Posted by Nathan Buck on January 19, 2007 at 8:14 PM
Hi all.
I would like to look into getting a set of studio strobes. I do not need anything super strong, or super fancy. I would use them for things like shooting family photos in my basement.
What do I need to look for? Being new to this area I am not sure what key words to look for or to NOT get also.
There are so many possibilities that it's good you spelled out your limitations and needs.
First off, in that application you might very well get by using two standard camera-mount strobes ala the Nikon SB-800 or SB-600. You can also do very nice things with a single strobe and a large reflector, basically a bed sheet on a frame. You'll still need light stands and perhaps some umbrellas, but small ones are useful and cheap.
For pro use I'd hesitate to use camera mount strobes in multiples simply because they don't "look" as professional. In your app, I think long term you might get more use out of them simply because they are more versatile when you include the potential for field use. The Strobist site has terrific resources and instructions for using small camera-mount strobes in the place of studio strobes.
Moving up in the power scheme into true studio strobes, you have a basic choice between "pack strobes" and monos. Pack strobes aren't something you take backpacking, rather they refer to lights with a separate power pack and cables to the individual lights. Monos or monoblocs are lights that each have their own built in power source and talk to each other via slaves or more and more rarely, via sync cables.
Advantages for us in the pack lights include the ability to adjust all lights from one location and no hassles getting slaves to talk to each other, especially in the presence of bright ambient lights. Advantages for the monos include the ability to spread them out a lot without connecting wires, as well as generally lower prices. We use both, separately or mixed, and like them both. In broad general terms you can get a lot more powerful and better built monos for less money than you will tie up in a pack system. Alien Bee monos are very popular and reliable. We don't have any because they came along after we were already set up. We use Speedatron (pack), White Lightning and Novatron (both monos.
If you elect to go with conventional studio strobes, there really is such a thing as too much power in small spaces. Studio strobes are rated in watt-seconds rather than guide numbers, and I've never found a reference that helps convert between the two.
In general terms, for a shooting room around 12x12' with 8' ceilings you can get by very nicely with no more than 400w/s per light. One of our powerpacks is 800w/s and it's great with two lights for location shooting. If the rooms stretch larger or we need more than two lights, we rely on a 2400w/s pack. It's a little big, and we could profitably use a 1600w/s pack much of the time we use it. Our 4800w/s pack is too big and powerful for all but really big rooms or lots of lights. By "too big" I mean that you paid lotsa bucks for all that power, yet you use the equipment most of the time at its lowest power setting- i.e., you could have gotten by with a whole lot less.
Similarly, there's such a thing as too much power with monlights. I like the White Lightnings (actually from the same folks that make Alien Bees, I believe) because they are infinitely adjustable within their power range, rather than having fixed power settings like our various power packs. Comparing power with space on the monos, I seldom need to turn them all the way up to 1600 w/s, using 800w/s or less most of the time in average settings. We have 800w/s lights too, and that's what I'd recommend if you decide you want monos. A set of 400w/s lights would get you by most of the time, but there would be situations, especially using a single light and reflector, when you will be sorry not to have at least 800w/s in one light. In fact, a good compromise might be to get a single 800 and a couple of 400's, or even one 800 and one 400. One of our Novatron mono sets is only 250w/s per light, and that is definitely too little for versatility.
In our long experience with studio strobes, one source shines through: Calumet Photo in Chicago. Their print catalog is invaluable and their site has the most comprehensive listings I know of, even if you need a lot of time to wade through all the listings. Best of all, when you pick up the phone, you get to talk to folks who actually use the equipment. It's cost them sales, but they often talk us out of buying something when a less expensive alternative will meet our needs better. Gotta love it!
Living where you do, there's one step I'd recommend you take before buying:
Rent a set and try it out in your own setting. In fact, rent a set of monos one time and a pack the next so you can compare. I'm sure there's a place in SLC that rents, but I don't remember it off the top of my head. We regularly rent lights when we travel for shoots rather than lugging our own. Most travelling pro's do the same. We're flying to Colorado Springs to shoot a wedding in February for example, and we're picking up rental lights in Denver on the way. If airlines are hard on camera gear, imagine what they can do to a light set! It usually turns out that we can rent lights for a lot less than we pay in excess baggage to bring our own, meanwhile saving wear and tear.
