On 23 Mar 2002 at 17:36, Steve Pearson wrote: > I'm looking to do some friends' (as well as possibly > some semi-pro) jobs/portraits in the near future. I > would like input from anyone who has a "portable" > lighting system. What type of equipment do you have, > how much will it cost me, etc.
Well, my 2 bits worth - I have two Multiblitz "Location Kits" - one a 400 W/S kit that I've had for about a year, one a 200 W/S kit that I just picked up. They're GREAT - modelling lights are set up so that even with two strobes of different powers the modelling lights are still proportionate, they have optical slaves built-in which can be both a plus and a minus (Example - just tonight I was shooting a group photo of a sorority group using all four strobes and umbrellas - with about fifteen people shooting over my shoulders - I covered up all of the optical slaves with gaffers tape and rented a radio remote system so that only MY cameras would trip the strobes - very useful in THAT situation!) Anyway, they work very well in the studio and the kits are small enough to take anywhere - my car's not that large and I travel frequently with the whole setup in the back seat. Cost? About $1575 CAD for the 200 W/S set which is 2 lights, 2 reflectors, 2 umbrellas, 2 stands, power cables, a sync cord, and a carrying case, and about $1900 CAD for the 400 W/S Kit. If you are doing a lot of portraits and various studio and location work they're worth their weight in gold. > What about a cheap & portable back drop-any > recommendations there? I picked up three backdrops from a group called "Owen's Originals" http://www.owens-originals.com and are totally happy with them. check them out online, look closely at the "RBSM" muslins, the RBSM Blue seems to be the most popular one I own. For backdrop stands Manfrotto makes a handy kit which is 2 stands, an extendable cross-piece, and 2 clamps with a carrying bag for about $275 CAD. A worthwhile investment. > What about a flash meter-any > suggestions/recommendations for brand, model, price, > etc.? I've been using a cheapo Polaris for about 2 years. It's done really well for me so far, but I'm just about to upgrade, Minolta's Flashmeter-V is the one I've got my eyes on, but it's not cheap ($410-ish USD at most of the online houses, B&H, Cameraworld, Adorama, etc). > Any ideas & suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Sorry, not an inexpensive suggestion, but that's the way I've gone. Cheers! Brian - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
