My First Lighting Kit, Which To Choose?

[RONMAN1990]

Hey guys I am currently in the market for a lighting kit between $500-$1000 as it's my first kit but I still want something of a reliable and good quality. I have found 2 particular kits on ebay which I am trying to decide between but not having any luck!

I was just wondering if anybody knows what to look for in a lighting kit and if interested check out the 2 kits at the links below and let me know what you think it would be greatly appreciated!

Kit #1: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=370232812602

Kit #2: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=270432405767

Regards,

Brodie.

[Jimbo]

Brodie,

I think we'd probably like a bit more information about you: what camera gear do you have, have you done this kind of photography before, etc.

I've not used this level of lighting gear myself, but it would seem a bit of overkill if you're not setting up a professional studio.

[RONMAN1990]

Brodie,

I think we'd probably like a bit more information about you: what camera gear do you have, have you done this kind of photography before, etc.

I've not used this level of lighting gear myself, but it would seem a bit of overkill if you're not setting up a professional studio.

I own a Nikon D50 with 18-55mm, 50mm, 10-24mm, 70-300mm + SB-800 speedlight etc
and although I am not a professional photographer I still do require this level of lighting as I am beginning to do a bit of work with large groups. I have used a set of Elinchrom flashes before which were absolutely amazing but I cannot afford that level of quality lighting yet so just wanted to find a cheaper option...

[Jimbo]

Well, it sounds like you know more than me - I'm just a hobbyist, using 1 SB off camera to light family. I was concerned that those kind of flash heads were more power than you need, but if you're lighting large groups then maybe you do.

My concern with those kits are the brands of flash unit. Are they made by a reputable brand? Or are they cheap knockoffs? If something goes wrong with them, will you be able to get them repaired/replaced under warranty, especially since you've bought them on Ebay?

An alternative suggestion, if you don't need that much power, is to buy a kit of brollies/softboxes/lightstands (would be ~$200-300?), and get yourself a second SB. Secondhand SB28s can be had for around $100-150 shipped from the US, and could be used in conjunction with your existing SB for a 2 light setup. Then, you could put whatever you save towards buying Elinchromes/Alienbees/etc down the track - giving you reliability/quality/power if you need it.

I guess I'm just concerned you'd buy one of these kits and then be replacing the flash units in 6 months because they not up to the job.

[oldfart]

I already have a small studio lighting kit but have been looking for a while at This ebay item

The portability of it, along with the Bowen S-Type fittings make it a step up from the basic ebay strobe setup I'm using now. I'm amazed how quickly my initial elcheapo lights purchase now seems to be a limiting factor to how I shoot, I guess the adage you get what you pay for still stands true today.

[Sammi]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=140319449404
this is the lighting set i purchased, so far i can not really fault it bah the fact i havent been able to get a reading below F5.8 need to get some white shower curtain as suggested by andrew in one of my posts so i can try to shoot almost open with the 50mm.

The ebay seller is excellent, i paid for the item then 5 days later the item was at my door in rural victoria all the way from china,

[RONMAN1990]

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=140319449404
this is the lighting set i purchased, so far i can not really fault it bah the fact i havent been able to get a reading below F5.8 need to get some white shower curtain as suggested by andrew in one of my posts so i can try to shoot almost open with the 50mm.

The ebay seller is excellent, i paid for the item then 5 days later the item was at my door in rural victoria all the way from china,

thanks very much for the link i checked it out and i actually think im going to buy this kit. I've done a bit of research on it and although I couldnt find much on the actual brand I did however find a lot of other photogaphers who have bought the exact same kit and seem to be very pleased with it for the price. The only worry I had was getting replacement bulbs, have you had any trouble getting hold of these Sammi?

[RONMAN1990]

I already have a small studio lighting kit but have been looking for a while at This ebay item

The portability of it, along with the Bowen S-Type fittings make it a step up from the basic ebay strobe setup I'm using now. I'm amazed how quickly my initial elcheapo lights purchase now seems to be a limiting factor to how I shoot, I guess the adage you get what you pay for still stands true today.

yeah its definitely one of the better lighting setups on ebay i have actually had a look at it myself but I think I would be more inclined to go with a kit that has the full package (lighting stands, soft boxes, umbrellas, sync cables/triggers etc.) plus they do include a few extra little goodies such as snoots, barndoors and coloured filters which I know are probably cheap enough to buy separately but I think something on the cheaper side of $800-900 with the complete works is what I will end up going with....until I get some better paid work at least haha

[ehor]

I'd go an elinchrom d-lite 2 kit. Just at the 1k mark.
For a few hundred more you could get the d-lite 4.

Sure the specs don't look as good as the ebay ones but with anything electrical, I'd prefer to get a proven brand.