When you start using multiple strobes, budget in a handheld strobe meter. This post is already too long, so I won't write an essay on them right now. Ask, and the info is yours. You should be able to rent one from the same place you rent the lights.
An important edit: A disadvantage of camera mount strobes is the lack of modeling lights. Modeling lights are more or less standard bulbs built into the units along with the strobe bulb. They're on all the time and allow you to anticipate fill, shadows, balance, etc, at a glance, while with conventional strobes it's guesswork till you look at your screen or film. Try to get "proportional" modeling lights if you can. They increase and decrease in intensity along with your power adjustments to the strobes themselves. Dandy and handy!
Posted by Nathan Buck on January 19, 2007 at 10:05 PM
Wow Hank, thanks for the information packed post! It is certainly appreciated! I actually have used a pair of Alien Bee monos that a neighbor has. They were really nice, I just had no experience with anything else. Again, thank you. I will post again when I have a second later tonight.
Nathan
Posted by Dan Borzynski on January 19, 2007 at 10:45 PM
Hank, I am going to second the thanks on the lights. This is something I have been looking at the last couple of months for my own work.
Slightly complicating the decisions for me is that I will probably be using them with 4x5. From what I have been seeing, things aren't more difficult, but power requirements are a bit more of an issue. LF often means f32-45, without as many options for ISO changes. Yes, you can change films, but that also means I have it sitting around somewhere.
What I have seen is that the Alien Bees are very well thought of, especially as a starting set of lights. If I was staying with 35mm based digital, Hank's advice is probably the best summary of what seems to be needed.
You will run across varying opinions on the Alien Bees. Most of the negatives seem to fall into two camps. Those who consider any quality less than the 1DS Mark II and L lenses (or the Nikon equivalent) to be a waste of time and money since you can't do good work with lesser equipment. Yeah, right. The second batch of negatives is a bit more of a concern. Older posts, or older users, indicate that color and output seems to be a bit variable at the lowest power settings. Most recent owners don't seem to have this as an issue, so I suspect that this might be a problem that was quietly resolved.
Alien Bees and White Lightning are effectively the same company. Both are owned by Paul Bluff and their street address is two numbers different. The White Lightning units are supposed to be a bit better built, about two stops more power throughout the line with a 7 stop range rather than the 5 stop of the Alien Bees. metal casing rather than a solidly built plastic casing, etc. Both companies are well thought of and the owner is active on a couple forums to answers questions about his lights. It is not like an advertising presence, more like an informational presence.
I have seen both companies lights in professional use. I have briefly used the Alien Bees and was fairly impressed with them, but since I don't own them that is a bit of a qualified recommendation.
I have dealt with Calumet a couple of times for other products and had a good experience with them, but with Midwest Photo a couple of miles from here, they are not my first choice. I very frequently see their lights in use in the field - weddings, Santas, etc. That says something about their portability.
Speaking of Midwest Photo (mpex.com), at least of a few days ago, they had an older set of White lightning lights for sale.
I have used our outfit quite a bit with 4x5, either due to contract specs or the nature of the subject and need for perspective controls.
Here's a bit of the way we do it:
If dealing with a stationary subject and needing more power for DOF, we simply do more "pops" with the lights. You just have to remember the doubling and halving rules. I've done as many as 8 pops to get the exposure I needed. It requires a really steady tripod or a studio stand for recocking the shutter, or else a darkened room (or dimmed lights along with a lens cap) in order to avoid recocking the shutter.
For mobile subjects requiring lots of DOF, maximize all you can with camera controls then bring on the horsepower. That's where a mix of packs and monos comes in. Our 4800w/s pack with two lights dumps 2400w/s to each light, but if we need more I drag in the 2400w/s pack and a single light, then slave monos off the pack lights. If the setting allows you to move the lights relatively close to the subject you can gain even more there. I've not had to go beyond f/45 with any subject except closeup. In that case it was complicated because I needed a 210mm lens as well as 1:1 repro. I got into all sorts of calculations and adjustments for lens extension and ended up doing multiple pops in addition to blowing a couple of circuit breakers. Eek!
Disregard all this Nathan! It's fun but pretty narrowly applied. You can always rent more lights if you need to do anything with a 4x5!
Posted by Dan Borzynski on January 21, 2007 at 9:13 PM
Another quick followup from what I I seem to be picking up as general advice. For those who know more, please feel free to correct me.
