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08/02/2004 01:31:54 PM · #1 |
Hi all! I have been working with a hodge-podge of lights purchased at the hardware store and while I have seen some amazing results from other photographs doing the same, I am becoming frustrated with the limitations involved in trying to "make-do" with this equipment.
So I'm ready to invest in some 'real' lights but I just can't make up my mind and it seems the more I read/research the more confused I become. I really enjoy still-life/product photography and while I do realize that I need a lot of practice in that area, I can see that genre becoming my specialty. I also want to do a limited bit of portraiture. With those objectives in mind, here's what I'm looking at:
An Alien Bee monolight (to start) along with a reflector kit.
This kit - a constant light kit from Lowel.
Or this kit - another choice from Lowel.
I already have a Sigma EF-500 DG Super as well as an old Vivitar manual flash that I can fire via a Wein slave. What I don't understand is how to get my Sigma to fire without having to fire any other flashes. A sync cord? Which one? Or will that Canon hotshoe transmitter thingie work?
For my small studio (and by small I mean SMALL!) the handheld flashes that I have might do the job but like I said, I don't really understand how to make them work the way I want so any advice/hardware recommendations would be really appreciated as it would save me from having to buy the monolight right away. Of course, I want to do this as economically as possible.
What do ya'll think?
Again, THANK YOU for your time and effort in helping me figure this out :-D |
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08/02/2004 02:07:28 PM · #2 |
I have two omni lights that I was using more in the winter. They popped their bulbs a lot. Plus they are hot and not fun to work around for long. You also have to consider how the heat will effect your camera if you are working in close and under the lights.
I just got this light and am really happy with it so far. But I've only worked with it for a couple of shots so far. It works really well with my sigma flash. I can program both to get different ratios. I trigger them with a peanut slave flash on camera that has the front blocked so no light is emitted. For the price, it is a great deal because you don't need a softbox to go with it. It is also really easy to set up and take down and store. Takes about 30 seconds. And I have used it hanging over a chair in the kitchen. Even though the unit is fairly large, since you don't need the softbox, it can be placed fairly close to the product. I'm sure it will be bright enough to do portraits with when I want to do that.
Anyway. Just some thoughts for you. |
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08/02/2004 02:21:17 PM · #3 |
I hate hot lights, because they are, well, hot.
Especially in a small space. If you have an uninsulated outbuilding near the arctic circle and work only in winter, hot lights may be just the thing.
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08/02/2004 02:39:40 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by pcody:
I have two omni lights that I was using more in the winter. They popped their bulbs a lot. Plus they are hot and not fun to work around for long. You also have to consider how the heat will effect your camera if you are working in close and under the lights.
I just got this light and am really happy with it so far. But I've only worked with it for a couple of shots so far. It works really well with my sigma flash. I can program both to get different ratios. I trigger them with a peanut slave flash on camera that has the front blocked so no light is emitted. For the price, it is a great deal because you don't need a softbox to go with it. It is also really easy to set up and take down and store. Takes about 30 seconds. And I have used it hanging over a chair in the kitchen. Even though the unit is fairly large, since you don't need the softbox, it can be placed fairly close to the product. I'm sure it will be bright enough to do portraits with when I want to do that.
Anyway. Just some thoughts for you. |
Interesting... however, I know diddly-squat about peanut slaves or how to get my Sigma to work off-camera. As far as I know, the 300D doesn't have a PC socket, just the hotshoe... ????
Popping bulbs don't sound like much fun either! I thought Lowel was supposed to be a good source.
Anybody else have any ideas or suggestions? |
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08/02/2004 02:53:23 PM · #5 |
Ellen:
The lack of a PC socket on the 300D isn't a huge deal; you can get cheap adapters that will add that capability. So you'd put that adapter on your Digital Rebel, use the PC cord (which ships with the Alien Bees) to "hard wire" yourself to the AB strobe. When you trip the shutter, you'll fire the strobe via the PC cord.
To allow your Sigma EF-500 DG Super flash to act as another strobe (but remember -- no modeling light!), you could probably use something like this, which would cause the Sigma to fire when it saw the flash from the Alien Bee. (Note that I don't have any direct experience, but that is what that adapter is designed to do; the EF-500 DG may have optical slave capability built-in, in which case this adapter wouldn't even be required.)
