my 40d pics can be found here
got some decent ones of crystal castles,
Havent used it much, not really sure about the 17-85, mainly cause of the aperture, 4.5
waiting on 50mm 1.8
yeaā¦ 4.5 isnt so good with moving subjects in the dark. 50mm is good, but it has issues focusing in the dark.
Iāve been known to use a ST-E2 without any remote flashes just for the near-infrared af assist.
Same can be done with a 420, 430, 550, 580 I believe. You just set it in master and turn off the master flash and you get the af assist of the flash but no flash. Iāve not done it, but I know it is possible.
could you find out and let us know? id be interested in using the af assist in darker situations.:pleased:
edit: heard it doesnt with rebel bodiesā¦ bummer.=\
The 420/430 and 550 donāt have the ability to turn off the main flash with a rebel. (I found this out from a friend of mine that shoots w/ a 20D and a 550.) Basically, you can only access the custom functions of those flashes with a camera body that can control the custom functions of the flash. The custom functions on the 580 can be controlled from the back panel of the flash itself, so turning off the flash for a 580 shouldnāt be a problem, but I think that pre-flash still happens.
Of course, the ghetto solution is to get a set of barn doors for the flash and close them. If you DIY a set of barn doors, make sure that they vent properly or the heat will burn out your flash.
I think the worst thing about not driving is lack of interesting events within biking distance of my home, so I end up shooting things like thisā¦
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2546932807_12680d2dee.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2546939355_92e20bd72b.jpg
So, I just spent more money than I would have liked to get some pictures done for my dad on Fatherās day of my daughter and my nephew. Of course, being as thrifty as I amā¦ I wanted to look into buying some āstudioā equipment, or at least making some ghetto DIY equipment. How much would I be looking to spend for some decent lighting and a backdrop?
hmmā¦ i dont have any pro grade stuff. you might want to talk to REI about that stuff. but the lights i use for my in studio portraiture are just regular incandescence bulbs with umbrellas for reflecting and diffusing. its pretty cheap but not very convenient sometimes.
http://www.amazon.com/KT900-3-Light-1250-Watt-Mini-Boom-Kit/dp/B0000AJB80/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1213036256&sr=8-1
the problem with constant lights, they heat up very fast and can irritate your eyes if youre sensitive to bight lights. and most the time, it is the model thats by the lights. they can get very uncomfortable after long sittings.
i have 500watt bulbs screwed in them and theyre bright enough to light a mid size room, plenty to light a single subject.
great for product photography tho.
i normally use one lamp with an umbrella diffusing, the boom lamp as a hair light, and a large white card to bounce. plenty good for me.
do you have an external flash for your camera yet? you can do a lot with those too.
No external flash yet, Iām thinking about getting one, I just have the 420EX on top of my camera for now.
Thanks for the advice. That light set looks pretty good, not too expensive. I found this DIY lighting solution online, but the one you show is probably a lot more versatile. What do you use for backgrounds? I found some DIY site that shows how to make a structure to hold up different backdrops out of PVC pipes, but if thereās a better way or a way to take more professional looking pics, Iām all ears.
yea, ive seen those used for outdoor. thats fine. but for indoor, they get insanely hot.
back dropā¦ i use various fabrics. from bed sheets to window curtains. bed sheets are probably hte cheapest. you can get queen sized for about 10 bux at ikea. curtains are a little more expensiveā¦ like the 2nd pic of the girl in sun glasses. those curtains were about 30 buxā¦ but theyre huge. i bought them cuz they were velvet and reflected very little.
to hold up the fabric, i have a frame made out of PVC pipes. its approximately 7x12ft. enough for waist up photos of adults. kinda tricky to get full body with the size, but can be done. im thinking about rebuilding the stands of that pvc frame to be more sturdyā¦ right now its kinda wobbly. -shrugs-. thats my in studio set up in a nut shell.
Thanks for the advice. Iām looking into building a backdrop stand this weekend hopefully, and I got some Muslin to use as a Backdrop. Iāll work on the lighting solutionā¦ One more question, for the first pic in the post, did you use a bedsheet for the backdrop? The pics are really good.