Don't go cheap. The lowest end companies seem to have issues with reliability, power output and color consistancy. Alien Bees/White Lighting is the minimum level to look at. They are inexpensive, not cheap, if that makes any sense.
You probably want at least 5 stops of control on the power output. It is easier to control the output by adjusting the power rather than the position of the strobe. This is an issue of flexibility.
Don't feel like you need to buy everything at once. Even if budget is a non-issue, with too much equipment, you'll never really learn how to use it to its fullest. It is the same reason we usually discourage beginning photographers from buying 4 different lenses at first.
Usually, I have been seeing to start with one light, reflectors and a softbox or umbrella. You have already clearly defined your immediate worst case scenarios for demands on equipment, so Hank's advice on two lights really makes sense. You also won't have an intimidating amount of equipment to learn either.
You'll probably need a flash meter of some sort. Most of the mid to higher end meters, Sekonic comes to mind, have this option. Don't ask me to explain how to use it - I don't.
If need be, you can use a digital camera for this. It will be a bit more tricky, but you'll need to start by setting everything up, including hooking up the camera to the lights. Take a shot at either the lowest power, or highest, and work your way to the correct exposure. The drawback is that you'll have to keep detailed notes about power settings on the flashes, f-stop, along with the lights distance from the subject. Actually, even with a flash meter, you'll still have to do this, but you'll reach correct exposure a lot faster, plus it looks cooler with the meter
There should be not reason to buy an external power pack for your initial setup. Outlets will be nearby. On the other hand, if your start travelling with them, it is a good idea since you never know what the power outlets have in surpirse for you. Think "are they there or even work?" Whatever system you pick, it is nice to know that maybe three years down the road, you can buy something that will work with your equipment. Again, another argument not to buy the cheapest system you find.
There are also what is called hotlights. The quickest and not completely accurate description of these is think 2000 watt lightbulbs. The have their uses, but people isn't high on the list. They are hot and require longer exposures. They will also set your softboxes flaming, wilt flowers, melt ice cream, etc. They are also cheaper and generally require some color correction. This is not a problem with digital, but can be with film. Don't ask me the details here, since I don't know and am not seriously considering them. Offsite power might be an issue here.
There are also panels of color corrected florescents which are supposed to be great, but for groups of people, very expensive. Again, offsite power might be an issue with them, but I haven't looked at this very carefully.
You should not be needing something like a Pocket Wizard to remotely trigger the flashes. It is a great tool, but fairly advanced. If you start shooting weddings with the equipment, or otherwise start finding yourself with other photographers around, it is a great extra, but completely unnecessary for starting.
Your camera will require a pc synch socket (I think that is the correct term). Basically, it a socket you'll plug a cord into to set off the lights. Look for those terms somewhere in the camera manual. If you don't have that, you'll need a seperate thingy to attach to your hotshoe to accomplish the same thing. Don't worry - it is cheap, probably under $30. If you go the Calumet or the Alien Bees/White Lighting routes, they all know what they are doing and will sell you what you need.
Once you set off the first light with your camera, the second one will generally be triggered with a photocell detector. Many systems will also allow you to bypass this and run a pc synch cord between flash units. A nice feature, but not strictly needed. Some systems reverse this, so you are basically hooking the lights up together, and have the option to buy photocell detectors as an extra. Either seems to be fine.
Don't skimp on the light stands. They are not terribly expensive and the lightest/cheapest ones won't safely hold a light and softbox.
If you have people walking around, including you, tape all of the wires and cords down so you don't trip and/or take a light down.
I think that sums up most of what I have been reading on selecting equipment.
Looks good to me Dan. We've got both incandecent and halogen hot lights and they have turned out to be a bum investment for the reasons you cite. Worse yet for the incandescents, you need to keep track of burn time because they start to change color with time. If I recall correctly, their limit is about 25 hours burn time. They still provide light, but the color changes after that span. The halogens are simply hot, hot hot. With either you probably don't wan't to invest in the kind of soft boxes you really need, instaed using framed bed sheets on stands between the light and subject.
As for cords between lights or simply slaves, beware of bright lights and shadows in outdoor aps, and especially other folks with pocket cameras and flash indoors or out. In the former case, make a beeline to the nearest office supply or Walmart and buy sheets of white and black poster board, as well as a roll of duct tape. Use the black board to fabricate shields to get the slaves out of direct sunlight. Use the white to fashion reflectors to help direct the light from your synced strobe onto the slaves. Direct sunlight can be so bright that it blinds slaves.
