Alien Bee's-Is my gear compatible?

I am very much a beginner when it comes to lighting. I want to try a Beginner Bee package ( AB400 ), to learn about lighting in a small studio. I have been on their website.....but don't fully understand how they set up & work.

I have an XT & a 420EX flash. Do the bee's work with what I have? If not.....What do I need? Could someone help me to understand how they connect & fire? If there are better alternatives for a beginner to learn lighting.....please recommend! I do know that I don't want continuous lighting.

My studio will be a 12' x 16' area. I would be taking head & shoulder shots.

Thank you

Curtis might suggest that inexpensive hot shoe flashes (vivitar 285hv or sunpak 383) mounted on stands and using optical slaves or another triggering method would be an alternative, and also more portable and less expensive (based on cost per light, not total power output). I bought a single b1600 and when it arrives I will try to find time to play with it.

The 420EX is not going to add much t the mix. You can fire it in a manual mode with a cord or a radio slave, but you cannot control the power. It is just a full power blast every time.

You might experiment with using a reflector for the fill.

You will need some sort of CAMERA hotshoe to PC adapter to connect the sync cord that comes with the AB400. Did you order one of those with your AB kit (the XT has no camera chassis PC port)

Enjoy! Lon

Since your RebelXT has no PC socket, you should buy a hotshoe adapter for your camera like this.

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Here is what I don't understand. If I attach the hotshoe adapter to my camera, and connect the sync cord to the adapter & the AB400, it will trigger the strobe when I press the shutter? So I don't need a flash on camera to use the AB's? Forgive my lack of knowledge.
Thank you

sunnybeach wrote in post #4383270
If I attach the hotshoe adapter to my camera, and connect the sync cord to the adapter & the AB400, it will trigger the strobe when I press the shutter? So I don't need a flash on camera to use the AB's?

Correct. You don't need a flash on your camera, and you're usually better off (in terms of lighting) without one.

You do not want a 420EX to do this. It will always produce a preflash that will confound the optical slave in the AB flash.

You want a cord running from your camera to the Alien Bee 400.

And, the only way to connect a cord on your XT is to get an CAMERA hotshoe to PC adapter to connect the cord (as the XT has no camera chassis PC connector).

Enjoy! Lon

Curtis & Lon.....Thank you so much. I like to think of myself as being pretty sharp, but I just could not figure this out! I will also be getting a light meter before I purchase the AB's.

And if you want the option to chose between cord and wireless you can get a cheap but fairly reliably wireless transmitter and receiver with built in PC connections (short cable included (easily extended). You can get them at eBay for like 25 bucks;
http://cgi.ebay.com …4QQtcZphotoQQcm​dZViewItem

Make sure you get the V2s version like the one I linked to as it works better with your 420EX.