Looking to get into the whole "Strobist" thing...

pm63

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[I know there are many threads on this and yes I have searched, but I wanted some specific info on my situation.]

I'm a landscaper and I never planned on shooting people, but for some reason that is starting to change. I thought about saving my money for an ultra wide zoom as I really need one, but I won't be able to afford one for a while, so I'm getting a Strobist kit.

I have a Nikon D40 and shoot with the 18-55 kit for now, but might at some point get a 50mm 1.8.

The kit I'm considering is the Starving Student SW1 kit from Mpex. I'll have to find out shipping costs, but I don't think there is any way I could get such a kit in the UK for as low a price... used 285HV's on eBay here go for as much as Mpex sells them new, for example. I've heard of complaints about Mpex though, anyone know if they've improved?

Is this a good kit to get? Is the 285 good or am I limiting myself with such a budget strobe? What kind of recycling times can I expect? The D40 has 1/500 flash sync., will the 285 keep up or will it be limited to 1/200 or something similar as it is a budget strobe?

Also, I know that the Cactus triggers are not supposed to be as reliabe as PWs... what does this mean in practice? Are they prone to regularly failing and would you advise two pairs just in case?

How soon will I need to get into using a second flash? (probably a stupid question)

Finally, do you think I will get stung on import tax amd how much could this ammount to when importing from the US?

I know there are a lot of questions there, but any advice would be appreciated. :thumbup:
 
With the D40 the limiting factor on your sync speed will actually be your wireless triggers. The D40 can sync up to it's max shutter speed (1/4000 or 1/8000), but even Pocket Wizards can only sync up to 1/1000. The only way to get the extra 2 or 3 stops is to use a PC cord.

The Cactuses are decent triggers. I use them, and while they don't fire 100% of the time I'm not in a situation where that is a problem. Google "cactus trigger mods" to find some mods that will improve performance. And if they are DOA, go to the Strobist group on Flickr to figure out what might be wrong with them before sending them back. The Cactus triggers will probably limit you to 1/200 or 1/250 for sync speed, just because they aren't designed to sync faster than that. If you do find yourself need faster shutter speeds you might want to look into the Alienbees CyberSyncs, the max sync on those may be faster, and they're not too expensive.

I've never used the Vivitar 285, so I can't give you any advice on that. I use old Nikon speedlights (SB-24 and SB-28) which I paid about $80 for each. I think the only major issue you'll run into with the Vivitar is the size of the head. A lot of light modifiers designed for speedlights won't fit on the Vivitar, and Rosco swatchbook filters will be too small.

I've gone through MPEX only once, for filters and one of my Cactus recievers, and had not problems. I think you'll find a lot of good things to say about them on the Strobist Flickr group.
 
For the same price, I ordered the portrait kit from gadgetinfinity.com and got 2 of the Vivitar 285HVs, as well as 2 V2s cactus triggers, 2 mini diffusers, and a stroboframe. The umbrella and lightstands are very cheap to add after the fact, but if you want 2 for the price of 1, check out gadgetinfinity
As for the cactus triggers, have a look at Jerry's mod of improving the antenna and battery packs, he has claimed very reliable performance from them, and convinced me to take the plunge.
 
Could you give a description of how you would use the lights for landscape?

I recently invested a little money into a "student strobist" kit myself. This thread should be of some good information:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131896


I don't think the OP was meaning that the strobist was for landscapes. I think the OP meant that landscapes were what he normally shot and was branching out to people photography. Hence the strobist kit. I think.
 
I use the Strobist method heavily and will second the opinion on used Nikon SB-24/28's. I started with Sunpack 383's at about $65 each at the time. I now use Nikon 2 SB-28's and 2 SB-80DX's. They were all purchased for under $80 ea. There durability is far greater than the Vivitar or Sunpack versions IMHO. Another advantage to these Nikon flashes, they use the same flash modifiers as the SB-800 such as the Gary Fong tupperware bowls and they use the same high voltage port and cables as the SB-800 allowing you to use Nikon's SD-8 or Quantum Turbo packs without buying a seperate cords.

