looking for my 1st flash

[briansquibb]

I am looking to get a gang like Joe McNally has in the video - also described in Syl Arena's books.

Obviously I would be using Canon gear. I would like to have two poles of 8 for starters (have tried a pole of 6 which worked well)

I am buying used speedlites where possible - 580EX are quite cheap here - although I notice that 550EX are almost being given away now so I might get a basket full of those

 

[K3nt]

I use both a 430EX2 and a Nissin Di866 mkII. Haven't had a problem with either one. I might get some more of the Nissin ones as they offer a little bit more power but at a more reasonable price point.
If I had unlimited money I'd get 12 of the new 600RT's. ;D

 

[wickidwombat]

I am looking to get a gang like Joe McNally has in the video - also described in Syl Arena's books.

Obviously I would be using Canon gear. I would like to have two poles of 8 for starters (have tried a pole of 6 which worked well)

I am buying used speedlites where possible - 580EX are quite cheap here - although I notice that 550EX are almost being given away now so I might get a basket full of those

while it is very cool i dont think you need it anymore given the odins power 2 x 400W monolights at full power driven by odins up to 1/8000 sec or whatever speed you want are going to provide tons of power those setups are a few years old before these new tech triggers came out so the built in HSS funtion was the only way to do it

many ways to skin that cat
and how much would all those speedlights cost! i have 6 580 exii now which i think is enough ? :-[ :-\

 

[briansquibb]

I am looking to get a gang like Joe McNally has in the video - also described in Syl Arena's books.

Obviously I would be using Canon gear. I would like to have two poles of 8 for starters (have tried a pole of 6 which worked well)

I am buying used speedlites where possible - 580EX are quite cheap here - although I notice that 550EX are almost being given away now so I might get a basket full of those

while it is very cool i dont think you need it anymore given the odins power 2 x 400W monolights at full power driven by odins up to 1/8000 sec or whatever speed you want are going to provide tons of power those setups are a few years old before these new tech triggers came out so the built in HSS funtion was the only way to do it

many ways to skin that cat
and how much would all those speedlights cost! i have 6 580 exii now which i think is enough ? :-[ :-\

Ganglighting gives a very different light than single source - that is why I want it, for the IQ. My PW drive each speedlight at max power@1/8000. With 6 lights I can fire at low speed (5fps) for a burst as each light uses so little power on each flash.

Once I get myself organised I will do sample pics.

 

[april]

Presumably you're going to be shooting wide open with fast primes @ 1/1000s or faster because as you say you'll be shooting outdoors (daylight) and primarily portraits, so really shallow DOF, but you said which camera you intend to use but not what glass you already have. The reason I say this is that if you have a zoom lens like a 70-200mm f2.8L II IS USM already, then you can achieve a similar look @f2.8 (from a distance) as you'd get from say a typical portrait lens at f2 or even f1.4 (up close).

If it was my 1st flash I'd be looking to try cheaper alternatives like the 430EXII or the YN-565EX to see what the real-world limitations are, and if those don't work out, then opt or the flagship canon models. Personally I use a couple of Yongnuo YN-565EX's mounted on stands shooting through white umbrellas and my 7D triggers them up to 1/300s and like the 580EXII's the power setting is adjustable from 1/128 up to 1/1 in one-third increments.

Many Pro's shooting e.g. fashion outdoors/indoors now use long lenses. Otherwise, if your lens collection is mainly short-zooms or primes and your budget is tight (having just spent a lot on a 5D3) then you might want to consider continuous lighting options (can be quite inexpensive).

But the real advantage of avoiding HSS and going with 3rd-party flashguns for the time-being is, that you can buy 3 or 4 YN-565's for the price of 1 x 580XII....then you have Key Light, Fill Light, Back-Light & Hair-Light options that multiple speedlights give you.

that's a very good point THANK YOU! I have 70-200mm IS II, 24-105, 60mm macro & 50mm1.8

What is your purpose of high speed sync? Is it really needed with outdoor portraits?

If it is because you want to use wide apertures for artistic effect, which will kick your shutter speed way up in outdoor light, and that is the only real issue, why not just use an ND filter?

That will allow you to control the DOF and ambient light without the need for hss.

thanks dude ! you've just reminded me of my other gears and yes you're right I always shoot with wide aperture on portraits. I'll be trying a combination of both ND filter + flash & I'll see where it will lead me hopefully I could borrow some flashes from my mates to test it with.

