The Lighting Series - Hardwares & Accessories

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by m0rpheus, 19 Aug 2019.

  1. m0rpheus

    m0rpheus Legend

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    I am new to this lighting portraiture hardware things, having watched the lighting series by felix and sue, I wanted to try out but the prices of recommended hardware are not on my range at the moment.

    https://theportraitmasters.com/lighting-kits-and-photo-accessories/

    If anyone has or knows cheaper alternatives, please do suggest :).
    I was thinking of buying Godox AD 600 Pro & AD 400 for flash.
     
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  2. LittleFinger

    LittleFinger Expert

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    I have the Godox Ad600 Pro .. Amazing light. Definitely recommend. If you do get it I'd recommend the extension head if you are taking it out on location as even with sandbags, I find wind still blows the whole thing over using a 34 inch beauty dish.
     
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  3. m0rpheus

    m0rpheus Legend

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    Can you gime a link to this extension bro? Or any other accessories.
     
  4. LittleFinger

    LittleFinger Expert

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  5. death163

    death163 New Member

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    You need to ask yourself a couple of questions when guying gear, especially lights. Your answers will evolve with time and experience so don't feel pressured.

    • Do you like to shoot in a controlled environment? Especially indoors?
    • Do you prefer to shoot on location, carry lights to new places and try shooting outdooors?
    Wall outlet strobes are cheapest and come as kits. I personally use the Elinchrom D-lite 4 kit. They come with 2 lights; stands; basic softboxes and a trigger. These are the so called entry level series but the quality of light is sufficient for my work; is easy to carry because its light and is very affordable.

    For location lights I primarily use the Godox AD200 but will be upgrading in the coming week to the Elinchrom ELB500s. Godox has the AD400/600Pro which are more expensive, larger and more powerful options. The issue with the AD200/600 style lights, this goes for the Profoto B1x/B10 as well is this, when using outdoors the weight is at the top of the stand. Adding a modifier on top of the strobe can make it unstable. To counter this you have to either use sandbags or heavier light stands.

    The Pack and Head system removes that weight from the top and lowers it. An example is the ELB series from Elinchrom or Profoto's Pro-10 system. You can use the Godox Extension Head with the AD400/600Pro to get a similar effect.

    Here are a couple of kits you can look at:

    Studio kit: You can shoot with this anywhere that you have a wall outlet. Alternatively you can also get a power inverter (battery pack e.g Godox LP-800x) to free yourself from the power limitation.

    • Elinchrom D-Lite 2/4
      • 2x light units; stands; portalite softboxes; trigger and carrying cases as part of the kit.
      • The D-lite 4 paired with the Pro Transmitter allows for High Sync which allows you to shoot at any shutter speed you want. HS is more power efficient than HSS (High Speed Sync).
    • Rotalux 100cm Deep Octabox or Rotalux 135cm Octabox
      • The Deep Octa will give more control but can be slightly harder to use, I recommend the 135cm as it is a safe option.
    • Rotalux 130x50cm Strip Softbox
      • This is a good modifier when you need to rim and/or as fill. It can also work as a very controlled key light.

    Location kit A: Godox AD200; 2 units. Additional expense will be for light stands, modifiers, brackets to mount the modifiers, carrying case/s (optional) and the trigger itself. You can sue the units as 2 light set up or with AD-B2 for a single 400 w/s light.
    • 2x Godox AD 200 + X1 trigger.
      • A very good 200 W/s strobe. Small and portable. You need to be smart when using outdoors during the day since it may not be bright enough (depending on situation).
    • Light Stands x2; ideally heavy duty
    • Bracket for modifier (Bowens/Elinchrom/etc)
      • This will allow you to mount softboxes etc to the light.
    • Godox P90/120 Octabox for the Key Light.
    • Godox 50x130 Strip softbox
    • Godox AD-B2 bracket is of special note since you can connect the 2x AD200 to give double light output.

    Location kit B: Godox AD400/600 Pro. Powerful battery power strobes. The AD600 will be very top heavy, be careful when using outdoors especially in windy conditions or on uneven terrain.
    • 2x Godox AD400/600 Pro + X1 Trigger.
    • Same accessories as above.
    The octabox will give you a nice soft light with round catch light. The deep version gives more control and contrast, but it also falls off quickly. The strip softbox is a very versatile modifier since it can be used for multiple roles and is easy to control. Both are 'safe' options that can be used for portraiture and fashion among other genres.
     
  6. m0rpheus

    m0rpheus Legend

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    Thanks my man
     
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  7. Kocaman

    Kocaman Master

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    Thank you for the great recommendations.
     
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  8. death163

    death163 New Member

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    Glad to be of help.
     
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