What to trigger these two lights and my 580EXII for my Canon 5dii

[bdubbs79]

I'm inexperienced with lighting and was advised by a sales person at adorama to get this gear for a studio setting... They got me a couple monolights and I'm confused at how they sync? I was considering getting alienbees with a cybersync and just make it simple, but they were all over the map. If I get these two lights, does someone make a wireless for them or do they just fire together naturally? HELP...


I was hoping to use pocket wizard or something, but

photoflex starflash 300w/s mercury lightdome kit from adorama
SKSF300MXT Photoflex StarFlash 300 Mercury LiteDome Kit with StarFlash 300ws, Medium LiteDome, StarFlash Connector, FlashFire Wireless Kit

and

flashpoint II 320 monolight kit 150 watt
FP320SB1 Flashpoint II 320 Monolight Kit, 150 Watt Second, One Monolight Kit with 8' Air Cushioned Light Stand and 24" x 24" Softbox


Both again have softboxes and then I have the canon 580exII for fill light or whatever is lacking.

Please connect the dots and feel free to advise differently if it's a bad combo, 300w/s with 150w/s hair light and canon speedllite

Thanks

 

[Big Mike]

The studio lights have a built-in optical slave and a sync port. If you are using pocket wizards, then you just connect one of the PWs to the camera and one to any one of the lights via the sync socket. The PW will trigger that light, and the other studio strobes will fire when they detect the first flash. If you want to incorpoprate the 580EX, then you'll probably want to put the PW on that, then let it optically trigger the studio lights. Just be aware of where the optical triggers are on the studio lights, as they may need line of sight from the flash.

 

[bdubbs79]

The studio lights have a built-in optical slave and a sync port. If you are using pocket wizards, then you just connect one of the PWs to the camera and one to any one of the lights via the sync socket. The PW will trigger that light, and the other studio strobes will fire when they detect the first flash. If you want to incorpoprate the 580EX, then you'll probably want to put the PW on that, then let it optically trigger the studio lights. Just be aware of where the optical triggers are on the studio lights, as they may need line of sight from the flash.

So can I not just use a cybersync or pocket wizard on all 3 of the lights? RF then no line of sight right? or do most pros just use the hair lights firing on basis of othres? I'd like to have total control over them. So you think the two i put on here are both able to use pocket wizard with multiple transievers..?

 

[Big Mike]

It depends on where you are shooting. If you are outdoors, or in a very large room, then the built-in optical triggers may not be reliable. Also, if you are in public, other people's flashes may trigger your lights. So in that situation, you would want receivers for each light.

But if you are in a studio, especially if there are walls & ceiling close by...then the built-in triggers will likely fire the other lights reliably.
So I'd say that most studio photographers just fire one light with a trigger kit and let the others triggers themselves.