Using speedlights instead of studio lights for the first time - Gear Advice Needed!

IByte · Oct 21, 2012

Ok, because the amount of money you are investing (or going to invest) in flashes, you could buy a decent starter kit that comes with batteries.

Flashpoint 320M kit with battery,case,stands,snoot,umbl FP320MPPWK

Add 50.00 roughly for a carrying case.

Flashpoint 320M kit with battery,case,stands,snoot,umbl FP320MPPWK

Village Idiot · Oct 22, 2012

TheSharpshooter said:
Thanks IByte. So Basically Pocket Wizard III goes on top of the Camera and Flex TT5 (Nikon) goes under my main flash, right? Or did I get this wrong? And I only need one because I can set my main flash to trigger the other flashes when it goes off like studio lights, right?

This is pointless. The Flex is a trigger that allows the use of TTL with it. If you have one on the flash and a Plus III which is just a basic trigger, you're wasting the money on the flex. To properly utilize a flex, you need one on the speed light and a flex or a mini on the camera. This will allow you to shoot in TTL mode. If you need to have the camera set the flash's power for you automatically, then that's fine, but most off camera flash (OCF) work is done with the lights in manual mode. If you're shooting with your lights' power adjusted manually, then the FLEX is mostly pointless. If you are going to insist on going with the PW's, a mini might be a good option eventually as it allows use of PW's hyper sync, which is different from high speed sync.

Now, do you need PW's? My point with that question is that there are other options out there like the Paul C. Buff Cyber Syncs, Radio Poppers, Cactus, Photix, and e-bay triggers that cost significantly less than the PWs. What you lose out on is compatibility with other brands like Sekonic, Dynalite, Pro Photo, and others that have built in PW trigger options. Also, usually the cheaper chinese brands don't have the reliability that the more expensive brands like Paul C Buff, PW, Radio Poppers, and Elinchrom do; they have been getting better in their more recent iterations. If you're not shooting professionally yet, you can purchase a cheap set to test out for $30. IIRC Pocket Wizard is the only brand who's (mostly, with the exception of the Mini) triggers are transcievers. The other brands work with a specific transmitter and receiver. This can become an issue if you're out and your transmitter dies for some reason and all you're left with is receivers. Plus, I'm able to use 1 PW in my hand, one on camera, and one on each flash to use the one in my hand to remotely fire my camera which in turn remotely triggers my strobes.

Now, for how to connect everything.

You need one radio device on the camera in the hotshoe to send a signal to other devices connected to the flash telling the flash to fire. If you're using PW's, you can have a PIII on the camera and one on each flash (or whatever brand of remote you're using). If you have a device like the PIII that doesn't have a hotshoe on it, you need another way to connect it to your flash. Most flashes have a PC port which allows you to plug a sync cable in to the flash. For these, you just connect a cable which is usually 3.5mm monophone (mono mini head phone type plug) into the receiving device and the other end into the flash. The flash port can be a standard PC port, a screw lock pc port, a proprietary port like on the vivitars, a 3.5 monophone, or any number of connections. You'll have to look at your flash to find out which one it is. If you flash doesn't have a PC port, you'll have to get a device that is a hotshoe with a wire running out of it. You put the flash on the hotshoe and run the wire to your receiver.

The rest is easy. You need a way of connecting the flash to the stand. Most people use an umbrella adapter which has a coldshoe on it and will connect to a light stand. These can swivel, tilt, or whatever depending on which one you purchase. This goes between the flash and the stand.

So in order of top down this is your connections. Parenthesis denote optional connections depending on the type of receiving device you use.

Transmitter device
Camera

Flash
(hot shoe)
(Connecting cabling)
Receiver
Coldshoe (most umbrella adapters come with one)
Umbrella adapter
Light stand.

IByte · Oct 22, 2012

Village Idiot said:
This is pointless. The Flex is a trigger that allows the use of TTL with it. If you have one on the flash and a Plus III which is just a basic trigger, you're wasting the money on the flex. To properly utilize a flex, you need one on the speed light and a flex or a mini on the camera. This will allow you to shoot in TTL mode. If you need to have the camera set the flash's power for you automatically, then that's fine, but most off camera flash (OCF) work is done with the lights in manual mode. If you're shooting with your lights' power adjusted manually, then the FLEX is mostly pointless. If you are going to insist on going with the PW's, a mini might be a good option eventually as it allows use of PW's hyper sync, which is different from high speed sync.

Now, do you need PW's? My point with that question is that there are other options out there like the Paul C. Buff Cyber Syncs, Radio Poppers, Cactus, Photix, and e-bay triggers that cost significantly less than the PWs. What you lose out on is compatibility with other brands like Sekonic, Dynalite, Pro Photo, and others that have built in PW trigger options. Also, usually the cheaper chinese brands don't have the reliability that the more expensive brands like Paul C Buff, PW, Radio Poppers, and Elinchrom do; they have been getting better in their more recent iterations. If you're not shooting professionally yet, you can purchase a cheap set to test out for $30. IIRC Pocket Wizard is the only brand who's (mostly, with the exception of the Mini) triggers are transcievers. The other brands work with a specific transmitter and receiver. This can become an issue if you're out and your transmitter dies for some reason and all you're left with is receivers. Plus, I'm able to use 1 PW in my hand, one on camera, and one on each flash to use the one in my hand to remotely fire my camera which in turn remotely triggers my strobes.

Now, for how to connect everything.

You need one radio device on the camera in the hotshoe to send a signal to other devices connected to the flash telling the flash to fire. If you're using PW's, you can have a PIII on the camera and one on each flash (or whatever brand of remote you're using). If you have a device like the PIII that doesn't have a hotshoe on it, you need another way to connect it to your flash. Most flashes have a PC port which allows you to plug a sync cable in to the flash. For these, you just connect a cable which is usually 3.5mm monophone (mono mini head phone type plug) into the receiving device and the other end into the flash. The flash port can be a standard PC port, a screw lock pc port, a proprietary port like on the vivitars, a 3.5 monophone, or any number of connections. You'll have to look at your flash to find out which one it is. If you flash doesn't have a PC port, you'll have to get a device that is a hotshoe with a wire running out of it. You put the flash on the hotshoe and run the wire to your receiver.

The rest is easy. You need a way of connecting the flash to the stand. Most people use an umbrella adapter which has a coldshoe on it and will connect to a light stand. These can swivel, tilt, or whatever depending on which one you purchase. This goes between the flash and the stand.

So in order of top down this is your connections. Parenthesis denote optional connections depending on the type of receiving device you use.

Transmitter device
Camera

Flash
(hot shoe)
(Connecting cabling)
Receiver
Coldshoe (most umbrella adapters come with one)
Umbrella adapter
Light stand.