Need to purcahse studio equipment

[BlairWright]

PCB gear is fine in a studio, I wouldn't move it allot to a location shoot but if you stay in the studio you will not have any issues. If you need to move things around and shoot on location more than in studio it can get pricy, personally I like the Elinchrom Ranger RX setup which run around 2500 per head and power pack.

There are quite a few options out there and many are cheap but IMO, on the lower side of the money spectrum, it's pretty hard to beat the PCB Einsteins at 500 bucks a head.

 

[HHDesigns]

im planning on spend over 1000, i would like to stay under 3000. which one do yall think is better muslins or seamless paper?

 

[Mach0]

im planning on spend over 1000, i would like to stay under 3000. which one do yall think is better muslins or seamless paper?

Seamless. I just picked up a roll of seamless thunder gray. I'm gonna try it out this weekend. If you have that much to spend, you should check eBay. They have a crap load of speedotron gear. I haven't figured them out yet but I know you'd thank yourself in the long run lol. Or if you want brand new, there's the Zeus pack and head or the white lightening line.

 

[Berter]

cowboystudio.com. ive been thinking about purchasing one of their full studio kits. they come with a couple strobes and a couple backdrops. from what ive read they seem decent. dpreview recommended them. might be worth a peek

 

[jamesbjenkins]

OP, if you have that much to spend, you really should look at Profoto's options. They're a lot more expensive than Paul C Buff which I mentioned before, but they're also the "gold standard" in strobes...

 

[jamesbjenkins]

cowboystudio.com. ive been thinking about purchasing one of their full studio kits. they come with a couple strobes and a couple backdrops. from what ive read they seem decent. dpreview recommended them. might be worth a peek

Cowboy Studio should be sold at Walmart. The few things I've gotten from them through Amazon (umbrella, muslin, clamps, etc.) were extremely low quality. I'll never buy from them again.

 

[cgipson1]

im planning on spend over 1000, i would like to stay under 3000. which one do yall think is better muslins or seamless paper?

I prefer paper or vinyl... muslin sucks! Some of the "Diamond" cloth backgrounds are nice too, and since they have some stretch.. no wrinkles.

 

[cgipson1]

cowboystudio.com. ive been thinking about purchasing one of their full studio kits. they come with a couple strobes and a couple backdrops. from what ive read they seem decent. dpreview recommended them. might be worth a peek

They are JUNK... you will regret it!

 

[jwbryson1]

Calumet, a large company that has retail stores AND does web sales, has the Genesis 200 , two-light kit on sale right now.

Yep. See here:

Calumet Genesis 200 2-Light Kit

 

[zx7dave]

For moonlights check out the Elinchrom BX500ri. Awesome light and you can use wireless remote with it.

I have been doing photos professionally for the last 2 years. However I am in need of studio equipment for an upcoming event. I purchased a studio beginners set off of amazon, and it sucks. The lighting is all wrong. I would like for a basic outline on what is good brands, what is necessary, etc. I was thinking shadowboxes, better backdrop stands, but im not sure which kind to buy. I have done some research but I feel like there are to many types and I am just lost. haha Thanks for any advice.

 

[simon_says]

For lighting, there Elinchroms, either the Dlites or BXRIs.

 

[Village Idiot]

For moonlights check out the Elinchrom BX500ri. Awesome light and you can use wireless remote with it.

I have been doing photos professionally for the last 2 years. However I am in need of studio equipment for an upcoming event. I purchased a studio beginners set off of amazon, and it sucks. The lighting is all wrong. I would like for a basic outline on what is good brands, what is necessary, etc. I was thinking shadowboxes, better backdrop stands, but im not sure which kind to buy. I have done some research but I feel like there are to many types and I am just lost. haha Thanks for any advice.

They're just not very compatible with batteries if you ever have the need to shoot somewhere without power.

 

[Helen B]

I like Dynalites for location work.

You asked for lists of other equipment and brands.

For backdrop stands: Manfrotto
For light stands, in rough order of increasing robustness, weight and cost: Manfrotto, Avenger (same company, more robust line) and Matthews (also called MSE)
Note: learn how to use light stands properly - this is one of the biggest differences I see between motion picture and still photo practice. Still photographers and their assistants often don't use good practice (cable running down stand and under one leg; legs out at full extent; weight properly balanced for starters).
Most versatile mid-range lightstand: Avenger A475B combo stand. I think it's worth having at least one of these. The Matthews Magic Stand is better and more robust, but it is heavier and quite a bit more expensive.
C-stands: manufacturers same as lightstands. You may want one or two. Get a 40" first, then a 20". Get at least one Broken Arm (can't remember what Avenger calls them) and Magic Fingers are handy as well.
Floor stand: There are a few. I use a Lowel Big Foot for small lights.
Miscellaneous bits: Lowel has a good range of lightweight, moderately priced gear. I use their Tota-flags, Tota-flectors and Lightflectors a lot. Lots more grip stuff suitable for location work, holding foamcore boards, cards, etc
Shot bags: Impact is fine for plain shot bags. Matthews Boa Bags are versatile and useful. Don't get sand bags.
Weights: One or two Lowel weights are handy for times when a shot bag or boa won't work well. They will sit on the strut of a lightstand (you have, of course, set the legs so the struts are horizontal) and they have 5/8" receptacles and spigots.
Flags, scrims etc: Matthews Road Rags are OK.
Cinefoil: get some black Rosco Cinefoil
Softboxes: I use Chimera, but I'm sure that there are others as good. If you may use video in future, get dual-use softboxes.

 

[gsgary]

For cheap pro gear you need to be looking at Bowens or Elincrom both very reliable

 

[epatsellis]

Personally, I think $3k is a little light to set up a full studio at the professional level. It's not terribly hard to spend that much on C stands and a couple of booms.

For strobe equipment, look at Broncolor, Dynalite, Elinchrom or Speedotron Black.