Let There Be Light!

[MarcusK]

Well, i have said it before and i'll say it again, i dislike, rather hate buil-in flash. And studio flash, is somewhat foreign to me in matters of model and make. I wanted to go for "hot-shoes" (i think that's what they're called....constant lights) and then figured, it would be a better idea to go with Flash units. But I have no clue what to look for? how to assess them!

And what would be a moderate or lets say logical price for a flash unit?

I am entering the professional arena at a slow pace, so price is not really a problem since I can save up for it!

All input is more than welcome, and thanks for the help!

Marc

[JTcooper]

Well, i have said it before and i'll say it again, i dislike, rather hate buil-in flash. And studio flash, is somewhat foreign to me in matters of model and make. I wanted to go for "hot-shoes" (i think that's what they're called....constant lights) and then figured, it would be a better idea to go with Flash units. But I have no clue what to look for? how to assess them!

And what would be a moderate or lets say logical price for a flash unit?

I am entering the professional arena at a slow pace, so price is not really a problem since I can save up for it!

All input is more than welcome, and thanks for the help!

Marc

well, I did not hear what you said before but not a problem. tell us what you have: camera, what kind shooting style you like. do you shoot bird, or landscape or people. as you were saying you dont like on camera flash or studio flash and you want some hot shoe and dont know how to look for one . heck , I don't even know what I'm talking about, sorry me no can't help, maybe someone in here know what you talking about...

[Photo-John]

A hot shoe is the thing on top of your SLR where you attach the flash. You're talking about "hot lights," so called because they get hot. It's that simple

What do you want to use your lights for? I have a set of Photoflex hot lights that I use for product photography and I love them. All of the product photos in the pro reviews here are shot with those lights. I like hot lights because with continuous lighting, what you see is what you get. You can never quite be sure with studio lights until you see the photo. But the digital camera / hot light combo is a killer because there's no mystery. You set it up, see what the light looks like, get the exposure right, and take your picture.

However, if you want to shoot action or portraits, strobes will be better. Hot lights are great for static subjects. But if there's any motion, you need strobes to freeze your subject. You just don't get enough light from continuous lighting.

That should sort it out for you a little. Let us know what other questions you have. I'm sure you have more.

[Greggie Boy]

Make sure that if you are going to use an auxiliary flash unit with a digital camera, "it does not have a high-voltage trigger" You will ruin the camera beyond repair.

[Garry B]

As mentioned in one of the replies above, your decision should be based on a variety of considerations including subject matter, location vs. studio, and budget. If I understand you correctly, You are looking for a relatively inexpensive way to get into professional lighting, but you are still unsure about the various possibilities that exist. I think that the first consideration you have to make, is whether you want continuous lights (aka "hot-lights"), or whether you would be better off with strobes. One advantage of hot lights is that what you see is fairly close to what you get. The disadvantage is that they are not nearly as bright as strobes, which means that freezing motion is pretty much out of the question. Most people prefer continous lights for product photography, because the subject is completely still and the continuous light source allows for easy lighting manipulation without going through a billion test exposures. As a good starting point, I would recomend the Photoflex StarLite series. There are several very affordable kits available. Photoflex also makes a huge line of excellent softboxes and other light modifiers.

On the other hand, if your plan is to photograph people or any kind of moving subject, or if you simply need to have a lot of power (e.g. - to light up a church interior during a wedding), then strobes are probably the way to go. With strobes, you can spend a little or a lot. The sky is the limit and as with anything else, you get what you pay for. Strobes range from the average shoe mount flash to high powered studio stobe systems. If stobes are your preference, then I would recommend looking at a large variety and making a decision based on your power needs as well as your budget. For general purpose photography, I might recommend looking at the quantum line. These flashes are powerful enough for most heavy duty location phtography. I have even used them with large softboxes and had plenty of power for my purposes. Moreover, the quantum line is an integrated system, which is scalable to your needs.

I hope this helps.

Garry B
http://www.webphotoschool.com

[MarcusK]

Thanks! All of this was great help!!

Basically, I dislike the on-camera flash! either built in or mounted...

All other options are fine with me! I just needed to know IF there is any difference between Hot-lights and Strobes...and had finally decided to get the strobes for many more benefits!

So I really wanted to see if there is any brand or type that is better...!

But at least now I can finish up my own research...so thanks for all the input Guys...

Marc