Shooting On Location With Speedlights

Nikon SB-600 Speedlight

I've been to the studio a few times now, and to be honest I got bored rather quickly.  I loved playing with all the lights, but I really prefer to capture my subject in an dynamic environment.  So, I decided to rent a battery pack, and strobe to shoot on location(see Renting Photography Equipment).  I found that the pack and all of the gear could be cumbersome.  So, since then I've been considering shooting with small portable strobes.

Right now I have a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight with a Stofen Diffuser.  The only problem is that I need to get it off-camera.  The solution for me will be the Nikon SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander.  My next purchase will be the SU-800, another SB-600, and the Honl 1/8 Speed Grid.  This should hold me over until I can purchase a few more Speedlights and accessories.  Honl has some great accessories for Speedlights.  If you purchase all of the accessories it probably wouldn't be more than $200.Nikon SU-800 Wireless Speedlight Commander

I like these options because all of this stuff can be carried in one bag.  I can get great lighting without breaking my back or wallet.  For the price of the Vagabond II  battery pack, and even a cheap strobe,  I can have a nice portable setup.  The Vagabond alone weighs about 18 pounds which is more than all of my equipment combined.  When I get all the gear, and do a shoot, I'll post the results.  For more information on off-camera flash, check out the  Strobist blog.

Honl 1/8 Speed Grid

Update on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 11:09AM by Demond

LumoPro LP120

While doing some research to find a cheaper portable strobe, I stumbled upon the LumoPro LP120 manual flash. It's inexpensive at a price of only $129.95, so I can get two for the price of one SB-600.

What I like most about this flash unit is that it can be triggered in so many ways.  The LumoPro LP120 is the most versatile all manual flash in production today. In its one size fits all design, it offers four ways of synchronization with your camera through its PC port, miniphone port, optical slave sensor and hotshoe (PC/Miniphone cord included).

I'm definately going to pick up a few of these.  The LumoPro 120 is a good bargain that will help me with my portable lighting setup.

Specs:

GN	100 (True value, no EV compensation inflation, equivalent to Vivitar 285HV)
Swivel	270 degrees
Tilt	180 degrees
Zoom	28mm, 50mm, 85mm
Wide Angle adapter	Yes
Sync ports	Miniphone and PC
Shoe	Standard ISO size, center pin contact, locking ring
Optical Slave	Yes, Switchable On/Off
Power Variable	1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32
Power	4 AA (Alkaline or NiMh recommended)
Warranty	2 years - International