Low cost speedlights for EM5 (home portrait)

Mark Twain · Oct 20, 2015

I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

gregs4163 · Oct 20, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

I recommend Youngnuo, tremendous bang for the buck and powerful too. Get the 560 MkIII or the MkIV's they're only like $70 on Amazon! I own (3) 560 MkIII's and love them!

jwilliams · Oct 20, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

You are thinking along the right lines. I would suggest 2 manual flashes, 2 light stands, 2 swivel flash holders and 2 umbrellas. You might be able to find this as a package. It would be preferable to get something that has radio control capability. I'm not talking about TTL radio control, just the ability to fire the flashes.

I suggest searching on Amazon. I have a couple of Yongnuo flashes with the radio controller built in. You might run a bit over $200, but not much if you shop carefully. I think I paid about $80 for the flashes with buuilt in radio control. Umbrellas, flash holders and stands can be found relatively cheap.

If I get a chance I'll try to get some more specific info about models etc.

Edit:

Here are the flashes I have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ash&qid=1445356392&ref_=sr_1_2&s=photo&sr=1-2

Inexpensive umbrellas:

http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Tr...sim_421_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NSS78PJ4T4CG99ZBTSZ

Cheap flash holder:

http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio...sim_421_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=098A0B0QV2NNT5AXHWPE

Stands:

http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-...421_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=089WZEJ3PY345GJRGCQC

These are inexpensive products that should do OK for once in a while home use. The flash is very good I have that model and am quite happy with it. If anything I might try to upgrade the flash holder to one that is all metal. Umbrellas and stands would be fine for your use. Search around and you can probably find some packages.

You will also need a transmitter on the camera to fire the flashes.

I think this is the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-RF-60...sim_421_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1S7EAN78FZD64RMJP289

Although these are for Canon I think they will work on Oly cameras. Might need to do some research first as I have an older version of these.

Here is a link to the Amazon page with lighting kits:

Loading…

www.amazon.com

jwilliams · Oct 20, 2015

Another option instead of using 2 light sources is get a large 5-6 ft umbrella and a collapsable white reflector. This works quite well in a small space since the umbrella is so large. Use it to light slightly from the side and the reflector to act as fill. If you do this you'll need to get better quality stands and flash holder due to the large umbrella. If you go this route you could afford 'better' equipment since you only need one set and later buy an additional light if you find you need it.

uRebel Rob · Oct 20, 2015

Another YongNuo user here. I have 2 YN560IIIs, a YN560TX, 2 603NII (Nikon version since I still have my D5100), and 2 old YN560IIs (bought before I got into m43 system).

I love the YN560III (and the IV) with the internal radio receiver + the YN560TX, as you can control the flash power and zoom from the TX (~$45-50), but the 603 II is cheaper and also triggers the internal 560III/IV recevers (so you'd only need one 603 II). If you get the 603, make sure it's the II version with the switch on the side; the first version needed a hack to work on m43 cameras. Or even cheaper, set the YN560s in S1 mode (optical slave), and set your on camera flash to manual and lowest flash level.

You might be able to get a light stand kit with 2 stands, umbrellas, and flash holder for ~$50-70.

Another even cheaper option is to forget the flash, and get a continuous light kit, like this one on amazon. I'm not a fan of this, but if you're not going to use the flash much anyway, you can save ~$150 or so.

Mark Twain · Oct 20, 2015

jwilliams, many thanks for the links and recommendation. That saves me a lot of time.

Cheers,

Mark

Atlasman · Oct 20, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

If you are shooting with a fast lens, I would consider the Olympus FL-300R. It's small, gives you TTL and you can use the EM5's "on-board" flash as a trigger.

Paulmorgan · Oct 20, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

It should be pretty easily done with 200$.

A pair of 560`s, a cheap set of triggers, stands etc.

Have you still got your Nikon units ? If you have add a second hand FL50R and shoot using TTL with your nikons set to slave.

