a lighting bag to your camera bag. Sometimes it's good to know how to just shove a speedlight in a bag for run'n'gun and chasing kids around the house. And while it's definitely more limited than off-camera flash, it can be far more convenient, and lot easier to learn if a) all you have to buy is the flash and b) you aren't trying to debug triggering schemes and figure out how to suspend the flash in space where you want it. It's easier to learn flash principles if all you're worried about is the flash. And back in 2006 when David Hobby started the Strobist, he assumed he was writing for fellow pro photojournalists who already knew how to use and had exhausted the possibilities of on-camera flash. Hobby also has a stated preference for doing off-camera-flash in M, but that doesn't mean TTL is useless or that you might never need on-camera flash skillz, too. Learning both on-camera flash and off-camera flash techniques puts you in the position of being able to choose what's most appropriate; just as learning to light puts you in the position of being able to choose to light or just use the ambient light.

What she said.

I'm an advocate of starting with a TTL speedlight, it's really nice to have when you need it. And yeah, I'd recommend Godox too.

Thank you so much for in depth reply! I appreciate it! So, I was looking into Godox and had a friend come up with a setup. I would like to mention that these lights would almost always be stationary... anyway this is the list

2x Godox TT600

2x Glow 31 x 31

2x Cowboystudio 9 feet

1x Godox X1C

I have a spare room where i'll be setting this up. this should be a good start up setup, ya?

again thank you for the reply!

That's kind of hecka more than a beginner one-speedlight Strobist OCF setup. What's your budget? What/how do you plan to shoot? I'm not sure you need the AD600s if you're never planning on taking the lights on location. You might do better with corded monolights vs. battery-powered in that case.

How big is the room? Were you planning on doing just headshots or full length, and have you seen Zack Arias's white seamless tutorial?

max budget would be 400. I am not getting a AD600. they are the Godox TT600. I will probably take one out, but not much else. the room i have is pretty much the size of standard living room. I would like to do headshots and full length i guess. i just watched the tutorials and they are super helpful with light. it's great.

This thread is exactly like what I was planning to start today! Thanks Joshua for beating me to it!

My situation is a little bit different, and I was hoping to leverage the knowledgeable opinions of those already commenting here.

I understand my exposure triangle, but I am hit-or-miss with my on/off-camera flash abilities (off-camera flash mostly because I just don't have radio capability yet).

I am a Nikon guy, and use a SB-700 when I feel like flash will help a situation. I definitely could use more help when it comes to bouncing my current flash, or using it effectively in general. But that's another story; I still have a lot of strobist to read.

I was recently contracted to shoot my first wedding this coming December, and I know lighting group shots and receptions can be tricky for total noobs. As I am about to expand my lighting kit significantly, I had one main question:

If you had to rebuild your light kit from scratch for event/wedding and group portraiture work, what would you buy? The GODOX system to start off with?

The TT600 isn't a TTL speedlight, right? You'd need the TT685 to do that?

Post 7: yes

Post 8: I don't know

I have a 580EXII that I use for on camera TTL. I owned it before Godox was a thing.

I have a bag full of AD360s for studio work and when I need more power. It looks like the 360 is now essentially out of the development cycle though. Stick with AD200 or AD600.

www.flashhavoc.com will provide the answer to just about every questionyou could come up with. It will also destroy your productivity for the day.

Thank you Left Handed Brisket!

Quick question: Is the temperature of the GODOX AD600 adjustable? Do you just place gels over it to warm the temp up for indoor shots?

Gel.

The godox system is by far the best value and most flexible out there on the market today.
I've switched to it and it's pretty perfect so far.

Ksbal,

Thank you! If you were to design a multiple-light wedding setup using what you know about the GODOX system, what would you go for?

GESWhoPhoto wrote in post #18635704
The TT600 isn't a TTL speedlight, right? You'd need the TT685 to do that?

Correct