 

[wickidwombat]

I am looking to get a gang like Joe McNally has in the video - also described in Syl Arena's books.

Obviously I would be using Canon gear. I would like to have two poles of 8 for starters (have tried a pole of 6 which worked well)

I am buying used speedlites where possible - 580EX are quite cheap here - although I notice that 550EX are almost being given away now so I might get a basket full of those

while it is very cool i dont think you need it anymore given the odins power 2 x 400W monolights at full power driven by odins up to 1/8000 sec or whatever speed you want are going to provide tons of power those setups are a few years old before these new tech triggers came out so the built in HSS funtion was the only way to do it

many ways to skin that cat
and how much would all those speedlights cost! i have 6 580 exii now which i think is enough ? :-[ :-\

Ganglighting gives a very different light than single source - that is why I want it, for the IQ. My PW drive each speedlight at max power@1/8000. With 6 lights I can fire at low speed (5fps) for a burst as each light uses so little power on each flash.

Once I get myself organised I will do sample pics.

true its a much harder light though, lots of contrast
also these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Flash-Battery-Pack-SF-18-Yongnuo-Flash-Speedlite-YN-560-YN-565-EX-/180751364543?pt=UK_Camera_Chargers_Docks&hash=item2a159ef1bf
can really help boost the cycle time of your flashes and they will shoot all day without changing batteries

 

[briansquibb]

Ganglighting gives a very different light than single source - that is why I want it, for the IQ. My PW drive each speedlight at max power@1/8000. With 6 lights I can fire at low speed (5fps) for a burst as each light uses so little power on each flash.

Once I get myself organised I will do sample pics.

true its a much harder light though, lots of contrast
also these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Flash-Battery-Pack-SF-18-Yongnuo-Flash-Speedlite-YN-560-YN-565-EX-/180751364543?pt=UK_Camera_Chargers_Docks&hash=item2a159ef1bf
can really help boost the cycle time of your flashes and they will shoot all day without changing batteries
[/quote]

No reason why a diffuser cant be used. McNally was using triple heads with a shoot though - no reason why they couldn't all use shoot throughs or diffusers

 

[wickidwombat]

Ganglighting gives a very different light than single source - that is why I want it, for the IQ. My PW drive each speedlight at max power@1/8000. With 6 lights I can fire at low speed (5fps) for a burst as each light uses so little power on each flash.

Once I get myself organised I will do sample pics.

true its a much harder light though, lots of contrast
also these
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Flash-Battery-Pack-SF-18-Yongnuo-Flash-Speedlite-YN-560-YN-565-EX-/180751364543?pt=UK_Camera_Chargers_Docks&hash=item2a159ef1bf
can really help boost the cycle time of your flashes and they will shoot all day without changing batteries

No reason why a diffuser cant be used. McNally was using triple heads with a shoot though - no reason why they couldn't all use shoot throughs or diffusers
[/quote]

true you can just strap a 2m x 1m diffuser panel to the front of each tree

actually i can see you in something like this...
Human Light Suit: Burning Man 2010

 

[briansquibb]

Here is my first venture - a couple of years ago which was my trigger to move to PW

 

[wickidwombat]

hehe i remember that pic did you get any shadow cast from your head?

 

[april]

here you go

if you can handle dealing with carrying around portable powwer supplies (I made my own with a 1000W pure sign wave inverter and 2 sealed lead acid golf buggy batteries in a lowepro 200AW nova bag)

these are seriously good value and awesome studio flash heads

this will fire those flash heads at any power setting you like at any shutter speed up to 1/8000 sec
if your intention is to dominate the midday sun this has way more grunt than trying to do it with speedlights

i have tested this out and mix the flash up with speedlights too, only wierd glitch i have found is when mixing the elinchrom and speedlights the light seem out of sync at 1/250 second all other shutter speeds are fine
I've tested this with 5Dmk2 5Dmk3 and 1Dmk3

the yongnuo does not have canon HSS and the nissin 866i that paul recomended does
for me the nissin is too close in price to the 430exii so i would just go the 430exii instead

i am considerig buying a yongnuo 565 to test with my odins since they are only $150 and have all the same functions as a 580 except HSS its pretty good value if they work

At the moment, I end up getting yongnou 565ex+ sf18 battery pack & pixel king wireless trigger set.

the yn-565 is very close to canon 580 exII aside from the fact that the swivel head doesn't have locks, recycle time is a bit longer and the hot shoe attachment is not a quick release as well somewhat minor differences and performance is pretty close to match the 580 except for the HSS.

