Re: Lighting Set up EOS 5D?
Cosmo-
You might do better to post a question on the Studio and Lighting forum. Your question is really more about lighting and less about the camera. Lighting is pretty much the same from one camera to another.
Re: Lighting Set up EOS 5D?
There is not really an 'ideal' set-up for portraits it depends what you want to do really? The easiest flattering style to use is a two light setup using two softboxes (the bigger the better)
1/. Place the subject far enough from the background to avoid shadow.
2/. Place each softbox at about 7ft height and roughly 45 degrees to the lens axis.
3/. Pick a sync speed suitable for your camera 1/250th or 1/125th maybe.
4/. Set an aperture indicated by your flash meter.
5/. Take pictures.
The background will have no effect as you should be metering with an incident flashmeter of the sitters face. Only aperture controls exposure as the flash happens so quickly shutterspeed has no relavance (unless you go very slow so ambient registers also)
Read a book such as Studio Lighting For Portrait Photography by Steve Bavister it contains detailed set-up diagrams and examples.
On a 5D the best of the best portrait lenses is the 85mm f/1.2 L II USM but a very close second and cheaper lens is the 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM. Both give a nice working distance so the sitter isn't uncomfortable. Both are sharp as a tack. The 85mm f/1.8 is also nice though if the budget is not going to stretch to an 85mm f/1.2 or 24-70mm f/2.8.
Lighting any of the reputable names are fine. I use Elinchrom personally but Bowens and other 'brands' are fine. Avoid very cheap lights, it's false economy they suffer from 'Random Flash' where each flash gives differing exposure values. Not good at all. Good brands have very stable power supplies that don't do this.