Are studio kits worth it?

[lisa]

Ive been thinking of asking for one for xmas, ive found 2 at not bad prices.

Reasons ive been thinking of a little kit are
a) the light in my house is very poor and
b) if i up the iso all i end up with is noise.

All it would be for is pics of the kids and lights for general photography/ using my light tent ect, so are they worth it?

Also the ones ive seen are either both softboxes or umbrellas, does that matter and which is best?

Im new at lighting and only ever use my flash gun every now and then.

The ones ive seen are here, are they any good? (Thats about as much as budget for a pressie otherwise i might never end up with any lighting kit.)

PhotoSEL LS-21E52 Professional Softbox Studio Lighting: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo


Interfit EZ Lite Kit (INT160) - Warehouse Express


Sorry for all the questions but im not sure if i should go for it or not

Thanks in advance

[zona5101]

There are lots of DIY lighting ideas that you may want to explore to see if a kit would resolve your lighting. It great to have a white balance adjustment in your camera so you can use household light and still get the color right. Search here for "diy lighting" and you'll find some ideas. I suggest that because you mention you rarely use your flash. Why not get your feet wet with lighting using your household/diy lights and you flash before sinking some money into new gear??

[acedrew]

Check out my recent blog posts on continuous lighting, and look for a few DIY solutions this coming Tuesday as well.

Perfected Perspectives | Photography by Andrew Rodgers

Andrew Rodgers
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[lisa]

Many thanks for the replies, off to look at the blog link