Breakin Light Cherry

[SoulCapture]

Good day peoples.
I have a very quick question. I am finally able to purchase my first light ever. It is going to be an Alien Bee 800. I also buying cactus v4, 48" umbrella that doubles as a shoot thru and bounce. But my problem is that the light stand 10' (LS3050) from the alien bee website says that it is only for light weight modifiers and i do plan to buy a soft box in the future. Should i just get the heavy duty light stand they offer (LS3900) 13'. Or does anyone here have a better recommendation? Thanks a bunch and happy july 4th.

[i speak in math]

Originally Posted by SoulCapture

Good day peoples.
I have a very quick question. I am finally able to purchase my first light ever. It is going to be an Alien Bee 800. I also buying cactus v4, 48" umbrella that doubles as a shoot thru and bounce. But my problem is that the light stand 10' (LS3050) from the alien bee website says that it is only for light weight modifiers and i do plan to buy a soft box in the future. Should i just get the heavy duty light stand they offer (LS3900) 13'. Or does anyone here have a better recommendation? Thanks a bunch and happy july 4th.

I would switch that to cactus v5

You could always look into other brand light stands as well. That said, most medium softboxes are fairly light. You might want to pick up a sandbag to throw on the base anyway.

[GreggObst]

Get the Paul C Buff 13' heavy duty stand. It will allow you to grow into other light modifiers as the need arises. It supports my 86" Paul C Buff PLM or a 60" Octabox I have with absolutely no problems.

If you get the lightweight stands, you will only end up buying the heavy weight stand down the line any way and they aren't that much more.

I would recommend getting the 60" convertible umbrella either from Westcott or Impact instead of the 48" umbrella. It's a lot more versatile and the price difference is negligible. Works great with the Alien Bees B800.

Be sure to get yourself a descent set of sandbags (available on amazon of less than $15) to weight down the stand, especially if you are going to be using them outside in potential wind. Sandbags come empty and you can find sand at places like Home Depot or Lowes if you don't have a handy supply or live near a beach.

[oldwolf]

You can also just use gallon jugs of water instead of sandbags. Secure it to the stand with some bungee cords. If you get thirsty then you can drink the water. Just don't spill any on the electronic parts.

[AdrenoJunkie]

I have the AB800 and the 10' stand. I use their large softbox without any problems so far. Although I wouldn't take it outside without sandbagging it and I'm very careful around it indoors. It is definitely pretty top heavy. I kinda wish I had the 13' for peace of mind but the 10' works fine for me so far.

[SoulCapture]

Hey thanks for the advice; it is very much appreciated! So i changed my items to the Alien Bee 13' Light stand, wescott 60" convertable brolly, and last but not least the cactus v5. My only question is i am not sure if i have the right link. Is this all i need for wireless trigerring? Gadget Infinity :: Digital Camera :: Flash Trigger :: Wireless Trigger :: Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 Single
Does it come with both the transciever and the reciever?

Also am i missing anything important? Cold/hot shoe adapters?

[i speak in math]

Originally Posted by SoulCapture

Hey thanks for the advice; it is very much appreciated! So i changed my items to the Alien Bee 13' Light stand, wescott 60" convertable brolly, and last but not least the cactus v5. My only question is i am not sure if i have the right link. Is this all i need for wireless trigerring? Gadget Infinity :: Digital Camera :: Flash Trigger :: Wireless Trigger :: Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 Single
Does it come with both the transciever and the reciever?

Also am i missing anything important? Cold/hot shoe adapters?

Gadget Infinity :: Digital Camera :: Flash Trigger :: Wireless Trigger :: Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 Duo

You'll want the Duo kit and possibly another single. You need one on the hotshoe on camera and one hooked up to the alienbee. If you have a second lights, you'll need another for that light, unless you rely on optical slaving (fine inside, not good outside).

[SoulCapture]

Ok i ordered the light, stand, and brolly already. I am still a bit confused about the triggers. But after a lot of research i decided to wait and save up for Pocket wizards. Prolly get them by the end of summer. Thanks for all the good advice tho ;D

[GreggObst]

If you do go for the Pocket Wizards, you will need to order a 1/8" mono to 1/8" mono miniphone cable to connect them with the Alien Bees. The Pocket Wizard Plus 2 model comes with a cable but one end of that cable is a female sync end and not a 1/8" mono miniphone cable. The Pocket Wizard Flex TT5 model doesn't come with any cables at all.

The best source of the cable you will need is FlashZebra.com. Here's a link to the model of sync chord you will need to attach a PocketWizard to the Alien Bees. They run $7 from Flash Zebra and almost three times that when ordered from Pocket Wizard directly.

FlashZebra.com: Right Angle Miniphone Plug to Straight Miniphone Plug Sync Cord - 6 Feet (1.8 meters) (Item #0207)

[Doug Sundseth]

Pocket Wizards are very good tools, but I love my Cactus V5s. I've not had any issues with the lights not firing, the triggers are very versatile, and the price is notably better than the Pocket Wizards. (And with normal shipping, the triggers only took about a week to arrive from Hong Kong.)