off camera lighting shopping help needed

picturecrazy wrote in post #4003707
I don't know if I agree with that statement. Strobist is great and definitely should be read, but there are some pretty smart people here. And strobist likes to talk old Nikon flashes, which is totally fine, but does not really talk about the canon wireless system, it's pitfalls, it's strengths, or tips on how to use it well. It also does not tell you anything about combining manual, auto, and ETTL systems together to get the most out of your flash setup. Nor does it speak specifically about setting up canon EX flashes for off camera use, and the extra hardware needed for it to work with radio slaves, or it's problems with certain models of optical slave units.

I love strobist... but people seem to think it's the end-all-be-all of off cam flash, but in reality it's very general and doesn't get into the specifics of the system you might be using, and in that, it is limiting... especially in combining different flash systems together.

Touché! I've been bested. Everything you said is very true. If you use old manual flashes, strobist is probably still the best. There's something to be said for those flashes... you can get em used at $30-$45 a pop. You can get ebay remotes for only another $20 or so and you're in business.

If you decide to go with Canon's proprietary system, Chuck Gardner's tutorials are second to none... http://super.nova.org/​DPR/

kja wrote in post #4000436
I would like to start working with some off camera lighting and am trying to put together the best set up for my immediate needs so I need your input.

I do not have an assistant and can't foresee having one very often. Most of our weddings and shoots are outside on sand or uneven ground. Often we have to trek a bit so compactness and speed of set up is important. I also need to pack it for relatively small airplanes with fairly tight restrictions.

I currently have a single Canon 580, Canon 20D. I do not own a tripod or monopod etc.

Budget is, of course, an issue, but I'm actually pretty flexible on this.

Not sure what else I can offer to get the best advice for my needs, but please let me know if there's something I can offer that will help you answer me! I will be doing all of my shopping in the US, if that matters.

Good thread kja...things i needed to find out as well...exactly as you have posted, thanks

Lowel ID light with barndoors and filters... that woudl be the first choice..

second choice would be the Sachler reporter 75

third would be a generic video light with diffusion 1.2 stop diffusion

For on location shots, such as family portraits in hotel foyers etc etc the Lowel Tota with Brella works a treat..

Thanks for the information, Everyone!

Strobist is a great resource and is bookmarked, but as Lloyd pointed out it doesn't specifically answer all of my questions - or confuses me sometimes - and the opinions and real world, current solutions and ideas are really what I was looking for. And you guys are delivering!

Padreous...I haven't looked at any of those you mention so it looks like more interesting gear to consider!

picturecrazy wrote in post #4003707
I don't know if I agree with that statement. Strobist is great and definitely should be read, but there are some pretty smart people here. And strobist likes to talk old Nikon flashes, which is totally fine, but does not really talk about the canon wireless system, it's pitfalls, it's strengths, or tips on how to use it well. It also does not tell you anything about combining manual, auto, and ETTL systems together to get the most out of your flash setup. Nor does it speak specifically about setting up canon EX flashes for off camera use, and the extra hardware needed for it to work with radio slaves, or it's problems with certain models of optical slave units.

I love strobist... but people seem to think it's the end-all-be-all of off cam flash, but in reality it's very general and doesn't get into the specifics of the system you might be using, and in that, it is limiting... especially in combining different flash systems together.

Any chance you're willing to share some of this Canon knowledge with us? I've been lost on the internet trying to figure out how to get my existing canon flashes (3 of them) to work off cam and possibly wirelessly. I can't figure out what things I need to buy and if it's worth it to do that or to get a strobe setup instead.

colleent wrote in post #4014272
Any chance you're willing to share some of this Canon knowledge with us? I've been lost on the internet trying to figure out how to get my existing canon flashes (3 of them) to work off cam and possibly wirelessly. I can't figure out what things I need to buy and if it's worth it to do that or to get a strobe setup instead.

For the basics read the EOS Bible, it's linked from the sticky threads/FAQ in the lighting forum. That's a good place to ask general lighting questions too.