In the case of other folks with flash (consider a wedding or christening). Every time they take a shot, they are going to pop your lights. Dean Collins (RIP) once told me about an incident when the art director's son showed up for a big commercial shoot to use his brand new camera to take some shots, too. The kid kept tripping Dean's slaved lights, but with impunity because dad wouldn't intercede. Dean finally solved the issue by hard wiring all his lights together but one. That one was cranked up to 2400w/s and aimed right at the kid. Every time he popped his own flash, this giant strobe beat right back at him.
I have to confess I followed his example on one shoot and applied a variation in another. More recently we've decided to switch over to radio triggers for weddings, but not bought any yet. Best of both worlds, if expensive, because they give the freedom of slaves without the danger of other folks triggering them.
The variation on Dean's technique involved an amateur videographer who waited for my wife and I to find the angles for critically timed shots, then stepped between us and our shots for his own grab. Yup, I live up to my red hair. I simply pulled out my camera mount strobe and turned it on. Every time he stepped in front of me, I'd reach around and aim it into his lens and fire it. For those who don't know, it takes a video camera a considerable period of time to recover from something like that. He moved on to my wife, but she admired my technique and resorted to it as well. The guy has been very well behaved around us ever since.
It's a jungle out there!
Posted by Nathan Buck on January 22, 2007 at 12:44 PM
Great information and stories Dan and Hank! Thank you! It may be the case in the future that my neighbor wants to sell his Alien Bees, so if that is the case I would look into them. In the past when I used them I just had to test them for 5-10 minutes before shooting to get them all set for exposure.
Sounds like a good arrangement Nathan, especially since you're already familiar with the gear and will probably get it at used prices.
I strongly urge you to invest some of the savings in a handheld incident meter that also does strobe. We use both Sekonic and Gossen. While my wife is happy with the Sekonic L-308S I bought her, she still is more prone to using her ancient but serviceable Gossen similar to the DigiPro.
The most important feature for us is the ability to use the meter with a sync cord. Other brands have the feature to, but lack of it would be a deal breaker for us. With the sync cord you can walk around and meter different parts of a set, tripping the lights with the meter itself. Without it you have to place the meter where you want it, then go back to the lights and trigger them manually. Quite a difference when people are sitting and waiting for you to get your act together!
Posted by Nathan Buck on February 5, 2007 at 8:27 PM
Thank you again for the suggestions. I borrowed my neighbor's Alien Bees and they are a lot of fun. I had one question...Do I need 'Effective W/S' or 'True W/S'?
Thanks again!
Nathan
Posted by Don Miller on February 6, 2007 at 8:29 AM
Nathan, to start a single Alien Bee AB400 would work well. Going to higher power, the White Lightning line from the same company has some nice feature the less expensive AB does not. But most people tend to buy more power than necessary. Unless you are shooting in commercial space, or overcoming sunlight, the AB400 has power to spare.
A neat place to read about portable, inexpensive approaches to lighting is strobist.blogspot.com.
Posted by Nathan Buck on February 7, 2007 at 3:17 PM
Thanks for the advice Don.
Nathan
Posted by Buck Ward on February 7, 2007 at 7:26 PM
Thanks for asking the question, Nathan, and thanks to Hank and Dan for the most informative brief tutorials I've come across on this subject.
I too am interested in learning how to do a small portable studio set-up.
Discussion
12 repliesI would like to look into getting a set of studio strobes. I do not need anything super strong, or super fancy. I would use them for things like shooting family photos in my basement.
What do I need to look for? Being new to this area I am not sure what key words to look for or to NOT get also.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Nathan
There are so many possibilities that it's good you spelled out your limitations and needs.
First off, in that application you might very well get by using two standard camera-mount strobes ala the Nikon SB-800 or SB-600. You can also do very nice things with a single strobe and a large reflector, basically a bed sheet on a frame. You'll still need light stands and perhaps some umbrellas, but small ones are useful and cheap.
For pro use I'd hesitate to use camera mount strobes in multiples simply because they don't "look" as professional. In your app, I think long term you might get more use out of them simply because they are more versatile when you include the potential for field use. The Strobist site has terrific resources and instructions for using small camera-mount strobes in the place of studio strobes.