As for Mpex, I have purchased from them since 2002 all the ink and most the paper for our 2 Epson 2200's, several Pocket Wizards, and many other Strobist style stuff. I have never had an issue with him. On the phone he is a little essentric, but I always got what I ordered quickly at a fair price. Can't expect much more than that.
 
I've seen some really cool photos of landscapes done strobist too!

Flashes with different colored gels scattered about at night works pretty well. You can really accentuate different aspects of the landscaping or even architecture.
 
I've heard of complaints about Mpex though, anyone know if they've improved?
I recently bought my last set of additional Cactus receivers/transmitters from MPEX. Shipping was a little slow, but I got it and at the price advertised. Shipping/handling was a little more expensive than I would have liked... and that was just to Canada.

Is this a good kit to get? Is the 285 good or am I limiting myself with such a budget strobe?
It is good for a beginner. I've seen some really nice pics done with a single strobe. Matter of fact, to start out with, even if you buy 6 of them, I suggest using only 1 for a while and learning.

What kind of recycling times can I expect?
Depends on batteries used and power output. Expect 1-4 seconds in between shots... I think that is reasonable to say.

The D40 has 1/500 flash sync., will the 285 keep up or will it be limited to 1/200 or something similar as it is a budget strobe?
A flash occurs in the thousands of a second. If your NATIVE sync speed is 1/500th, you will be able to sync at 1/500th, but in the real world, you REALLY won't need it that often. 90% of my flash shots are taken at 1/125th and lower. You will learn why as you gain experience.

Also, I know that the Cactus triggers are not supposed to be as reliabe as PWs... what does this mean in practice? Are they prone to regularly failing and would you advise two pairs just in case?
It means that if you do not modify them, they are limited to around 30 feet before they start failing. You can modify them for VERY little money and raise range to well over 350 feet (100+ meters).

How soon will I need to get into using a second flash? (probably a stupid question)
You answered that one yourself... lol
Maybe never... maybe right off the bat.
Start with one, it is a good place to start from and before adding a 2nd flash, maybe make yourself a nice cheap reflector.

Finally, do you think I will get stung on import tax amd how much could this ammount to when importing from the US?
I live in Canada, so do not know. Ask the local post office and perhaps MPEX. I heard that it can be as much as 50% of the value of the items, but I have no way to verify this. You'll have to do the homework on this one yourself, unfortunately.
 
Could you give a description of how you would use the lights for landscape?

I think he meant that in the past, he was a landscape shooter and now wants to get into off camera flash photography, not that he would necessarily use flashes to light a landscape. :)
 
Vivitar 283's are about $35 used on E-bay. They're not really "budget" flashes. A Quantaray flash is budget.

MPEX is awesome. They said they would replace a defective Vivitar 285HV about 6 months after I purchased it.
 
Vivitar 283's are about $35 used on E-bay. They're not really "budget" flashes. A Quantaray flash is budget.

MPEX is awesome. They said they would replace a defective Vivitar 285HV about 6 months after I purchased it.

Vivitar 283 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $35.00 (Used)
Vivitar 295 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $87.00 (new)
Sunpak 383 = Gide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $85.00 (new) $30.00 (Used)
Caono 580EXII = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $370.00

Quantaray Quantaray QTB-9550D Bounce Flash (The most powerful I could find) Guide Number 105 @ ISO 100 = $155.00

When it comes to doing the strobits thing power does play a role. The strongest Quantaray signifantly lacked in power compared to the other four at a price higher than the two Vivitars and the Sunpak. The only problem I have with the 363 is the lack of power control unless you purchae the replacement power control modual. Those seem to be harder to come by. The 285's have the powercontrol built into the sensor module.