SGA · Oct 20, 2015

Check out the Strobist kits at Midwest Photo:

Loading…

mpex.com

Donald B · Oct 21, 2015

jwilliams said:
Another option instead of using 2 light sources is get a large 5-6 ft umbrella and a collapsable white reflector. This works quite well in a small space since the umbrella is so large. Use it to light slightly from the side and the reflector to act as fill. If you do this you'll need to get better quality stands and flash holder due to the large umbrella. If you go this route you could afford 'better' equipment since you only need one set and later buy an additional light if you find you need it.

Mark Twain · Oct 21, 2015

I looked at YONGNUO YN560 III or IV on amazon (or B&H) but found out a lot of units will quickly develop a problem where the flash will only fire at full power. A search on this forum seems to suggest this is a common problem of this product:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3778930

Right now I have two Neewer TT560 in my amazon shopping cart: it's 50% cheaper with 6-month US warranty. I hope they can do the job as optical slaves trigged by the small add-on flash that comes with my EM5.

Mark

Dreeke · Oct 21, 2015

How about two softboxes with daylight bulbs? A set should cost aprox. $80.

Mark Twain · Oct 21, 2015

Dreeke said:
How about two softboxes with daylight bulbs? A set should cost aprox. $80.

I have daylight bulbs at home. My impression is it can not give me the 'studio look' I'm after from a real flash.

jwilliams · Oct 21, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I looked at YONGNUO YN560 III or IV on amazon (or B&H) but found out a lot of units will quickly develop a problem where the flash will only fire at full power. A search on this forum seems to suggest this is a common problem of this product:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3778930

Right now I have two Neewer TT560 in my amazon shopping cart: it's 50% cheaper with 6-month US warranty. I hope they can do the job as optical slaves trigged by the small add-on flash that comes with my EM5.

Mark

They will probably do the job, but I wouldn't put too much in the reports of problems with the Yongnuo flashes. Remember people that will have a problem will usually complain, but when everything is fine they are usually quiet. So take internet reviews and forums with a grain of salt. There may well be problems with some units, but overall I found the Yungnuo flashes to be among the most popular of the inexpensive flashes.

FWIW if I had to generalize I would say the Neweer products are probably a notch below Yungnuo, but both are inexpensive and as such they aren't likely getting extensive QC testing before leaving the factory. My YN560IVs have worked flawlessly and the build quality is better than I would have expected given the price. Get the Neewers if you want to save some $$, but do not fooled into thinking they are superior. There is usually a reason for the lower price.

uRebel Rob · Oct 21, 2015

jwilliams said:
They will probably do the job, but I wouldn't put too much in the reports of problems with the Yongnuo flashes. Remember people that will have a problem will usually complain, but when everything is fine they are usually quiet. So take internet reviews and forums with a grain of salt. There may well be problems with some units, but overall I found the Yungnuo flashes to be among the most popular of the inexpensive flashes.

FWIW if I had to generalize I would say the Neweer products are probably a notch below Yungnuo, but both are inexpensive and as such they aren't likely getting extensive QC testing before leaving the factory. My YN560IVs have worked flawlessly and the build quality is better than I would have expected given the price. Get the Neewers if you want to save some $$, but do not fooled into thinking they are superior. There is usually a reason for the lower price.

Martin Ocando · Oct 21, 2015

uRebel Rob said:
jwilliams said:

They will probably do the job, but I wouldn't put too much in the reports of problems with the Yongnuo flashes. Remember people that will have a problem will usually complain, but when everything is fine they are usually quiet. So take internet reviews and forums with a grain of salt. There may well be problems with some units, but overall I found the Yungnuo flashes to be among the most popular of the inexpensive flashes.

FWIW if I had to generalize I would say the Neweer products are probably a notch below Yungnuo, but both are inexpensive and as such they aren't likely getting extensive QC testing before leaving the factory. My YN560IVs have worked flawlessly and the build quality is better than I would have expected given the price. Get the Neewers if you want to save some $$, but do not fooled into thinking they are superior. There is usually a reason for the lower price.

Click to expand...

