Posts Tagged “light kits”

For on camera lighting I use a couple of Canon 580 EX II flashes. They take some getting used to but do work. Yes, Nikon does seem to have a better flash system. So if on camera flash is a main part of your work, I would suggest looking into a Nikon system. Since it’s not for me, I’m a Canon guy.

I was all excited when Vivitar brought back their manual 285 flash. This used to be a workhorse. At less than $100 what a deal. It’s only a good deal if it works. I bought two. One quit about the third time I used it.

My studio mate bought one and it quit working the first time he used it. The dealers should be ashamed they even sell such a piece of junk.

My main system of lighting gear is all Speedotron Black line. I have used them for all of my professional career. I have two of the 805 packs, one 1205 pack, one 2400 pack and six 102 heads. What can I say, they work, they’re reliable. We use them in our studio lighting classes at school and they stand up to the student’s abuse. Yes, heavier than some of the other brands but the reliability is worth it.

I switched from using a MicroSync radio slave to Pocket Wizards.  They both have pros and cons.  I kept snapping the MicroSyc receivers in half.  The Pocket Wizards seem to always need new batteries and now there’s an extra connection to worry about.