My strobist setup includes two 580EX's and three, Sunpak 383's, 2 stands, 2 portable boom/reflector stands and 1 background stand plus umbrellas, small/medium softboxes etc. Nice compact travel setup for single or at most couple shoots. I was doing the strobist thing back before Stobist was probably old enough to use a camera. (Open to debate since I don't know an age) I was using 2 Vivitar 285's and 2 Vivitar 283's with modules with some stands and umbrellas in 1972-1973. They worked well. I just wished back then that there was a guide like Strobist. Trial and error is more expensive and time consuming with film.

Edit:
Sorry my old times disease is catching up to me. I started with a couple of the old 260 Vivitars in the early seventies. It was not until around 1980 that I upgraded to the 285 & 283's. I still have an old 260 (non functional) lying around in a box somewhere.
 
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Thanks for the helpful responses. I should have made it clearer that I used to be only interested in landscapes, but now want to try portrature, hence the need for speedlights :thumbup:

With the D40 the limiting factor on your sync speed will actually be your wireless triggers. The D40 can sync up to it's max shutter speed (1/4000 or 1/8000), but even Pocket Wizards can only sync up to 1/1000. The only way to get the extra 2 or 3 stops is to use a PC cord.

What do you mean by that? It has 1/500 flash sync. and overrides you electronically if you try to go over?

I recently invested a little money into a "student strobist" kit myself. This thread should be of some good information:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/s...d.php?t=131896

Thanks for sharing your experiences, it helps as we (were) in the same boat. :D

For the same price, I ordered the portrait kit from gadgetinfinity.com

The closest I could find on GI was this, which isn't really what I'm looking for. Also, 285's appear to be slightly more expensive on that site than Mpex.

I use the Strobist method heavily and will second the opinion on used Nikon SB-24/28's.

I know they are more solid and nicer to use, but they are going for about ÂŁ60 on eBay, have the same GN and I'd rather have some sort of a breakage guarantee (Village Idiot says Mpex replaced his 6 months after purchasing).

A flash occurs in the thousands of a second. If your NATIVE sync speed is 1/500th, you will be able to sync at 1/500th, but in the real world, you REALLY won't need it that often. 90% of my flash shots are taken at 1/125th and lower. You will learn why as you gain experience.

I realise that but I'd like to have the option for occasional experimenting with minimising ambient light.

Vivitar 283's are about $35 used on E-bay. They're not really "budget" flashes. A Quantaray flash is budget.

I just found out an extra adapter is to be purchased for using the 283 manually. I'll go for a 285.

Vivitar 283 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $35.00 (Used)
Vivitar 295 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $87.00 (new)Vivitar 283 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $35.00 (Used)
Vivitar 295 = Guide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $87.00 (new)
Sunpak 383 = Gide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $85.00 (new) $30.00 (Used)
Sunpak 383 = Gide Number 120 @ ISO 100 = $85.00 (new) $30.00 (Used)

Thanks for those.

Looks like I might well just go for the option I considered at the start. The problem is, Mpex are not being very helpful over email and have not given me a shipping quote despite sending two emails to them. They said "between 40 and 80USD depending on the kit needed", when I clearly specified the one needed. They seem to insert random information like "The SW1 is a good kit" without really answering my questions. I feel like their skimming over and not reading what I'm asking them, and that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. I'll try again, because I'm pretty limited for choice here in the UK when it comes to cheap strobist setups.
 
Quote: "With the D40 the limiting factor on your sync speed will actually be your wireless triggers. The D40 can sync up to it's max shutter speed (1/4000 or 1/8000), but even Pocket Wizards can only sync up to 1/1000. The only way to get the extra 2 or 3 stops is to use a PC cord."


What do you mean by that? It has 1/500 flash sync. and overrides you electronically if you try to go over?

-------------------------------------

If you have flashes that support it, you can go above the native maximum flash sync speed. BTW, you can do that with or without a sync cord if you are using Nikon flashes. Google Nikon CLS.

The whole point is, that when using aftermarket triggers, you want to sync at max sync speeds or slower... the only time you want to go higher is if you want to use a shallow DOF with a wide open aperture on a really bright day and do not want to use ND filters. Other than that, you will go at max sync speed or lower.

Have you visited www.strobist.com yet?
 

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