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Hi all, ty for admitting me to this trove of knowledge.
I'm about to make the leap into paid work - whereas prior i've refused all payment but accepted the odd envelope with the givers refusal to accept it back. Thus I'm looking for some advice or opinions before I fall completely down the tism rabbit hole and waste hours on end with no outcome.
Aim - to shoot with a semi mobile studio (where mains power is always available...) using a 6x7 hilite. Family portraits, children, toddlers that sort of thing.
Currently I use some random bit of white vinyl as a train (as the genuine one is £££) and 4 speedlights - TT685's with a Godox X1T - 2 in the hilite using old camera tripods, one in a small octabox on a light stand (it's not really big enough but I make do mostly) and one for fill using a diffuser dome. It works, but the major downside is recharge time - even with fresh good AA's - power wise the two lights in the hilite are often pretty high, and as i've come from a crop background I'm pretty anti bumping the iso - I also have the occasional issues with colour cast from lights in homes where there's no enough ambient light to work with.
So it's time for studio lights... on a budget
Options on the table so far are all mains powered, as I don't think I can stretch to battery powered lights (though would hate to have to buy them later)
New -3 x Godox SK400's or MS300's - will fire off my current trigger though I'll need to get stands and probably a bigger octabox
Used - Where to start? I've been offered 3 Lencarta smartflash II's along with stands etc. They're only 200w. Cost wise it's less than the lights alone above but I'd need to add triggers - 1 for the key and one for hilite (either Y split cable to the 2nd light or relying on it firing optically off the other. Positioning wise I often shoot in tight spaces and I'm not 100% convinced the optical trigger's would pick up the key light when they're semi buried in the hilite. They're also pretty old - with unknown usage on the tubes.
Appreciate wiser folks thoughts on the above - pro's, con's, other options etc. Fwiw I have a budget, this is a side gig but needs doing right, but the lower the better. TYIA
I'm about to make the leap into paid work - whereas prior i've refused all payment but accepted the odd envelope with the givers refusal to accept it back. Thus I'm looking for some advice or opinions before I fall completely down the tism rabbit hole and waste hours on end with no outcome.
Aim - to shoot with a semi mobile studio (where mains power is always available...) using a 6x7 hilite. Family portraits, children, toddlers that sort of thing.
Currently I use some random bit of white vinyl as a train (as the genuine one is £££) and 4 speedlights - TT685's with a Godox X1T - 2 in the hilite using old camera tripods, one in a small octabox on a light stand (it's not really big enough but I make do mostly) and one for fill using a diffuser dome. It works, but the major downside is recharge time - even with fresh good AA's - power wise the two lights in the hilite are often pretty high, and as i've come from a crop background I'm pretty anti bumping the iso - I also have the occasional issues with colour cast from lights in homes where there's no enough ambient light to work with.
So it's time for studio lights... on a budget
Options on the table so far are all mains powered, as I don't think I can stretch to battery powered lights (though would hate to have to buy them later)
New -3 x Godox SK400's or MS300's - will fire off my current trigger though I'll need to get stands and probably a bigger octabox
Used - Where to start? I've been offered 3 Lencarta smartflash II's along with stands etc. They're only 200w. Cost wise it's less than the lights alone above but I'd need to add triggers - 1 for the key and one for hilite (either Y split cable to the 2nd light or relying on it firing optically off the other. Positioning wise I often shoot in tight spaces and I'm not 100% convinced the optical trigger's would pick up the key light when they're semi buried in the hilite. They're also pretty old - with unknown usage on the tubes.
Appreciate wiser folks thoughts on the above - pro's, con's, other options etc. Fwiw I have a budget, this is a side gig but needs doing right, but the lower the better. TYIA