Pretend You're Just Beginning: Buy a Light Kit or Piece it Together?

[The_Thin_Man]

Hi Everyone,

I received some stellar advice on my recent post regarding Lighting Suggestions for Artwork/Product Photograph. Now I'm starting down the path of purchasing gear knowing a monolight or strobe seems like the right fit. I don't mind gently used equipment so I've been searching locally on Craigslist but offerings are so scattered and random.

Searching for new gear I found that B&H sells a few kits:

1. Godox SK400II-V Studio Flash Monolight (2-Light Kit)
2. Godox QS400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit
3. Neewer S101-400Ws Photo Studio Strobe Flash Lighting Kit

These are lucrative for me because I have absolutely nothing other than my camera, lens and a fantastic tripod. I need lights (2), stands, umbrellas, a trigger and a case would also be nice.

Since I'm beginning, I don't need the best, just good enough to make sure this is the right direction. I can always upgrade. I might not always be doing copy work. I may need these lights for portraits or product photos so it would be nice to know they are somewhat versatile.

So, as the title states, if you were starting out again, are kits like this worth their salt or is it best to put it together yourself? And if you suggest the latter, what budget setup would you suggest?

 

[ronscuba]

Hi Everyone,

I received some stellar advice on my recent post regarding Lighting Suggestions for Artwork/Product Photograph. Now I'm starting down the path of purchasing gear knowing a monolight or strobe seems like the right fit. I don't mind gently used equipment so I've been searching locally on Craigslist but offerings are so scattered and random.

Searching for new gear I found that B&H sells a few kits:

1. Godox SK400II-V Studio Flash Monolight (2-Light Kit)
2. Godox QS400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit
3. Neewer S101-400Ws Photo Studio Strobe Flash Lighting Kit

These are lucrative for me because I have absolutely nothing other than my camera, lens and a fantastic tripod. I need lights (2), stands, umbrellas, a trigger and a case would also be nice.

Since I'm beginning, I don't need the best, just good enough to make sure this is the right direction. I can always upgrade. I might not always be doing copy work. I may need these lights for portraits or product photos so it would be nice to know they are somewhat versatile.

So, as the title states, if you were starting out again, are kits like this worth their salt or is it best to put it together yourself? And if you suggest the latter, what budget setup would you suggest?

I like Godox lights, but I would skip the kits you listed. I do not like the trigger, stands or modifiers.

Some questions to ask before buying a kit:

• what is the weight rating of the stands
• does the trigger allow adjusting, firing multiple flashes at different power settings
• is the kit discounted vs buying individually
• Godox makes many flashes, are the particular models in the kit, the right model for me
• why these modifiers vs different models or brands

I think putting it together yourself let's you choose what works best for your situation. If you describe details on your needs and budget, you will get plenty of recommendations hrere.

--
https://www.ronchauphoto.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rchau.photo

 

[Gato Amarillo]

I would go with Godox over Neewer simply because Godox has a much more complete system -- something you can grow with.

While I buy most of my gear from B&H, for Godox in the US I would go with Adorama - they offer a warranty and have a reputation for standing behind it.

As to a kit vs. buying individual items, it's hard to say. But the important thing is to get something and get started shooting, and a kit will get you up and going. Trying to research every individual item is like the old line about "learning to swim from a book" - you won't really know what you need until you start shooting and begin to develop your skills and style. You won't really understand what the equipment can do until you have used some of it.

Gato

 

[Ed Shapiro]

Hi Everyone,

I received some stellar advice on my recent post regarding Lighting Suggestions for Artwork/Product Photograph. Now I'm starting down the path of purchasing gear knowing a monolight or strobe seems like the right fit. I don't mind gently used equipment so I've been searching locally on Craigslist but offerings are so scattered and random.

Searching for new gear I found that B&H sells a few kits:

1. Godox SK400II-V Studio Flash Monolight (2-Light Kit)
2. Godox QS400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit
3. Neewer S101-400Ws Photo Studio Strobe Flash Lighting Kit

These are lucrative for me because I have absolutely nothing other than my camera, lens and a fantastic tripod. I need lights (2), stands, umbrellas, a trigger and a case would also be nice.

Since I'm beginning, I don't need the best, just good enough to make sure this is the right direction. I can always upgrade. I might not always be doing copy work. I may need these lights for portraits or product photos so it would be nice to know they are somewhat versatile.

So, as the title states, if you were starting out again, are kits like this worth their salt or is it best to put it together yourself? And if you suggest the latter, what budget setup would you suggest?

I recommend #2 choice. If you go with my previous recommendation which entails polarized ligh and a CPL filter, you will need a good stand parabolic reflector and enough power to address the loss of light volume due to the filtration of light and the CPL filter on the camera. 400 watt-second shod be sufficient.

The stands seem sturdy and will provide sufficient elevation and support. The softbox and umbrellas are not my best recommendation for art reproduction but will make your system more adaptable for products, portrats, and general work.

If you are starting from "scratch" the complete setup is a good choice, everything will fit together easily, and the powere outputs and color quality will match up. You can always purchase additional lights and accessories to augment your basic setup. The Godox line is very popular in its price range and future models will likely be compatible.

Purchase from a reliable dealer and make certain there's the availability of parts and services in your geographic location. I assume there will be a reasonable warranty.


Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada

 

[tcphoto1]

I specialize in Food, Product and Lifestyle images and would seriously look at Godox units with 600ws and powered by both battery and mains. It's always better to have too much power rather than running them near full power over extended periods of time. The kit stands are usually not great, I like different manufacturers modifiers and cases.

 

[The_Thin_Man]

This forum never ceases to amaze me. Thank you everyone for your excellent input. I appreciate it!

It's a bit overwhelming to sift through each post and come up with answers to questions I don't exactly know the answer to. The truth of it is, I'm an amateur that's looking to step into the studio world. I know I've got copy work projects but also know there could be other studio setups needed too. So, again, versatility. But for now, I don't know what I'll be shooting so spending a lot of money (the $650 Godox kit seems about right) doesn't feel like the wisest investment. Like Gato said, "you won't really know what you need until you start shooting and begin to develop your skills and style." So, the name of the game is to just get in it.

There has been mild acceptance of the Godox QS400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit. That's around what I'd like to spend and Godox, in general, seems like the best bang for the buck.

Knowing my situation, if anyone out there feels up to the challenge, I'd be interested in a basic setup you put together for a 400-500w setup (2), with stands, basic modifiers and a decent trigger that can outshine the kit above, I'm all ears! Or maybe I'll get more hits on this by asking the group at large?

 

[Klaus dk]

When I bought my first set of strobes, I was advised to get strobes with a large power range, the ones I got were 300 Ws with a power range from 1/1 to 1/128. I made a lot of studio portraits with those.

A 400 Ws strobe that can't go below 1/32 power, is somewhat limiting in a portrait studio, IMHO. To get faster recycle times, I usually run my 600 Ws main at 1/4 or 1/8 power, so a kicker or hair light just two or three stops under that is far too powerful, IME. We're talking f/5.6 or f/8 at ISO 100 here, so unless you think of overpowering the sun, you'll rarely want to use 400 Ws at full power. The real advantage of the extra headroom is the faster recycling — and of course the polarizer method for copy work suggested above.

In my experience model lights are fine for AF and flash-ready signaling, but only marginally useful for setting up lighting. The camera LCD gives much better and realistic feedback.

For the uses mentioned above, LEDs are sufficient, and they don't run as hot so they won't melt cheap gels.

The Godox Xpro controller with its TCM (TTL convert to Manual) button is a good help for a beginner, I think. But of course, it only works if the strobes are TTL enabled.

Good luck and good light.

 

[ronscuba]

This forum never ceases to amaze me. Thank you everyone for your excellent input. I appreciate it!

It's a bit overwhelming to sift through each post and come up with answers to questions I don't exactly know the answer to. The truth of it is, I'm an amateur that's looking to step into the studio world. I know I've got copy work projects but also know there could be other studio setups needed too. So, again, versatility. But for now, I don't know what I'll be shooting so spending a lot of money (the $650 Godox kit seems about right) doesn't feel like the wisest investment. Like Gato said, "you won't really know what you need until you start shooting and begin to develop your skills and style." So, the name of the game is to just get in it.

There has been mild acceptance of the Godox QS400II 2-Light Studio Flash Kit. That's around what I'd like to spend and Godox, in general, seems like the best bang for the buck.

Knowing my situation, if anyone out there feels up to the challenge, I'd be interested in a basic setup you put together for a 400-500w setup (2), with stands, basic modifiers and a decent trigger that can outshine the kit above, I'm all ears! Or maybe I'll get more hits on this by asking the group at large?

1st light kit recommendations can be tricky. Like others have said, you don't know what you will need until you start shooting. Plus who knows if you will stick with it or give it up.

That being said, here is my recommendation to give you versatility, ease of use and below your budget to allow future purchases after you get some experience. Selections from B&H website.



--
https://www.ronchauphoto.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rchau.photo

 

[The_Thin_Man]

Thank you, ronscuba! I greatly appreciate the alternative piece together kit! It's nice to see where upgrades are necessary compared to the kits I listed above.

The only edits I'd see is that I will need two lights (another umbrella, sandbags, etc.) so that will change the price a bit. That and I'm based in Oregon so no sales tax for me!

This is a very nice, simple kit. Thank you!

 

[ronscuba]

Thank you, ronscuba! I greatly appreciate the alternative piece together kit! It's nice to see where upgrades are necessary compared to the kits I listed above.

The only edits I'd see is that I will need two lights (another umbrella, sandbags, etc.) so that will change the price a bit. That and I'm based in Oregon so no sales tax for me!

This is a very nice, simple kit. Thank you!

2 sandbags in the list/pricing.

My suggestion has upgrades and downgrades. Upgrade in the trigger and softbox. Downgrade in the flashes. I think everyone should have a speedlight. A 300 watt light plus speedlight combination gives you lower power when needed vs two 400 watt lights.

1 umbrella and 1 softbox are the 2 modifiers. But a 2nd identical umbrella is not expensive. The speedlight I chose is also inexpensive so you could get a 2nd identical larger light and add the speedlight for not much more $.

I am sure others will chime in with their opinions. A lot of options out there. No one perfect setup for everyone.

--
https://www.ronchauphoto.com/
https://www.instagram.com/rchau.photo