studio flash kit or 2 more speedlites (canon)

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hazarussell

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ok i have a canon 7d and a speedlite 580 ex ii and would like to do more studio and locational shoots. i only have around £400 to spend so looking for the cheapest way but still want a quality set up. im looking for a kit that can also be mobile so i can work without a power source eg plug sockets out doors as well as indoors. any help??? :thinking: also can a light meter work with speedlites?? :)
 
I was in same situation ......... to add to my 430exii, I bought 2 softboxes, an umbrella kit plus 3 lightstands, 2 jessops flashes and some Yongnuo flash triggers .......... well within your budget ........... Amazon/flea bay seemed bet prices and it is quality stuff ...
 
For £400, you're not getting mobile studio lights.. so speedlights are your best bet. Since you already have a 580exII, I would suggest maybe 2 x 430exII more if you want to shoot eTTL. The 7D will allow you to independently set flash ratios for a number of speedlights including for example main, fill and background groups.

Speedlights will be a bit limiting though (in power) and you will need light modifiers such as softboxes also.

Another option is to go for manual flashes like YN-560 and some radio triggers. These will be more cost effective and in a lot of situations you will be shooting manual anyway. eTTL is handy for situations where the ambient lighting is constantly changing but manual is the way to go in a fully controlled environment. Manual flashes will also teach you a lot more about lighting than going with 430exs..

A light meter meters light. Doesn't matter what produces it. So yes it will work with speedlights, studio flash and ambient lighting. Sekonic 308s is a good start but you can also work completely without a light meter with a digital SLR.

There is no 'one kit to rule them all' in the £400 league.. not even for £4000. So you need to think about what is the most important type of flash shots you want to make and we can maybe help you get a basic kit together and you can expand from there.
 
vaizki said:
For £400, you're not getting mobile studio lights.. so speedlights are your best bet. Since you already have a 580exII, I would suggest maybe 2 x 430exII more if you want to shoot eTTL. The 7D will allow you to independently set flash ratios for a number of speedlights including for example main, fill and background groups.

Speedlights will be a bit limiting though (in power) and you will need light modifiers such as softboxes also.

Another option is to go for manual flashes like YN-560 and some radio triggers. These will be more cost effective and in a lot of situations you will be shooting manual anyway. eTTL is handy for situations where the ambient lighting is constantly changing but manual is the way to go in a fully controlled environment. Manual flashes will also teach you a lot more about lighting than going with 430exs..

A light meter meters light. Doesn't matter what produces it. So yes it will work with speedlights, studio flash and ambient lighting. Sekonic 308s is a good start but you can also work completely without a light meter with a digital SLR.

There is no 'one kit to rule them all' in the £400 league.. not even for £4000. So you need to think about what is the most important type of flash shots you want to make and we can maybe help you get a basic kit together and you can expand from there.
Click to expand...



ok i work manual always as i learn faster. i understand how to use the manual flash settings with my 7d and 580 ex just wondering if 2x 430 ex's would be better than buying a cheap flash kit... how does the light meter sync with the flashes without lead? thanks
 
If you're very budget limited, I'd say buy the cheap kit like YN-560 or YN-460II to get 2-3 more flashes and spend the balance on softboxes, reflectors etc. The light coming out of the flashes is not that different, and you can get 3 YN manual flashes (with optical slaves no less) for the price of a single 430exII.

BTW, I have a lot of original Canon kit. I'm almost always disappointed with cheap stuff and I *hate* crappy tools whether they're screwdrivers, cooking utensils or photo kit. But Yongnuo kit - mainly the YN-560 flashes and the RF602 triggers - are good stuff in my book. They also happen to be cheap.

The 308s flash meter waits for your flash to fire if you are metering without a sync lead. There's a special mode for it, and it will show a reading as soon as your flash fires. Fire the flash again and it will show a new reading.. it will timeout of course but works a treat to meter multiple times without touching any buttons.
 
vaizki said:
If you're very budget limited, I'd say buy the cheap kit like YN-560 or YN-460II to get 2-3 more flashes and spend the balance on softboxes, reflectors etc. The light coming out of the flashes is not that different, and you can get 3 YN manual flashes (with optical slaves no less) for the price of a single 430exII.

BTW, I have a lot of original Canon kit. I'm almost always disappointed with cheap stuff and I *hate* crappy tools whether they're screwdrivers, cooking utensils or photo kit. But Yongnuo kit - mainly the YN-560 flashes and the RF602 triggers - are good stuff in my book. They also happen to be cheap.

The 308s flash meter waits for your flash to fire if you are metering without a sync lead. There's a special mode for it, and it will show a reading as soon as your flash fires. Fire the flash again and it will show a new reading.. it will timeout of course but works a treat to meter multiple times without touching any buttons.
Click to expand...

does the yn-560's work with the 7d's flash settings in the menu?
i save £227 if i go for them and not the 430's
 
No they don't and the radio triggers don't send or receive ETTL so its manual only, you take a test shot and adjust exposure unless you have a flash meter.

I would suggest picking up a secondhand 580ex for the extra power over the 430ex2, a couple of stands, a softbox or two and an umbrella + the radio triggers.

You can control the speedlites from the 7D via ETTL when you want but outside at greater distances and in bright light it can fail so the radio triggers will act as a manual back up or for when you want to shoot manual.

Add a reflector and your pretty much set and it can be done within budget as your going for the older speedlite, ie the 580ex
 
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I've been watching this thread with interest, as I've been considering something similar.

I use a 580EXII, and I've been toying with the idea of picking up a couple of 430EX's. I was going to use them for indoor wedding photography - I had the idea of having the 430's pointed at the ceiling from opposite corners of the room to provide some ambient/fill-in light, with the main illumination coming from the 580 fitted with a Sto-fen or similar diffuser.

Any comments on whether this setup would work?

A.
 
Hi Anorakus,

you could consider the lastolite-speedlite-softbox to fit on the speedlights which give a better effect than the Stofen. With a couple of additional 430II or 580II and three RF-602 triggers, you will be able to control each flash individually on manual setting - one each side and one behind the subject ? Or better still, go for larger softboxes.


Malcolm
 
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