Moving up in the power scheme into true studio strobes, you have a basic choice between "pack strobes" and monos. Pack strobes aren't something you take backpacking, rather they refer to lights with a separate power pack and cables to the individual lights. Monos or monoblocs are lights that each have their own built in power source and talk to each other via slaves or more and more rarely, via sync cables.
Advantages for us in the pack lights include the ability to adjust all lights from one location and no hassles getting slaves to talk to each other, especially in the presence of bright ambient lights. Advantages for the monos include the ability to spread them out a lot without connecting wires, as well as generally lower prices. We use both, separately or mixed, and like them both. In broad general terms you can get a lot more powerful and better built monos for less money than you will tie up in a pack system. Alien Bee monos are very popular and reliable. We don't have any because they came along after we were already set up. We use Speedatron (pack), White Lightning and Novatron (both monos.
If you elect to go with conventional studio strobes, there really is such a thing as too much power in small spaces. Studio strobes are rated in watt-seconds rather than guide numbers, and I've never found a reference that helps convert between the two.
In general terms, for a shooting room around 12x12' with 8' ceilings you can get by very nicely with no more than 400w/s per light. One of our powerpacks is 800w/s and it's great with two lights for location shooting. If the rooms stretch larger or we need more than two lights, we rely on a 2400w/s pack. It's a little big, and we could profitably use a 1600w/s pack much of the time we use it. Our 4800w/s pack is too big and powerful for all but really big rooms or lots of lights. By "too big" I mean that you paid lotsa bucks for all that power, yet you use the equipment most of the time at its lowest power setting- i.e., you could have gotten by with a whole lot less.
Similarly, there's such a thing as too much power with monlights. I like the White Lightnings (actually from the same folks that make Alien Bees, I believe) because they are infinitely adjustable within their power range, rather than having fixed power settings like our various power packs. Comparing power with space on the monos, I seldom need to turn them all the way up to 1600 w/s, using 800w/s or less most of the time in average settings. We have 800w/s lights too, and that's what I'd recommend if you decide you want monos. A set of 400w/s lights would get you by most of the time, but there would be situations, especially using a single light and reflector, when you will be sorry not to have at least 800w/s in one light. In fact, a good compromise might be to get a single 800 and a couple of 400's, or even one 800 and one 400. One of our Novatron mono sets is only 250w/s per light, and that is definitely too little for versatility.
In our long experience with studio strobes, one source shines through: Calumet Photo in Chicago. Their print catalog is invaluable and their site has the most comprehensive listings I know of, even if you need a lot of time to wade through all the listings. Best of all, when you pick up the phone, you get to talk to folks who actually use the equipment. It's cost them sales, but they often talk us out of buying something when a less expensive alternative will meet our needs better. Gotta love it!
Living where you do, there's one step I'd recommend you take before buying:
Rent a set and try it out in your own setting. In fact, rent a set of monos one time and a pack the next so you can compare. I'm sure there's a place in SLC that rents, but I don't remember it off the top of my head. We regularly rent lights when we travel for shoots rather than lugging our own. Most travelling pro's do the same. We're flying to Colorado Springs to shoot a wedding in February for example, and we're picking up rental lights in Denver on the way. If airlines are hard on camera gear, imagine what they can do to a light set! It usually turns out that we can rent lights for a lot less than we pay in excess baggage to bring our own, meanwhile saving wear and tear.
When you start using multiple strobes, budget in a handheld strobe meter. This post is already too long, so I won't write an essay on them right now. Ask, and the info is yours. You should be able to rent one from the same place you rent the lights.
An important edit: A disadvantage of camera mount strobes is the lack of modeling lights. Modeling lights are more or less standard bulbs built into the units along with the strobe bulb. They're on all the time and allow you to anticipate fill, shadows, balance, etc, at a glance, while with conventional strobes it's guesswork till you look at your screen or film. Try to get "proportional" modeling lights if you can. They increase and decrease in intensity along with your power adjustments to the strobes themselves. Dandy and handy!
Nathan
Slightly complicating the decisions for me is that I will probably be using them with 4x5. From what I have been seeing, things aren't more difficult, but power requirements are a bit more of an issue. LF often means f32-45, without as many options for ISO changes. Yes, you can change films, but that also means I have it sitting around somewhere.
What I have seen is that the Alien Bees are very well thought of, especially as a starting set of lights. If I was staying with 35mm based digital, Hank's advice is probably the best summary of what seems to be needed.
