My next purchase... lighting

Hey,

I've been saving up for an Alien Bees setup but I've gotten extremely impatient. Lol, I don't have enough for a single light setup, but I want light!

Soo... I've been thinking. I could easily take the ~$400 I have right now and buy this instead:

Sigma EF500 DG Super
Vivtar 283 (or maybe Sunpak somethin...)
El Cheapo Radio Transmitter
Light stand and umbrella

Thoughts? This should hold me over, and get some decent studio-like shots?

The only thing I'm worried about is compatibility. I don't want to buy the Sigma and not have it work with the Drebel mkII if I ever need to "upgrade" or whatnot...

If you want a studio setup I think you would be disappointed with a Sigma 500. You are not too far away from the $480 Cnd needed for the Beginner Bee. You would have a far superior setup than with a hot shoe flash setup considering there is only a $93 Cnd difference between the Sigma 500 and the Alien Bee 800.

I would hold on a bit longer.

Hm. Makes sense. However, calculating shipping and taxes it'll be upwards of $600CDN. I don't have that kinda cash right now

The sigma is $200. The Vivtar is $70. The radio transmitter is $40. The lightstand and umbrella should be ~$100. Hm. Yeah... that is about the same as the AB setup (after tax and shipping). However, it's actually portable, no?

Who's actually for getting a single light vs 2 flashes?

Don't do it. You could make on camera grade flash work BUT ONLY IF YOU KNOW LIGHTING well enough to "pre-visualize" the effect and modify and control both character and pattern of light.

With the Alien Bees stuff, at least you have a chance to "see" what you will likely get. You will have something you can work with and learn on at the same time.

I can take on camera grade stuff and make the result look like studio lighting but I'm drawing on 23 years of studio and portable/location experience to do it and even tho I'm mostly retired now and sold off all my studio gear, I recently ordered 2 AB800's just to have something to work with if the impulse to take on a project hits me.

Before the order came in I had to do an in the home sitting for some friends with some old Vivitar 283/285 stuff I should have thrown out 15 years ago. I used 3 units, 1 firing into a silver umbrella, 1 on camera (for fill), and one behind the subjects firing at the wall that was the background.

Would have been MUCH easier with portable studio lights so I could SEE what the lighting was doing.

Be patient and get what you really need.

Bruce Foreman

The beginner Bee shipped to Edmonton would be $480 Cnd at the current exchange rate plus 7% GST that is how I came up with that figure. I forgot about Ontario sales tax etc.

You would have no modeling lights to see before hand what the outcome would be which would be a real drawback as Bruce was saying.

Hang in man until you get a few more bucks together, you wouldn't regret it.

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I don't know...I am quite happy with my 4x580ex for studio lighting. I have an extra small softbox for Hair light, 2x 42" umbrella (1 which turns in to a retangle), 2x medium soft boxes. and a 22" reflector. I just mix and match to get what I want. The only thing I probably will end up doing is getting a large softbox and a medium octagon softbox with a pair of 600w/s monolight.

Though its true, there isn't a continuous modelling light. With the Depth-of-view button, you can get a 2sec modelling light .

I find that it is very portable to use the 42" umbrella on location outdoor/indoor with dual 580EX. Enough to even take group potraits.

It looks to me from your posts that you'll be happier if you hold on a bit longer for the studio setup than getting the little flash now. If you're really impatient get a 2nd hand flash to hold you over.

KevC,

do you plan to use it only in the studio or also on location?
I remember you like to take candids.

That will of course have an impact on the decision

Best regards,
Andy

Hm. Alright. I do believe *all* I'm gonna invest in now is the Sigma. I figured I need a dedicated flash anyway. I don't have a studio, so I'm thinking the Sigma alone is a good idea. Thanks, Andy