Looking around there are a ton of flashes out there and damn I have no clue as to what I would need to get me by, so to speak, with shooting people. I just don't know what's good out there either.

There is the really cheap option:
JTL S-45M Master AC Slave Strobe, #1013

But the problem is they are not adjustable or anything of the sort, they just flash and that's it... Nothing else to them.

Then there are the cheaper line of adjustable strobes that cowboy studio sells on amazon:
I think they are actually made by Square perfect

CowboyStudio 110 Watt Photo Studio Lighting Mono Master Strobe Flash Light

CowboyStudio 160 Watt Photo Studio Lighting Mono Master Strobe Flash Light

CowboyStudio 180 Watt Photo Studio Lighting Mono Master Strobe Flash Light

IDK what's really all that good though so

I looked at www.briteklighting.com and yeah their stuff is priced pretty high on their site but amazon has some of their stuff for cheap.

Britek PS-300 Flash Strobe Light - Set of 2

Again I don't know anything about this stuff so help me out and let me know if I'm just completely nuts or not... lol.

because of all that confusion and strobists suggestions I have two Nikon sb-24s. They cost me ~$50 each and have nice controls and a PC sync port. I use them in manual only off camera.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

because of all that confusion and strobists suggestions I have two Nikon sb-24s. They cost me ~$50 each and have nice controls and a PC sync port. I use them in manual only off camera.

^THIS

Also, I have heard bad reviews on Cowboy Studio

Originally Posted by thomps6s

^THIS

Also, I have heard bad reviews on Cowboy Studio

Really, most of the reviews I've read are pretty good. Even though they sell a lot of lower end stuff they seem to get a lot of good reviews.

Sounds good, probably more of a "get what you pay for" thing than anything.

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Sounds good, probably more of a "get what you pay for" thing than anything.

that's a problem with a lot of the bad reviews. people expect worlds of awesomeness for 5 dollars, lol.

Originally Posted by Bone

that's a problem with a lot of the bad reviews. people expect worlds of awesomeness for 5 dollars, lol.

Exactly.

I prefer older Nikon SB-XX's to cheap studio flashes though.

#1 they are Powerful
#2 they are Portable
#3 they take AA batteries
#4 they are better built and smaller than cheap studio strobes.

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Exactly.

I prefer older Nikon SB-XX's to cheap studio flashes though.

#1 they are Powerful
#2 they are Portable
#3 they take AA batteries
#4 they are better built and smaller than cheap studio strobes.

how easy is it to access the connectors inside the battery compartment of these? I have a ton of power supplies that put out the same power as 2 AA batteries so I could just easily use some alligator clamps to connect to the inside of the bay and be able to shoot all day long with out sucking up batteries.

Do you think you could take some pictures of this to help me know exactly what it looks like inside there?

Not my pic, this is an SB-28 but it looks just like this.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranger_gav/508645512

Man I'd just get one and play with it before "rigging" it up. If you really want to shoot all day get yourself a quantum battery pack and flash specific cable. Most of the SB's have a port specifically for this.

One other thing... and I've found out this the hard way in multiple facets of my life. You get what you pay for. If you do get something on the cheap, chances are you are going to end up buying it again or upgrading later, so it's ends up costing more in the long run.

Originally Posted by a.hoglen

Man I'd just get one and play with it before "rigging" it up. If you really want to shoot all day get yourself a quantum battery pack and flash specific cable. Most of the SB's have a port specifically for this.

i have no clue as to what you are talking about this battery deal here. I'm going to see if I can find a used speedlight or something of the sort to at least get me something good in the mean time. Then my next priority though is a second battery for the camera and the battery grip.

Originally Posted by a.hoglen

One other thing... and I've found out this the hard way in multiple facets of my life. You get what you pay for. If you do get something on the cheap, chances are you are going to end up buying it again or upgrading later, so it's ends up costing more in the long run.

Well made point there.

SB-24:


the top port is for power no? The bottom one is sync for sure...

Also pull that piece of rubber that says nikon on the front of it off. There should be another 3 prong connection there.

