Advice needed for 2 light studio set up

[jimmyjones]

Hello,
I am new to DPS...been snooping around on here for a while now but this is my first post.

I am looking for some direction in the way of studio lighting (shooting portraits). I know I want to go with strobes instead of continuous lighting but really that's about all I know right now...oh ya, and I want to go with a 2 light set up instead of just one...lol.

I have the opportunity to pick up a used SB600 for a not too bad price but like I said I'd like to go with a 2 light set up. I know you can get nice portraits with 1 light but I'd like to try doing some seamless background shots as well so I'd like a second light to use on the background.

I'm not looking to spend a fortune...would like to find a nice setup for somewhere in the $200 - $300 range if possible.

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to some kits that are out there that might be good? I'm shooting with a Nikon D60.

There are a ton of kits on ebay...but like many people, I'm nervous buying something like this off ebay unless someone can recommend a kit they have had experience with.

I saw this link (92201 JTL DL-320 Dual Light Kit with 2 Versalight J-160 Monolight Strobes) in another post when I was searching DPS but shipping to Canada would add another $100+ to the price.

Thanks for reading and if anyone can help and point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.

[zona5101]

If thats all you can afford, that setup you linked would be a good start. A caveat however, it limited in power and it will be limited in the number and variety of light modifiers available. The units themselves are ac powered so no worries about batteries but the flipside is you can't take them to the park as easily as you could an sb-600 on a stand. The power on the lights is just a tad more than an SB-600, recycle on ac strobes usually isn't stellar but neither is a battery strobe. I could see someone quickly outgrowing this set but they can always serve as hair lights, background lights etc in a bigger kit. The upside is if you find portrait lighting not your cup of tea you aren't sitting on $2K worth of gear....

[spcandrew]

If you are just using one monolight purely for a background light, I'd sink most of your budget into getting one decent 300W monolight for your key/main light, then spend $50 on a cheap used 160W monolight as the background light.

[jml79]

I just recently researched all of the options for shipping to Canada. This is what I have found.

1. Buy from Henry's. About $225 / 150ws monolight with a stand and umbrella so about $450 for 2 lights.
2. Buy from a couple of Canadian ebay sellers. As low as $189 for 2 180ws lights with stands and umbrellas.
3. Buy from Hong Kong. Most ebay sellers in HK use mail to deliver things and often include the shipping in the price. The brokerage fees for items sent by mail are much less than anything sent by courier if you even get charged.

My thoughts - Buy that SB600 and maybe a Yongnou 460-ii from HK (I have not personally used one) and maybe 2 of the $30 stand, holder and umbrella kits available from an ebay seller in BC. Again I have not used them but buying the same from Henry's will cost you almost $200.

This is all budget stuff. If I had the money I would have a pair of Alien Bees and a pair of Lumopro 160's. This would give up to 4 lights for my studio and 2 portable lights.

Buying anything in the US is gonna hurt. Couriers charge at least $25 brokerage fees and I have been hit with $70 once plus any duties and taxes. The couriers also won't let anything slide because they want the fees. Regular mail only costs $5 (plus taxes and duties) and you can usually pay at a local postal outlet. The problem is that most US ebay sellers and companies want to ship by some sort of courier. Basically buy in Canada or only through companies that will send stuff by regular mail.

I am very close to ordering a pair of 180ws lights from an ebay seller in Kitchener, Ont. Hopefully I will be able to recommend something soon.

[bhursey]

Originally Posted by jml79

I just recently researched all of the options for shipping to Canada. This is what I have found.

1. Buy from Henry's. About $225 / 150ws monolight with a stand and umbrella so about $450 for 2 lights.
2. Buy from a couple of Canadian ebay sellers. As low as $189 for 2 180ws lights with stands and umbrellas.
3. Buy from Hong Kong. Most ebay sellers in HK use mail to deliver things and often include the shipping in the price. The brokerage fees for items sent by mail are much less than anything sent by courier if you even get charged.

My thoughts - Buy that SB600 and maybe a Yongnou 460-ii from HK (I have not personally used one) and maybe 2 of the $30 stand, holder and umbrella kits available from an ebay seller in BC. Again I have not used them but buying the same from Henry's will cost you almost $200.

This is all budget stuff. If I had the money I would have a pair of Alien Bees and a pair of Lumopro 160's. This would give up to 4 lights for my studio and 2 portable lights.

Buying anything in the US is gonna hurt. Couriers charge at least $25 brokerage fees and I have been hit with $70 once plus any duties and taxes. The couriers also won't let anything slide because they want the fees. Regular mail only costs $5 (plus taxes and duties) and you can usually pay at a local postal outlet. The problem is that most US ebay sellers and companies want to ship by some sort of courier. Basically buy in Canada or only through companies that will send stuff by regular mail.

I am very close to ordering a pair of 180ws lights from an ebay seller in Kitchener, Ont. Hopefully I will be able to recommend something soon.

I would go with at least a AB800 its 320 true wps..... I have used them and love them... $279.95 However I dont know what that would be in Canada. Now I don't own one yet.. I would incest in decent equipment because I did the cheep stuff first and it costs you more in the end. You realize you don;t have the power you wanted.

[jimmyjones]

Thanks for the replies.

I picked up the SB-600 shortly after posting my original post...it also came with Cactus V2 trigger. I also picked up a light stand and a shoot through umbrella for it.

I've set it all up and it works perfectly off camera with the V2 trigger.

My question now is...should I pick up another SB-600 or go with some kind of 2 flash kit which would then give me a 3 light set up to work with?

[sk66]

Personally, I'd look at getting a used SB800.....That would enable you to use the SB600 via CLS or both the SB 600 and 800 via Cactus...

I have 2 SB600, 1 SB800, 1 SU800 in my travel kit...This allows me to have up to 3 lights via CLS. All of it takes up about as much space as my 70-200 lens

I've used it as an impromptu 3 light setup just using them set on tables/chairs/floor w/ their clip on feet and using the little attachable diffusers. No stands/umbrellas/triggers/cables etc etc. Get someone to hold the strobes for you if you can't find a suitable place to set them.... I also use a TTL cable for the SB800 (seldom use the SU800) which allows me to position my "main light" off-camera and still use it as a commander.

I would not consider a "strobist" setup really a "studio setup", but it's very versatile and compact and can be more than adequate.