Originally Posted by jacobsen1

nice, John's? And which transmitter/receiver?

Yeah... I think just the regular Cybersync transmitter/receiver, not the commander or whatever.

Simple, lazy guy here, I let CLS do the work. Works for me the majority of the time.

Have you started reading strobist? I found that reading the on assignment stuff helped out. Seeing Dave Hobby's though process and experimenting helped reinforce the concepts. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Originally Posted by migs

as for lightstands, i bought some factory seconds on discount off photographerswarehouse.com. for the price they were ok. was always looking for extra height and heft. i bought a 13ft a.c. from paul c buff/alien bees. again alright. alot more plastic-y. not what i expected for the price.if you want to buy it once, check out calumet's offerings. all metal, no plastic. sturdy for sure.

Nice, I'll have to stop by Calumet this weekend, any idea what the difference is between the air cushioned and the non-air cushioned light stands?

Also anyone here use the Justin clamps? Are they worth the money, seems kinda expensive for a $1 clamp with a cold shoe mounted to it, but I could see it being handy in some situations.

Ah, so no need to use it with speedlights.

Originally Posted by newbie

Have you started reading strobist? I found that reading the on assignment stuff helped out. Seeing Dave Hobby's though process and experimenting helped reinforce the concepts. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

No, I'm trying to avoid "strobist" things... the word makes me want to vomit. I realize that's what I'm talking about in this thread, but something about "strobist" annoys me, and is part of the reason it's taken me so long to start working with lights. Dumb, I know, but true.

Originally Posted by Markitos

No, I'm trying to avoid "strobist" things... the word makes me want to vomit. I realize that's what I'm talking about in this thread, but something about "strobist" annoys me, and is part of the reason it's taken me so long to start working with lights. Dumb, I know, but true.

i feel your pain there Mark. Strobist is a newish buzz word and everyone uses it differently. i know people that use it as a term of disdain for people who swear by speedlights and others that only refer to the sunset spotlit person shots and bokeh'd streetlight shots as strobist and still others that refer to anything outside a studio with artificial light at strobist.

you will love the one light set up mark. especially since you have speedlights that can fill in as additional lights for hair/rim/fill lights too if you need them. the AB800 if very capable. about the only thing it has trouble with is truely overpowering strong sun light.

Originally Posted by newbie

Ah, so no need to use it with speedlights.

they're kinda nice though... basically, your stand is filled with air. When you open/close it the air is forced in/out slowly... So it "cushions" the speed it takes to do anything.

Originally Posted by Markitos

No, I'm trying to avoid "strobist" things... the word makes me want to vomit. I realize that's what I'm talking about in this thread, but something about "strobist" annoys me, and is part of the reason it's taken me so long to start working with lights. Dumb, I know, but true.

yeah, I don't disagree.

As much as you hate the word, its a great, informative site. If you still refuse to read it, at least check out the book Light: Science and Magic.

You can also take a look here for good getting started info: http://newschoolofphotography.com/tu...ist-style.html

Originally Posted by newbie

Nice, I'll have to stop by Calumet this weekend, any idea what the difference is between the air cushioned and the non-air cushioned light stands?

Also anyone here use the Justin clamps? Are they worth the money, seems kinda expensive for a $1 clamp with a cold shoe mounted to it, but I could see it being handy in some situations.

I have a Justin clamp which I use occasionally. Most of the time I'm using light stands, but once in a while it's nice to have a little more freedom in where you can put a light, and that's where the Justin clamp comes in.

Are they expensive? Hell yes. Are they too expensive? Probably. That said, it's more than just a $1 clamp with a cold shoe (and it's bigger and heavier than it looks in pictures). The clamp itself is really solid, and it's got some nice grippy rubber pads on the inside of it. The cold shoe is mounted to a mini ballhead, which I have found to be incredibly useful for some of my bodyscapes work. It also has a stud on the side which you can use to mount it onto a stand so it can hold a flag or a reflector. I'm not entirely sure what the small shaft with the screw on the end of the handle is really for, but I've discovered it's capable of holding an umbrella.

Get one and see what you think! You can always return it or sell it on CL if you don't like it.

Originally Posted by newbie

Nice, I'll have to stop by Calumet this weekend, any idea what the difference is between the air cushioned and the non-air cushioned light stands?

Also anyone here use the Justin clamps? Are they worth the money, seems kinda expensive for a $1 clamp with a cold shoe mounted to it, but I could see it being handy in some situations.

this is what i did, i couldn't see spending the money on j-clamps. b&h sells the same exact clamp used on the j-clamp which i like because of the position of the rubber grips, it sits solidly clamped on a light stand. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...tialSearch=yes

then i got one of these, a mini ball head: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...tialSearch=yes

I had to drill out the hole on the 175 clamp just a tiny bit to fit a 1/4"-20 screw through the hole to mount the mini ball head to the clamp. super easy and half the price of a j-clamp. they work perfectly for me because i use tt5 pocket wizards with screw right into the mini ball head. the flash feet that come with canon and nikon flashes also have a 1/4"-20 threaded hole underneath. i have also mounted a mini ball head on each side of the clamp so you can use two flashes on one clamp to over power the sun. if you really want the cold shoe, you can buy those at b&h too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...t_Adapter.html

edit: here are a two quick photos from my phone:





benjamin

westcott makes good ****.

Originally Posted by jacobsen1

westcott makes good ****.

This, but, not sure what brand that other stuff is.. and not all stands/umbrella brackets are created equal.

Originally Posted by trini11413

is this a good buy or a waste of money $129

Yes

Originally Posted by trini11413

yes as in good investment

Yes