Question about flashes and lighting? Ask it here.

[Village Idiot]

This works on occasion and I'm at work and kind of bored, so ask away. I'm sure other experienced members will chime in with answers as well.

And don't be shy. I don't care if you have a question about the guide numbers or which flash you think you should buy. It all counts.

 

[jsoeung]

I have a sunpak 266D
And i don't really now how to put it at full power or at low power.
Please help

 

[Village Idiot]

I have a sunpak 266D
And i don't really now how to put it at full power or at low power.
Please help

Got any pictures of it or a manual of the controls? I googled it but couldn't find much besides websites selling it.

 

[jsoeung]

I have a sunpak 266D
And i don't really now how to put it at full power or at low power.
Please help

Got any pictures of it or a manual of the controls? I googled it but couldn't find much besides websites selling it.

Heres my flickr account Flickr: justinsoeung's Photostream
But it didnt come with a manual

 

[Village Idiot]

I meant pictures of the flash itself.

 

[Annamas]

Right now i'm shooting mainly self-portraiture, but would like to get into portraiture in the real world (something like Zeckson and Tharmsen's work (I'm thinking Celestina Tiew and Freida respectivly)). I've seen lots of posts about lighting sets and whats needed, and bought a couple books. A set like the Alien Bee's Digibee Package (AlienBees: The DigiBee, the perfect studio lighting setup for digital photography) seems to have all the major starting components required.

My question: What else is needed?

I know a set of reflectors would be imperative, as well as a background for anything indoor. But will I need anything to 'trip' the lights, do I need a flash mounted on my camera in addition to these lights?

Disclaimer. As I'm about to post, I'm also reading the Strobist 101 site. And i'm not looking for a debate over which lighting Brand is good vs not good, I've seen more than one thread explode in that debate.

 

[jsoeung]

I meant pictures of the flash itself.

ohh
heres a photo of the back of it

 

[Village Idiot]

Right now i'm shooting mainly self-portraiture, but would like to get into portraiture in the real world (something like Zeckson and Tharmsen's work (I'm thinking Celestina Tiew and Freida respectivly)). I've seen lots of posts about lighting sets and whats needed, and bought a couple books. A set like the Alien Bee's Digibee Package (AlienBees: The DigiBee, the perfect studio lighting setup for digital photography) seems to have all the major starting components required.

My question: What else is needed?

I know a set of reflectors would be imperative, as well as a background for anything indoor. But will I need anything to 'trip' the lights, do I need a flash mounted on my camera in addition to these lights?

Disclaimer. As I'm about to post, I'm also reading the Strobist 101 site. And i'm not looking for a debate over which lighting Brand is good vs not good, I've seen more than one thread explode in that debate.

You either need a cable that runs from your camera to the strobes or a wireless trigger like Pocket Wizards, etc.... to trip the lights. There's different options and most monolights have optical flash triggers, so if you fire one, the rest will fire. It's not necessary that you have a trigger for each flash, but if you're shooting outdoors, then another light source like the sun may interfere with the operation of the optical trigger.

Modifiers. Grids, snoots, soft boxes, octa boxes, beauty dishes, etc... It depends on what you're shooting and what lights you want.

Ed: With speedlights, most don't have a built in trigger, so if you're not using a cable or device connected to the light, they won't fire. ie. radio triggers, proprietary camera system (CLS), pc cable, optical trigger.

 

[Village Idiot]

I meant pictures of the flash itself.

ohh
heres a photo of the back of it

Sorry, can't find anything. Have you tried experimenting with it?

Some one else chime in?

 

[Annamas]

TY for the info VI, Looks like my next purchase is going to be a big one.

 

[Village Idiot]

TY for the info VI, Looks like my next purchase is going to be a big one.

Profoto! :mrgreen::thumbup:

 

[jsoeung]

I meant pictures of the flash itself.

ohh
heres a photo of the back of it

Sorry, can't find anything. Have you tried experimenting with it?

Some one else chime in?

Yes, ive tried but all the results come out the same

 

[syphlix]

if you could only have one flash, would you get something like the canon 580ex2 or would you get some combo w/ the pocket wiz and some cheaper flash?

 

[Village Idiot]

if you could only have one flash, would you get something like the canon 580ex2 or would you get some combo w/ the pocket wiz and some cheaper flash?

I always recommend at least one TTL capable flash for your kit. You can always get triggers for it and a stand, umbrellas, etc...

If you're taking pictures on the regular, you never know when you'll be doing something that requires dynamic flash settings where a TTL flash will work better than a manual flash.

Other people will have other opinions, that's just mine.

 

[TUX424]

if you could only have one flash, would you get something like the canon 580ex2 or would you get some combo w/ the pocket wiz and some cheaper flash?

I used packet wizards on some Alien Bee's and they are super reliable, but they come with a price tag.
If you are going to be shooting from longer distances wirelessly or reliable is the #1 thing. Then go for the cheaper flash with the pocket wizards. If you are going to be shooting sorta close to the camera, then may want to just use the canon built in wireless system.
I dont shoot canon so im not really aware of what flashes they have or what are any good.