Alternatively, you mount the Sigma on your Digital Rebel, set the Sigma to "Manual" mode and dial in the lowest output power (so it doesn't really affect your exposure) in order to fire the Alien Bee "remotely", without any wires.
Finally, if you want to go "wireless" (and not worry about dangling a PC cord from your camera), you probably don't want the Canon ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter (which still relies on light for communication). Instead, check out this "bare bones" product, which uses radio waves (no need for a clear line-of-sight for it to work). You could use this to reliably trigger one Alien Bee strobe wirelessly, any other Alien Bees you get in the future would also fire (because of their built-in optical sensor), and even your Sigma (when set up properly to be an optical slave)... all without any wires attached to your camera. Note that there are a lot more expensive wireless products out there (such as PocketWizards), but the above product works as a simple, reliable wireless trigger.
I'd also recommend strobes instead of hot lights; not sure why you'd want to mix the two types. Note that the Alien Bee's have a (stepless) modeling lamp which can be easily upgraded to a 150W halogen bulb that allows you to "visualize" the lighting from the strobe.
Remember that when shooting a still life setup (which, by definition, is devoid of any movement), you can always fire the strobes multiple times while the shutter is open to increase the effective light output.
Message edited by author 2004-08-02 15:01:27. |
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08/02/2004 02:55:30 PM · #6 |
Do you have the dg super flash? If you do, you can tell it (program it) to be a slave (a light that fires when another flash goes off). The peanut is just a little mini flash that you can slide into your hotshoe that costs about 9 dollars. It's only purpose for me is to tell the other flashes to fire. You don't need a pc socket or a sync cord if you use the peanut. You can use your regular flash in the hotshoe if you want to, but I find I get more control if the sigma flash is placed at a better location than right above the camera.
All I know is the hot lights were not fun to work with and I feel that I wasted my money buying them. |
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08/02/2004 06:38:01 PM · #7 |
This is all very good information! I appreciate the links as a lot of this stuff doesn't really have enough info on the sale page to really understand what's going on. Plus, it all kinda depends on where you get the info from - some folks say hot lights are the way to go with still-life stuff. Others say a strobe is the best bet.
Oy Vaa! What's a girl to do?!
Anyway, thanks again - I really appreciate the help! |
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08/02/2004 06:41:08 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by digistoune:
Hi all! I have been working with a hodge-podge of lights purchased at the hardware store and while I have seen some amazing results from other photographs doing the same, I am becoming frustrated with the limitations involved in trying to "make-do" with this equipment. |
Hi Ellen :)
What sorts of limitations are you experiencing? There may be some solutions without buying new lighting...
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08/02/2004 06:59:00 PM · #9 |
Lack of control mainly, John. The hotlights I bought from Lowes are really bright but the damn things are SO hard to adjust - physically I mean. The stupid things just won't seem to go where I want them to. It's kinda like having a flimsy tripod where your camera slips in the middle of an exposure. Too irritating! However, I am able to adjust their brightness levels as I plug them into a dimmer switch my husband built for me. Did I mention they are hot as the dickens!
And with my hand-held flash units, I am limited because I either have to fire the Sigma on camera to get the slaved-Vivitar to work or I have to fire the onboard flash to get the Sigma to behave as a slave. Great except for when I don't want a light source coming from the front, ya know. Plus there are no modeling lights with the flashes but I'm hopeful the Sekonic light meter will help out with the 'exposure guessing' that's going on. EddyG, in his very thoughtful post, will give me some stuff to look at and I will absolutely do that before I buy anything.
If there's anything you can add to relieve my frustration, I'd be thrilled.
Message edited by author 2004-08-02 19:00:38. |
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08/02/2004 07:09:13 PM · #10 |
Well, the positioning of the lights is something that won't change much. I do know all about the heat from the 500w halogens though :) The meter may help some as well. I think mine should arrive tomorrow sometime.
Are you doing mainly portrait work?
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08/02/2004 08:40:12 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Well, the positioning of the lights is something that won't change much. I do know all about the heat from the 500w halogens though :) The meter may help some as well. I think mine should arrive tomorrow sometime. |
Well at least having real-honest-to-God light stands where one could position a light, say... right over a subject will help.
I am really looking forward to your thoughts on that light meter!
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Are you doing mainly portrait work? |
Please read original post, Sweetie ;-) |
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