You will run across varying opinions on the Alien Bees. Most of the negatives seem to fall into two camps. Those who consider any quality less than the 1DS Mark II and L lenses (or the Nikon equivalent) to be a waste of time and money since you can't do good work with lesser equipment. Yeah, right. The second batch of negatives is a bit more of a concern. Older posts, or older users, indicate that color and output seems to be a bit variable at the lowest power settings. Most recent owners don't seem to have this as an issue, so I suspect that this might be a problem that was quietly resolved.
Alien Bees and White Lightning are effectively the same company. Both are owned by Paul Bluff and their street address is two numbers different. The White Lightning units are supposed to be a bit better built, about two stops more power throughout the line with a 7 stop range rather than the 5 stop of the Alien Bees. metal casing rather than a solidly built plastic casing, etc. Both companies are well thought of and the owner is active on a couple forums to answers questions about his lights. It is not like an advertising presence, more like an informational presence.
I have seen both companies lights in professional use. I have briefly used the Alien Bees and was fairly impressed with them, but since I don't own them that is a bit of a qualified recommendation.
I have dealt with Calumet a couple of times for other products and had a good experience with them, but with Midwest Photo a couple of miles from here, they are not my first choice. I very frequently see their lights in use in the field - weddings, Santas, etc. That says something about their portability.
Speaking of Midwest Photo (mpex.com), at least of a few days ago, they had an older set of White lightning lights for sale.
I have used our outfit quite a bit with 4x5, either due to contract specs or the nature of the subject and need for perspective controls.
Here's a bit of the way we do it:
If dealing with a stationary subject and needing more power for DOF, we simply do more "pops" with the lights. You just have to remember the doubling and halving rules. I've done as many as 8 pops to get the exposure I needed. It requires a really steady tripod or a studio stand for recocking the shutter, or else a darkened room (or dimmed lights along with a lens cap) in order to avoid recocking the shutter.
For mobile subjects requiring lots of DOF, maximize all you can with camera controls then bring on the horsepower. That's where a mix of packs and monos comes in. Our 4800w/s pack with two lights dumps 2400w/s to each light, but if we need more I drag in the 2400w/s pack and a single light, then slave monos off the pack lights. If the setting allows you to move the lights relatively close to the subject you can gain even more there. I've not had to go beyond f/45 with any subject except closeup. In that case it was complicated because I needed a 210mm lens as well as 1:1 repro. I got into all sorts of calculations and adjustments for lens extension and ended up doing multiple pops in addition to blowing a couple of circuit breakers. Eek!
Disregard all this Nathan! It's fun but pretty narrowly applied. You can always rent more lights if you need to do anything with a 4x5!
Don't go cheap. The lowest end companies seem to have issues with reliability, power output and color consistancy. Alien Bees/White Lighting is the minimum level to look at. They are inexpensive, not cheap, if that makes any sense.
You probably want at least 5 stops of control on the power output. It is easier to control the output by adjusting the power rather than the position of the strobe. This is an issue of flexibility.
Don't feel like you need to buy everything at once. Even if budget is a non-issue, with too much equipment, you'll never really learn how to use it to its fullest. It is the same reason we usually discourage beginning photographers from buying 4 different lenses at first.
Usually, I have been seeing to start with one light, reflectors and a softbox or umbrella. You have already clearly defined your immediate worst case scenarios for demands on equipment, so Hank's advice on two lights really makes sense. You also won't have an intimidating amount of equipment to learn either.
You'll probably need a flash meter of some sort. Most of the mid to higher end meters, Sekonic comes to mind, have this option. Don't ask me to explain how to use it - I don't.
If need be, you can use a digital camera for this. It will be a bit more tricky, but you'll need to start by setting everything up, including hooking up the camera to the lights. Take a shot at either the lowest power, or highest, and work your way to the correct exposure. The drawback is that you'll have to keep detailed notes about power settings on the flashes, f-stop, along with the lights distance from the subject. Actually, even with a flash meter, you'll still have to do this, but you'll reach correct exposure a lot faster, plus it looks cooler with the meter
There should be not reason to buy an external power pack for your initial setup. Outlets will be nearby. On the other hand, if your start travelling with them, it is a good idea since you never know what the power outlets have in surpirse for you. Think "are they there or even work?" Whatever system you pick, it is nice to know that maybe three years down the road, you can buy something that will work with your equipment. Again, another argument not to buy the cheapest system you find.