So, I think Iām going to make the plunge and buy another Canon EX flash to use as a slave. Iāve incorrectly stated that I have a 420EX on my camera, I actually have a 550EX.
I am looking at either a 420EX or a 430EX as a slave though. At about a $100 difference online, is there any reason to get the 430ex over the 420ex when Iām mainly going to use it as a slave?
ehhā¦ if youre talking about the one with the flower print on it- it was my friends living room wall. it just had some tacky wallpaper that i wanted to take advantage of. not a bed sheet. but you can probably find a bed sheet with tacky prints on it and use it if youd like.
im not too experienced with flashes. i would imagine as long as one of them has a master mode and the other has a slave mode, youd be okā¦ im not sure if either of the 420/430 has a master but im sure they have slave.
Yeah, my 550EX can be used as a master, so Iāll be using the other flash as a slave. Since the slave will pretty much just be secondary light, I guess I can go with the 420EX. Iām actually pretty excited about this. Thanks for the advice and everything, if I get everything together soon, Iāll post some pics.
Do not buy the 420.
The difference is that you donāt have any manual controls on the back of the 420 flash. In other words, all the custom functions must be accessed by either the camera body or the master controller. At least, you shouldnāt waste your money on the 420. On a rebel or similar, there is no way to access anything except ttl modes. The only way to access any non-auto modes is with a 580EX as master, STE2 as master, or a 40D or better camera body. The bummer is that a 550EX can only access the custom functions of the 420EX if you have a camera that can control the custom functions of the 550EX.
On the 430, you can access all manual controls from the flash body, and can do more with it. I have two 420s, and a 430, and feel that the price jump is worth the money.
Before I start brane dumping about lights, let me preface this. The more ghetto and DIY you get, the more you have to understand lighting and why you are doing what you are doing. More brane = Less money spent on equipment.
So, here are some good setups that I have personally used, and ballpark figures. First with the muslin.
When I first started out, I used a technique outlined on this page:
However, I sewed the edges and created a hem on one side that will slip over pvc tubing, because I was also using pvc pipe as my backdrop holder.
Currently, I use a few different 10x20 muslins from denny manufacturing, and actual backdrop stands.
I couldnāt get any of the backdrop stuff that I made DIY to stand up to the abuse of getting set-up and torn down day to day at various location shoots. If you are going to use a muslin at home for an occasional shoot, then the DIY route is the way to go. If you need the backdrop and the stands set up and torn down multiple times a day on a daily basis, then it is worth the moeny to invest in what the professional shops have to offer.
As for lighting, you have to break it down and decide how you want to solve the basic 3-point lighting set-up. You have a key, a fill, and a rim light. The cheapest way to create that lighting is to get a cheap floodlamp and/or flash and two reflectors. When I was starting out, I used a Vivitar 285HV, PC sync cable and a pair of pop-up windshield reflectors. The flash as a key, the reflectors as the fill and rim. As far as price goes, floodlamps can be had for 20 bucks, and the 285 is 80 bucks.
Currently I use one of three lighting set-ups.
This is in all three setups:
x2 44 inch convertable umbrellas. (Can be used as shoot through or bounce umbrellas)
x1 snoot or grid
x3 light stands
The setup I use for changing lighting conditions and quick and easy ttl 3-point light set up is x2 580EX and x1 430EX (Or x1 550EX and x2 420EX) and x3 hotshoe umbrella stand adapters.
The setup I use for actual studio setups is x2 Alienbees B800s and x1 Alienbees B400.
The setup I use as a backup system for either of the above is x3 Nikon SB26s and x3 hotshoe umbrella stand adapters.
If anyone has any questions about any of those setups, then let me know. As far as bang for you buck, the Nikon SB26s and the Vivtar 285HVs are clear winners for getting started in studio lighting. There are some good deals on the Vivitar w/umbrellas and stands here:
http://www.mpex.com/page.htm?PG=Strobist%20Kits
Rei,
Thanks! I was actually just about to buy the 420, haha. Iām glad I checked here first.
