Opinions on an Affordable Studio Lighting Kit

[BlkWhtTSI]

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-SP3500-Complete-Portrait-Softboxes/dp/B000ZI3TN2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337032945&sr=8-3

Found this kit on Amazon. This price range is about what i want to spend, maybe another $100 tops. I like that this kit includes a backdrop setup, amongst other included items.

[grimm]

thats a lot of gear for the price, I would imagine most of it is crap.
save up for alien bees.

[BlkWhtTSI]

Possibly, does alien bee have a kit kinda like this? The beginner package doesn't include much, and the next kit up is another $1,000?! Not happening for me, any other suggestions on kits?

[BlkWhtTSI]

http://www.amazon.com/StudioHut-Continuous-Photography-background-backdrops/dp/B003YA1XQI/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1337046491&sr=1-5

How about this kit?

[twizhimself]

yea these kits are kinda junky - as are most of the chinese kits on amazon/ebay - the muslin is usually not thick enough and lets light thru and the stands are weak (i know i bought one) - id say save for a set of AlienBees or even buy some cheap flashes with triggers...you can get similar results as you can with big plug in strobes.

i rock:
Nikon Sb600
Nikon SB700
vivitar 285HV
pair of larger umbrellas
pair of light stands
pair of umbrella mounts with hot shoe adapters
Cactus v5 triggers

pretty nice setup for most occasions - you can get cheap flashes like youngano (or however its spelled) for under 100 that are pretty good - my sb700 was around 400 and my Sb600 was 250 ish? the vivitar was 89 ....so yea..

[BlkWhtTSI]

oh damn... well i have a 580exII and if i got the beginner alienbee kit that comes with one light, an umbrella, a stand, and a reflector, could i combine those 2, to get a 2 light look? or should i just get some flood lights at a hardware store? I want to do portraits ("in studio" and out in the field), also band promo shots, car shots etc.

[twizhimself]

technically yes.

but color balancing them might be problematic. If youre getting serious id say go full alienbee (800 or higher) 400 are just as strong as a speedlite

[BlkWhtTSI]

Ok, i would say that i'm still a novice but, I have experience doing portraits at a studio i used to work at.
The beginner kit comes with a b800

[twizhimself]

thing is youll probably want more than one light source if your going for the "studio style" lighting...like a key, fill and perhaps a background light

[twizhimself]

i was looking at their packages and i want The Portrait Studio..lol

[grimm]

personally for someone learning a wysiwyg setup would benefit you. (ie flood lights from the hardware store) the downside to flood lights are they are always on and often can generate a lot of heat, as well as cause the subject to squint. but to learn about light placement and such it speeds up the learning process and saves your wallet from the large expense.

[BlkWhtTSI]

Well as do i but i have about $600 to spend max on a kit I want atleast 2 lights, stands and softboxes/umbrellas. I'd probably also get the vagabond portable power or similar to be able to shoot outdoors, unless i can find a kit that uses battery power.

[BlkWhtTSI]

personally for someone learning a wysiwyg setup would benefit you. (ie flood lights from the hardware store) the downside to flood lights are they are always on and often can generate a lot of heat, as well as cause the subject to squint. but to learn about light placement and such it speeds up the learning process and saves your wallet from the large expense.

whats that?
I think the flood lights may be the solution but i would need something to power them if i'm shooting in a field for example.

[illantic]

Save your money and invest in a proper lighting kit. This hobby is not cheap and you definitely get what you pay for. Look on Fred Miranda and other photography forums for used Alienbees or other lighting kits. No sense in wasting money especially since you can resell them and usually make majority if not all of your money back.

[grimm]

whats that?
I think the flood lights may be the solution but i would need something to power them if i'm shooting in a field for example.

"What You See Is What You Get"
Some strobes have a modeling light to aid in this.

[BlkWhtTSI]

Well it seems the path is to get some flood lights and a backdrop while i attempt to acquire 2 alienbees and a small backlight.

[FijiBlueFG]

Get some vivitar 285's. they are like 80 and are pretty powerful. Then you can get a couple small soft boxes with the speedlight mounts. I use my vivitar alot because im too lazy to lug around my alien bees.

[BlkWhtTSI]

what stands do you use with these flashes Fiji?

[FijiBlueFG]

cheap ones I found on amazon, they are junk, but they do the job, If its windy out or something out I'll use my Paul C. Buff stands. I think they were cowboy studios... you'll need the little speedlight brackets for them too.

[BlkWhtTSI]

What speedlight brackets are you referring to? Cant i just secure these to stands and trigger them remotely?
edit: found it