There are also what is called hotlights. The quickest and not completely accurate description of these is think 2000 watt lightbulbs. The have their uses, but people isn't high on the list. They are hot and require longer exposures. They will also set your softboxes flaming, wilt flowers, melt ice cream, etc. They are also cheaper and generally require some color correction. This is not a problem with digital, but can be with film. Don't ask me the details here, since I don't know and am not seriously considering them. Offsite power might be an issue here.
There are also panels of color corrected florescents which are supposed to be great, but for groups of people, very expensive. Again, offsite power might be an issue with them, but I haven't looked at this very carefully.
You should not be needing something like a Pocket Wizard to remotely trigger the flashes. It is a great tool, but fairly advanced. If you start shooting weddings with the equipment, or otherwise start finding yourself with other photographers around, it is a great extra, but completely unnecessary for starting.
Your camera will require a pc synch socket (I think that is the correct term). Basically, it a socket you'll plug a cord into to set off the lights. Look for those terms somewhere in the camera manual. If you don't have that, you'll need a seperate thingy to attach to your hotshoe to accomplish the same thing. Don't worry - it is cheap, probably under $30. If you go the Calumet or the Alien Bees/White Lighting routes, they all know what they are doing and will sell you what you need.
Once you set off the first light with your camera, the second one will generally be triggered with a photocell detector. Many systems will also allow you to bypass this and run a pc synch cord between flash units. A nice feature, but not strictly needed. Some systems reverse this, so you are basically hooking the lights up together, and have the option to buy photocell detectors as an extra. Either seems to be fine.
Don't skimp on the light stands. They are not terribly expensive and the lightest/cheapest ones won't safely hold a light and softbox.
If you have people walking around, including you, tape all of the wires and cords down so you don't trip and/or take a light down.
I think that sums up most of what I have been reading on selecting equipment.
As for cords between lights or simply slaves, beware of bright lights and shadows in outdoor aps, and especially other folks with pocket cameras and flash indoors or out. In the former case, make a beeline to the nearest office supply or Walmart and buy sheets of white and black poster board, as well as a roll of duct tape. Use the black board to fabricate shields to get the slaves out of direct sunlight. Use the white to fashion reflectors to help direct the light from your synced strobe onto the slaves. Direct sunlight can be so bright that it blinds slaves.
In the case of other folks with flash (consider a wedding or christening). Every time they take a shot, they are going to pop your lights. Dean Collins (RIP) once told me about an incident when the art director's son showed up for a big commercial shoot to use his brand new camera to take some shots, too. The kid kept tripping Dean's slaved lights, but with impunity because dad wouldn't intercede. Dean finally solved the issue by hard wiring all his lights together but one. That one was cranked up to 2400w/s and aimed right at the kid. Every time he popped his own flash, this giant strobe beat right back at him.
I have to confess I followed his example on one shoot and applied a variation in another. More recently we've decided to switch over to radio triggers for weddings, but not bought any yet. Best of both worlds, if expensive, because they give the freedom of slaves without the danger of other folks triggering them.
The variation on Dean's technique involved an amateur videographer who waited for my wife and I to find the angles for critically timed shots, then stepped between us and our shots for his own grab. Yup, I live up to my red hair. I simply pulled out my camera mount strobe and turned it on. Every time he stepped in front of me, I'd reach around and aim it into his lens and fire it. For those who don't know, it takes a video camera a considerable period of time to recover from something like that. He moved on to my wife, but she admired my technique and resorted to it as well. The guy has been very well behaved around us ever since.
It's a jungle out there!
Again, I really appreciate all of the thoughts.
Nathan
I strongly urge you to invest some of the savings in a handheld incident meter that also does strobe. We use both Sekonic and Gossen. While my wife is happy with the Sekonic L-308S I bought her, she still is more prone to using her ancient but serviceable Gossen similar to the DigiPro.
The most important feature for us is the ability to use the meter with a sync cord. Other brands have the feature to, but lack of it would be a deal breaker for us. With the sync cord you can walk around and meter different parts of a set, tripping the lights with the meter itself. Without it you have to place the meter where you want it, then go back to the lights and trigger them manually. Quite a difference when people are sitting and waiting for you to get your act together!
Thanks again!
Nathan
A neat place to read about portable, inexpensive approaches to lighting is strobist.blogspot.com.
Nathan
I too am interested in learning how to do a small portable studio set-up.
Thaks a lot!