I went with the pixel king since its functions are similar to phottix odin except that it has no LCD performance wise I'm happy with it the only sad part was the battery cover is so flimsy not a big deal unless it will get lost while shooting ;D

I haven't fully tested them on actual shooting but I hope they will perform as I expected.

 

[Strobe the globe]

I'd have to recommend the Canon 600EX-RT, as Radio Triggering will allow you to be compatible via RT with Canon future flash releases (I'm sure it will be the way of the future for strobists). It will allow you to maximise your flash photography, and give you more options in low light conditions. Good luck!

Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Review - Hands On Review - Features of the Flash Body

 

[pwp]

I hope someone would share me his idea on this one. I'm looking for my my 1st flash, for what type
of shooting? HIGH SPEED SYNC as I'll be doing portraits in bright daylight. I haven't tried one (as i'm not a big fan of flash photography) so I don't have any idea how much power do I need.

Back to the OP. What body are you planning to shoot with? If it's going to be older than a 5D3 or a 1DX then skip the 600EX-RT. On older bodies you'll only get 100th sync and questionable HSS. I'd recommend a pre-owned 580ex or 580exII. These are great for HSS, have the advantage of being amazingly flexible in the ways you can rotate them for bounce flash (more movements than Yonguo or 430ex) and also the distinct advantage of have a plug for an external power source which you will appreciate if HSS becomes your thing. HSS sucks power much much more than regular flash. You can read plenty on this subject here or on Google.

PW

 

[april]

I hope someone would share me his idea on this one. I'm looking for my my 1st flash, for what type
of shooting? HIGH SPEED SYNC as I'll be doing portraits in bright daylight. I haven't tried one (as i'm not a big fan of flash photography) so I don't have any idea how much power do I need.

Back to the OP. What body are you planning to shoot with? If it's going to be older than a 5D3 or a 1DX then skip the 600EX-RT. On older bodies you'll only get 100th sync and questionable HSS. I'd recommend a pre-owned 580ex or 580exII. These are great for HSS, have the advantage of being amazingly flexible in the ways you can rotate them for bounce flash (more movements than Yonguo or 430ex) and also the distinct advantage of have a plug for an external power source which you will appreciate if HSS becomes your thing. HSS sucks power much much more than regular flash. You can read plenty on this subject here or on Google.

PW

I got a 5d3, 50D & hopefully a 1dx (depending on price & performance compared to 5d3).... yeah I looked for a used 580s & 430s but they are rare in here and I found a couple but priced so much as if they don't wanna sell it. That is why I bought a YN 565exII and a pixel king trigger. this set up is limited to 1/200 shutter speed due to the flash although the trigger is capable of firing at 1/8000 good thing is I have my ND filters to get away with HSS (thanks to pdirestajr). I took the pixel king flash trigger due to its capability of HSS and costs less than the odins.

 

[wickidwombat]

cool, i didnt know that about the pixel kings how many did you end up going for?

those sf18 battery packs are great they will go all day without needing a battery change

 

[april]

cool, i didnt know that about the pixel kings how many did you end up going for?

those sf18 battery packs are great they will go all day without needing a battery change

as of now I just bought 1 flash & a pair of trigger just to see how it goes then if I'd be ok with maybe I'd grab some more.

I tried to do HSS with the yongnou sadly I failed. it will fire but the photo will have a portion covered by the shutter the only worry i have with the flash is the lack of lock on the swivel head I hope it will not become too loose upon usage nonetheless I'm happy with it. my wallet is happy as well ;D

 

[wickidwombat]

Just an interesting little adaptation i tried out on the weekend was i wanted to see if a 3.5mm stereo splitter cable could be used to drive 2 flashes off 1 odin reciever via the PC sync port

and it works Obviously manual only however its a neat little trick if you are looking to drive multiple lights with 1 reciever, as long as your reciever has the 3.5mm output so you can use a 3.5mm to pc sync connector to the flashes,

I can see me using this for say driving 2 background flashes with one reciever for blowing out the background to white these need to be manual anyway so you can force enough power through ettl can be a bit flaky in this use. while the other flashes have their own recievers and operating in ettl