Flash equipment for Portraits & Events

[benique]

Hi Guys
I am planning on shooting business events and portraits at my customers' offices. I don't have my own flash equiment yet. Therefore I'm researching what I should buy. I have been reading about a lot of off brand flashes on flashhavoc.com. I'm leaning towards buying a Yongnuo flash and a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud. However I'm not sure which brand for the flash I should choose.

I was thinking about waiting for the Yongnuo 600EX-RT since it is supposed to be released this month.

At first I would like to buy one flash and a good diffusor. Later on I'm going to buy more equiment as needed. I'm mostly using manual focus lenses but I'm planning on buying more AF lenses in the future.

Can you recommend a flash for those use cases? What are the real world problems and advantages with the various flash manufacturers?

 

[Loswr]

Step 1: buy and read Syl Arena's Speedliter's Handbook

 

[alexanderferdinand]

Syl Arenas book: good one.
Online: the strobist.com- starting with less then $ 100, many examples explained.
For understanding: Light, science and magic from.... dont remember, amazon or google should know.
Joe McNallys Hotshoe Diaries, Nikonista, but usable for every brand.

Good luck!!

 

[FTb-n]

I use Yongnuo YN565-EX with YN622-C remotes for off camera work. They work great in manual mode and with the remotes, I can control the output and zoom setting from the menu of my 5D3.

I also have a first generation Canon 430EX. I don't use ETTL very often because my off camera work typically means a fixed distance between light source and subject. I prefer more direct control over the output. But, I have played with ETTL using both the YN565-EX and the Canon 430EX and I find that the Yongnuo has some consistency issues in ETTL. The Canon flash, however, is very consistent in ETTL.

If ETTL is a must, I'd wait for reviews from others to see if the YN600EX-RT is any better than the YN565-EX.

 

[c.d.embrey]

I prefer Canon speedlites, but get whatever suits your budget.

Read Neil Van Niekerk's site http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/ it's FREE. Learn to use bounced ON CAMERA flash, no need for tupperware!

Even though I use Profoto studio flash, I've also been using a Canon 580EX (on camera) for many things. I bounce from walls, ceilings, and walls & ceilings (combined). It gives a very natural look.

 

[benique]

Thanks for your help. I have watched quite a few videos on flash photography and read various articles about it. At least one of the videos was from Syl Arena. Thanks for some good additional sources. I know that I need some additional equipment but at the moment I'm not ready to buy a lot of stuff. I would like to buy some basic equipment to learn more about flash photography.

I shot the last event using a Canon 580EX II and a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud which a friend lent me. I took some shots outside and some inside a tent with transparent walls. In the tent I sometimes bounced the light on the ceiling and some light reached the people from the Lightsphere. Could you recommend a better diffuser for situations like this?

Am I right by assuming that RT is a must for reliable wireless control of off camera flashes?

 

[Quasimodo]

I shot the last event using a Canon 580EX II and a Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud which a friend lent me. I took some shots outside and some inside a tent with transparent walls. In the tent I sometimes bounced the light on the ceiling and some light reached the people from the Lightsphere. Could you recommend a better diffuser for situations like this?

I had great fun making a DIY dome by cutting a plastic bottle in two, and spraying frost on the inside of the bottom, and using some type of foam to attach to the flashhead. Otherwise I normally fit Stofen on my flashes. If you want to save a buck or two, there is a great page where you get tips on how to make stuff yourself: http://www.diyphotography.net/

 

[Skirball]

I was thinking about waiting for the Yongnuo 600EX-RT since it is supposed to be released this month.

I would wait at least a few more months so that the reports start coming in on the YN 600. I noticed you mentioned the word 'reliability' later in this thread. Just saying...

That said, is there any reason why you feel the need of having a full set of off camera eTTL? It's fine if that's what you want to shoot, but you should know what you're doing/plan to do before making a purchase that big. On the flip side you can get a complete portrait setup, with off-camera manual flash, a controller that can adjust power and zoom, stands, modifiers and the whole shebang, for less than a single Canon 600. Then get a single Canon 430exII (or 580II if you can find it), for on-camera eTTL at events.

 

[pwp]

I prefer Canon speedlites, but get whatever suits your budget.
Even though I use Profoto studio flash, I've also been using a Canon 580EX (on camera) for many things. I bounce from walls, ceilings, and walls & ceilings (combined). It gives a very natural look.

You're right, skillfully used bounce flash can look just like available light.
It's simple really, whatever you aim your flash at becomes the light-source.
Most offices have low, white ceilings.

-pw

 

[winglet]

I don't mean to diss the good Mr. Fong, and his stuff is decently made, and I am not afraid to spend money for quality. But, you will pay a hefty price for what you could get the exact same thing at much lower cost. Just a thought, not trying to be negative just save you $$.

I would echo the recommendations of McNally and Hobby.

Best of luck with your shooting!

 

[Jim Saunders]

Am I right by assuming that RT is a must for reliable wireless control of off camera flashes?

That or cables, but wireless control is so much easier to use that not getting into it from the start seems ill-advised at best. The Canon lights are rock-solid, and the Yongnuo RT flashes should be out soon enough if you want to try those. There are also the external triggers which offer various levels of performance versus cost, some have features that Canon doesn't too.

Jim

 

[benique]

Thanks for all the great recommendations. I'm glad to have found a forum with such great people.

Your comments and my further research have brought me a little closer to choosing my gear. I just read that the YN 600EX-RT is out now. Now I'm however looking at SHANNY as well. They will be releasing a Canon 600EX copy very soon.

I guess I won't need more than one TTL flash. Do several TTL flashes even work together well?

There is quite some gear on my list which I wanna buy within a month or so. Here is what I'm currently planning to buy. (This list is only temporary.)
RT HSS flash
RT HSS TTL flash
8 Eneloop batteries
On camera flash diffusor (maybe Garry Fong or Flashbender)
Round or 8-sided Softbox (ca. 60-120cm): SMDV or Walimex
Manfrotto Mini Compact Stand 1051BAC (211cm, weight: 1kg, max load: 4kg) or Walimex WT-806 Stand (256cm, weight: 2.1kg, max load: 6kg)

I found that there are countless options and a lot of different manufacturers for all the gear. I think it might be best to go with SHANNY or Yongnuo for both flashes. What I am not sure about is the softbox, the stand and the on camera flash diffusor.

What I like about the Gary Fong is that you can use it in many different ways. The Flashbender seams to be very versatile as well.

I saw some nice home made diffusor solutions. However I'd prefer not to use them for various reasons although I'm sure they might do just as well as the products you can buy.

What do you guys think about this gear? Can you recommend something better?

 

[benique]

I'll reply for the ones interested in knowing what I choose. After a lot of research I bought the following.
Yn-E3-RT
5 x YN 600EX-RT
Lots of Eneloop batteries + Ansmann Powerline 4 Pro
Jinbei M-1400 Octobox
Jinbei 70x100 Softbox
Shoot through umbrella
2 x Manfrotto Mini Compact Stand 1051BAC
Meike Tripod

I'm very happy with my purchase. I paid a bit over 1000 USD for all the stuff. The flashes and the trigger have been very reliable. They fired every time with the right power.

The canon flashes (580EX II and 430EX II) that I used before often didn't fire with the optical triggering because they didn't catch enough light.

 

[Jim Saunders]

I'm glad you found some kit you're happy with, I'm curious to hear you the lights hold up. Two or more lights together can share the burden so they recycle faster, for some activities that helps a lot.

Jim

 

[benique]

They recycle very fast anyways. They are faster than the Canon 600EX-RT.