So a bit more practice with the flashes and umbrellas to balance ambient. very basic stuff with a single umbrella. I am very pleased with the outcome... noticeably better than flash fill on my camera or even off on a cord at arms length. Much easier than I thought to bring to fill the shadows and control the highlights in the background.
Cons:
* Power.. Power.. Power. More than enough for small area but large groups would probably need more. Both lights could maybe do it for medium sized group. I shot at high noon in partially shaded areas. This was on purpose to practice balancing ambient with strong highlights and dark shadows. I was going between 1/2 power to full on a single set to properly bring the shadows up and be aware of subject distance. Case in point, the last photo (on the red scooter) was after we wandered pretty far from the light. I had to open the aperture a couple stops which started to blow out the highlights in the grass.
* Recycle time. I had to keep reminding my self to make each frame count as it would be a few seconds before I can get another flash.
* Batteries. Improved by radio shack rigging D-sized battery cells to my flashes. Not too bad though...
Pros:
* Freakin portable... I had to chase my son around with the umbrella/flash/stand and quickly relocate. Essentially "tossed" it around shot more... and tossed it again.
* Easy to pack... Carrying both sets is no more difficult than carrying a full size tripod.
* Fun... there's that aspect of accomplishing a lot with a bargain.
* A lot easier to setup than I thought.
* More natural looking than previous sessions with on-camera fill. Softer light more appealing light than bare flashes with some sort of diffuser (lumniquest in my case).
* No wires. Cactus V2s performed flawlessly. Would like to have an off switch on the transmitter. Scared another photographer who was taking a closer look at my light while I went off to chase my son. Snapped a photo while my son was running away and practically blinded the other photog... hehehe
Overall, I am really enjoying the lights and I can see the appeal of being a "Strobist" per say. I can honestly say that the kit I put together has very high bang-for-buck value and definitely can recommend it. If you can work within the limitations of the "Cons" above, you can do a lot with this kit and let the creativity flow. I also can more clearly understand the advantages of using high power strobes... especially for large groups.. professional assignments and studio. but honestly... this is probably more than I need for quite a while. Most amateurs could benefit from this basic setup.