Quantum: http://www.qtm.com/ I'd buy an older used model off someone on the interweb

This looks like a much more affordable version

Al Jacobs: http://www.aljacobs.com/ I'd be more inclined to buy from him because it's always good to support the little guy.

Also The Al Jacobs site has a lot of info behind his R&D

like this:



crap cell phone pic

Originally Posted by Kilonad

Just remember that you can't run a speedlight as hard as a studio strobe... After 10 full power pops, you're gonna want to let it sit for 5 minutes or so to cool down.

I would also recommend buying one decent studio strobe and seeing what you can do with it. An AlienBees B400 is $225 (add another $50 for a stand and an umbrella). See what can be done with just a single strobe here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/one_strobe_pony/ You can also try a single speedlight to start out with, but don't be afraid of using ISO 400 if you have to.

I agree with Kilonad. I bought a single Alienbees B800 and it has worked great for me. I also bought a reflector to use with it.

Thank you for the info, I like some of those setups, very interesting.

Also thanks for the heads up on the cool down.

Also thanks again to the rest of you for your input on this subject.

Now I just need to find a good used speedlight. I'll worry about the studio strobe a little later I think.

hmmm.... so right now i have 2 sb-900 strobes and im thinking maybe i could sell one and pick up an alienbees strobe instead.... that way i can have 1 portable light and one more serious strobe.

does this sound like a good idea? My only concern is that with the AB lights, id need to buy a power pack of some sort... it starts to add up quickly...

Originally Posted by unamused

My only concern is that with the AB lights, id need to buy a power pack of some sort... it starts to add up quickly...

Only if you're not near an outlet

I think it's a great idea if you need the extra power. If you can afford it and a Vagabond, do it.

If you're thinking that 1 will be portable and 1 will be not.. then no, you don't need a power pack. If you want both on location then yes.. but just like anything, why are you buying an AB for location work? Is it just to have one? or do you have a need/proper reasoning behind it.

Ive been tossing around the idea of selling one of the sb900s and replacing it with a cheap speedlight to free up some cash, but there is an ab800 on sale locally on craigslist... the sb900 is selling for a decent chunk of change online ($375-400)... ( i got it for $15 bucks after selling some stuff i bought it with) and I figure, when i do stuff at home, why constantly cycle through my rechargeable batteries which doesnt really cost anything, but is just a hassle.

So i figure i can sell the sb900, buy the ab800, see how i like it. And if i dont, i can just sell the ab800 and pick up a cheapy speedlight.

Originally Posted by unamused

Ive been tossing around the idea of selling one of the sb900s and replacing it with a cheap speedlight to free up some cash, but there is an ab800 on sale locally on craigslist... the sb900 is selling for a decent chunk of change online ($375-400)... ( i got it for $15 bucks after selling some stuff i bought it with) and I figure, when i do stuff at home, why constantly cycle through my rechargeable batteries which doesnt really cost anything, but is just a hassle.

So i figure i can sell the sb900, buy the ab800, see how i like it. And if i dont, i can just sell the ab800 and pick up a cheapy speedlight.

sounds like you will probably end up liking it and then be sucked into many kinds of modifiers, lol.

I want more strobes personally. I've been working on getting some locally for a while now but I'm also trying not to break the bank either.....

Originally Posted by Bone

sounds like you will probably end up liking it and then be sucked into many kinds of modifiers, lol.

I want more strobes personally. I've been working on getting some locally for a while now but I'm also trying not to break the bank either.....

Kinda like fast primes... bleh!!

Im gonna take a look at the AB800 on sunday... im gonna try to talk him down to 200

Originally Posted by unamused

Kinda like fast primes... bleh!!

Im gonna take a look at the AB800 on sunday... im gonna try to talk him down to 200

i know what you mean, lol. I want an 85mm now... I enjoy the hell out of my Dirty 30.

Where are you guys getting SB-24's for $50? I haven't found them that cheap.

Originally Posted by thechickencow

Where are you guys getting SB-24's for $50? I haven't found them that cheap.

I got mine on CL but KEH has them that cheap sometimes.

I keep watching CL and KEH but haven't seen any that cheap for a while.

Originally Posted by thechickencow

I keep watching CL and KEH but haven't seen any that cheap for a while.

People know man. It seems it goes in waves.