Martin Ocando · Oct 21, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I have an OMD EM5 with a 25mm F1.4 lens. This year I'd like to have our thanksgiving portraits done at home instead of going to a mall, spending $150 and get a few jpegs on the CD. The last time we went the photographer hand-held a Canon with two studio lights. The jpegs came out great except when I zoomed in 100% and found 50% of the photos were either out of focus, or for whatever reason, not pin-sharp.

My budget is $200 and I'm Ok buying used. I plan to buy two manual speed lights (off brand, used are Ok), a couple of stands/diffuser and shoot from a tripod with self-timer (so I can be in the photo). For my purpose I don't think I need TTL flash, or do I? (manual exposure at 1/250s, F5.6). I used Nikon DSLR with SB800 before but have zero experience with EM5.

I prefer speedlights to power strobes due to convenience and space saving. I have plenty of 2500 mah AA batteries at home.

Any advice?

Mark

This is the list of things that I got:

Umbrella bracket for flash units: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/742153-REG/Interfit_STR140_Metal_Umbrella_Bracket_with.html

Umbrella softbox: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_4&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Basic light stand: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...and&qid=1445458758&ref_=sr_1_1&s=photo&sr=1-1

Yongnuo 560TX wireless trigger: https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-YN56...=UTF8&qid=1445458828&sr=1-24&keywords=yongnuo

Yongnuo 560-III flash unit: https://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-Prof...e=UTF8&qid=1445458828&sr=1-1&keywords=yongnuo

Just double the items for two lights, but don't buy 2 transmitters. You only need one.

You can also change the softbox umbrella for a regular, or a black reflective one, and try with different lighting conditions. Although, the softbox should be enough to give you the "studio" look.

--
Martin
"One of the biggest mistakes a photographer can make is to look at the real world and cling to the vain hope that next time his film will somehow bear a closer resemblance to it" - Galen Rowell

Paulmorgan · Oct 21, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I looked at YONGNUO YN560 III or IV on amazon (or B&H) but found out a lot of units will quickly develop a problem where the flash will only fire at full power. A search on this forum seems to suggest this is a common problem of this product:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3778930

Right now I have two Neewer TT560 in my amazon shopping cart: it's 50% cheaper with 6-month US warranty. I hope they can do the job as optical slaves trigged by the small add-on flash that comes with my EM5.

Mark

I`ve never had any problems with my 560`s and they get a lot of use.

The only downer is the quoted guide number of 58, really there no more than 50 (tested) and not all that good if your expecting that amount of power.

Its a common complaint with Yongnuo units, they never deliver what is quoted on paper.

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Alien from Mars · Oct 22, 2015

Mark Twain said:
I looked at YONGNUO YN560 III or IV on amazon (or B&H) but found out a lot of units will quickly develop a problem where the flash will only fire at full power. A search on this forum seems to suggest this is a common problem of this product:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3778930

Right now I have two Neewer TT560 in my amazon shopping cart: it's 50% cheaper with 6-month US warranty. I hope they can do the job as optical slaves trigged by the small add-on flash that comes with my EM5.

Mark

It is really hard to say how widespread the problem with YN flashguns is. We have no access to total sales numbers as well as failure statistics.

What we can say is that "stuck in full power" failure is most common type of failure and that it happens to some of the YN flashguns. There are reports of other problems (any electronic component can fail) but the IGBT transistor failure that leads to the unit being stuck on full power seems to be the biggest problem.

All personal reports are anecdotal (both "never had any problems" and "2 out of 4 failed in six months") until you collect thousands of them.

The fix is easy and inexpensive. Two of the YN560-IV I repaired by replacing the IGBT transistor are still working after several months although I did not put them to serious stress test yet, just several occasional shoots of 50-100 photos each (flashes worked in 1/4-1/16 power range) which those flashes survived just fine.

LincolnB · Oct 22, 2015

I use inexpensive Neewer/Godox manual speedlights like the TT560 ($35) and dumb wireless radio transmitters ($20). Then you'll want umbrellas and light stands. The whole setup might run less than $200 for two speedlights and two light stands with umbrellas.

Low cost speedlights for EM5 (home portrait)

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