Thatās the exact site I saw for the DIY Muslin, Iām going to try that soon, I have the Muslin, but they were out of the RIT Dye. Iāll do it sometime this week hopefully.
Iām really just looking to use it at home right now, so It should last me for a while. Right now Iām just going to be shooting my family and friends. Iāll see how the Muslin works out, and Iāll go from there.
As for the link you put up, Iām interested in maybe SW1. It should be worth it to get a wireless setup right now, yes? Would you recommend I get the Vivitar 285HV right now with the kit, or get a better flash like the 430 if I can afford it?
If I do get a 430ex, I think I may be able to save some money by buying/DIYing some of the other components in those kits. Iām thinking my 550EX as a master, 430ex as a slave and an additional reflector or maybe a diffused floodlight. Iād use some type of diffuser or bounce card on the 550ex, and an umbrella with the 430ex. Iām kind of unfamiliar with the snoot/grid, so Iāll research that. Iām going to start reading Strobist blog a lot, too.
Thanks so much again.
As a side note, I think you should try to start up the SRK photo assignments again. I think interest in this thread is picking up again, and I think some of us were just shy about getting live subjects for our first assignment. Could be just me though.
You can think of it this way, a 420EX can do all of the TTL and ETTL stuff that a 430EX can do. However, it canāt do any of the manual output or flash head zooming that a 430EX can do. A Vivitar 285hv can do all of the manual output and flash head zooming that a 430EX can do, but can NOT do any TTL or ETTL. The Vivitar 285hv and the 420EX combined have the same capability as the 430EX.
So, if you have the money, get the 430EX.
As far as those kits on that link I pointed out. Iām not a fan of all of the stuff in those kits, as you could DIY most of it. However, if you walked into any camera store or used any online store, getting a 44 inch double fold umbrella along with a nice 8ft light stand and an umbrella swivel would cost you 150-180 bucks. The starving student kit without the flash is easily a great value as you get all three of those items as well as several useful items like a snoot, barn doors, gels and a pc cord as well.
Then you can put the 430EX in slave mode on a stand shooting into an umbrella as your key light, put your 550EX on master, and use a barn door and reflector to get a fill light, and you can get some fantastic shots. You mentioned doing something like this, and I can verify that it is very effective.
I use optical wireless all the time. The only thing that you need radio wireless for is to go around corners and so that other people around you donāt trip your optical slaves. If you are at home in a controlled environment, then radio wireless is overkill.
Also, a good tip for the muslin is to build the thing that you are going to hang the muslin from before you dye the muslin. That way, you can hang the muslin from whatever you built when you are drying it after the dying process.
I think that it is awesome that you are interested in photographing your children.
Well, as my first child was born a few days ago, Iām just in time for fatherās day. Today was also the first day that we were able to stay home with the new baby and have lots of people come over and visit the little one. So, for fatherās day I set up a backdrop, a pair of alienbees, and a rebel in a small corner, like a photo booth.
As people came and went, we literally got hundreds of photos of all the friends and family with the new baby. It was great fun. I wonāt post all of them, but here are a few that are some exactly as they came out of the camera to show what types of photos we got for my fatherās day.
Me and my son.
My brother and my son.
My brother, Me, my son, my wife, and my mother.
Thanks! And congrats on the new baby. Fatherhood is such a great thing, althought trying at times. Get ready to take lots of pictures, I take hundreds a month of mine 
Since pictures speak louder than words, here is what Iām talking about.
Left to right, here is the set up. An umbrella stand, with a reflector and a 99 cent clamp. (You can use pvc pipe, and cardboard covered with aluminum foil for this)
A 580EX with a barndoor. (It isnāt a real barn door, rather it is [media=youtube]RNCmuExlHvM"[/media] ) The 580EX is in master mode, and a 550EX can easily be substituted to do exactly the same thing.
The tripod and the camera are just stand-ins for me and my camera. Also, the scarecrow is from the back yard, because I couldnāt get anyone to pose for me.
Finally, on the right, we have an umbrella stand, a hotshoe umbrella stand adapter, an umbrella, and a 430EX on slave mode.
Here is what the final product looks like when you use that setup.
