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Originally Posted by FlyBoeingJets  ...I really do think I need a second (and perhaps a third) SB-800 and some umbrellas. Or maybe just an inexpensive studio kit. |
I found deciding between getting more flashguns (like the SB-800 or the 580EX) and getting studio flashes was a tough one. I think it comes down to what you imagine yourself doing with them. The nice thing about the flashgun set up is that it is more of a "oh I was walking around and I found a setup that I thought would look good with a bit more light" as you can always carry them with you and they are battery powered. They also have the advantage if you are using in the case of Nikon their wireless i-TTL of being relatively smart, in that you set you exposure, and you can set group A to be a -1 stop, group B to be -2 stops, regardless of what the exposure ends up being, the camera figures it all out. If you are willing to go manual with them, and go off brand, you can add flashguns super cheap, as in $80 a head (for a Vivitar), which makes it very accessible.
With the studio strobes, it is much more, "OK, I know I want to shoot a portrait today, and I know where it is going to be and what it is going to be." There isn't the freedom that you have with the flashguns, as you need AC power (they can be mobile however with a battery pack and inverter, and they work very well). They are also going to be full manual, and the highest sync speed you are going to be able to get with them is probably 1/120th to 1/160th (remember that the flash duration is around 1/10,000, so even though the shutter is open for a while, with such a short flash burst, there isn't much motion blur, where it is a problem is if you are trying to use it as a fill light on a bright sunny day for action shots) but their greatest advantage is MUCH more power, which is most handy when you want to use light modifiers, such as BIG umbrellas or soft boxes, light up big rooms or fill a large area. I went with the studio strobes (from Alien Bee) which I currently love, but I imagine that making this set up mobile will hurt in the future if I want to do more location shooting, but for around the house, at work, or in studio, they have been great. As long as I have power, and more importantly, am willing to tote them around, I am very happy with them.