Oct 14, 2004, 09:51
Your understanding of TTL is pretty accurate (not that I am an expert in lighting - I am just getting setup myself).
Slave flashes detect light from the master flash (remember to turn preflash off) with a light sensor and then fire simultaneously. Sometimes you need to buy a separate trigger to make your flash work this way - if you are planning to go this route - check the slave trigger requirments of your flash out before you buy.
Studio strobes in the lower powers 100-200 watts/sec tend to be cheaper than flashes, and are adequate for individuals and small groups - initially you would want a 3 light setup - key light, fill light and rim light - my setup is my SB-800 and 2 strobes (slave triggers built in).
The 2 strobes with stands, 1 softbox, 1 umbrella, 1 set of barn doors, 1 snoot, 1 honeycomb, and a carrying case came to about $500 Cdn - which is much cheaper than buying flashes. The strobes have modeling lights, and adjustable power levels. This setup should be adequate for the amount of portraiture and product shooting that I currently do, and can be upgraded on a piece by piece basis if the need arises.
If I had other speedlights, I would have used them instead of one or more of the strobes. When I priced it out, there was no advantage to using speedlights for your secondary lights if you don't already own them. You still need the stands, umbrellas etc. to setup formal studio lighting whether you use flashes or strobes.
If I was using a D70 - I might have gone with an SB-600 for the fill light and a standard continuous light (not a strobe) for the rim light. That would have allowed me to use the full functionality of the speedlights at a "reasonable" cost.
Slave flashes detect light from the master flash (remember to turn preflash off) with a light sensor and then fire simultaneously. Sometimes you need to buy a separate trigger to make your flash work this way - if you are planning to go this route - check the slave trigger requirments of your flash out before you buy.
Studio strobes in the lower powers 100-200 watts/sec tend to be cheaper than flashes, and are adequate for individuals and small groups - initially you would want a 3 light setup - key light, fill light and rim light - my setup is my SB-800 and 2 strobes (slave triggers built in).
The 2 strobes with stands, 1 softbox, 1 umbrella, 1 set of barn doors, 1 snoot, 1 honeycomb, and a carrying case came to about $500 Cdn - which is much cheaper than buying flashes. The strobes have modeling lights, and adjustable power levels. This setup should be adequate for the amount of portraiture and product shooting that I currently do, and can be upgraded on a piece by piece basis if the need arises.
If I had other speedlights, I would have used them instead of one or more of the strobes. When I priced it out, there was no advantage to using speedlights for your secondary lights if you don't already own them. You still need the stands, umbrellas etc. to setup formal studio lighting whether you use flashes or strobes.
If I was using a D70 - I might have gone with an SB-600 for the fill light and a standard continuous light (not a strobe) for the rim light. That would have allowed me to use the full functionality of the speedlights at a "reasonable" cost.