Originally posted by Digitalis This is dependent entirely upon the subject matter, but the greater the number of lights you have will increase the range and styles of lighting you can create.
My needs can be boiled down to 3 scenarios:
1. Normal indoor low light candid type shooting. The flashes I have cover this neatly for the most part, but occasionally I'm at a venue with a very high ceiling (and far to the walls), so bouncing requires lots of power. I usually max out at 1/8 power, so I can shoot faster
2. Indoor group photos with 50-100 people. I'm pretty much covered here as well. I use 6 flashes and bounce them all from the ceiling at around 1/8 power.
3. Outdoor photography (wedding). This could be under harsh light or during a gray and dull day. Under harsh light, a single flash will barely, if at all, be noticeable. Using 3 lights as one, helps a lot and that's what I recently tried.
Originally posted by Digitalis However I like to use large flash modifiers - it is harder to work with small modifiers as their quality of light is harder and their optimal working distance is shorter compared to larger modifiers.
Will the Witstro's not work well with third party modifiers?
Originally posted by Digitalis I have worked with Westcott modifiers [ zeppelin 90cm and 150cm] and I have students that use SMDV octoboxes with great success. They are suited for rapid set up and easy break-down, and the small modifiers are well suited for use on a hand held boom.
Thanks, I'll have a closer look. Upon the first look it seems SMDV only has brackets for a single flash and that's not going to cut it for me.
Originally posted by Digitalis
Also, If you are working in small spaces, grids for light sources can be extremely useful for controlling stray light. Some photographers never think to put grids on their softboxes - but it is a useful technique when you are working in a small area and only need a small soft controlled pool of light.
I've done quiet a bit of shooting in studio using strobes, just not ever bought my own "studio" gear.
Originally posted by Dan Rentea You can use FT-16 trigger to control the power of the flashes, but no HSS control.
And if I wanted to non-Godox gear, I suppose that's when to use X1 receivers?
Originally posted by Dan Rentea That backpack weighs around 6kg. Both backpacks secure the light stands pretty well on a day without too much wind.
6KG when there's not too much wind :S How much would I need for, say a 120octa at some 2m height, to keep it from tipping over in some normal at-the-beach/coast windy conditions?
Originally posted by Digitalis But there is also an advantage in having the AD 180s
-longer battery life 450 shots Vs 900 - the extra stop in power output comes at a cost.
-faster recycle times 2.6s vs 4.5s @ 1:1 power. Use the dual port adapter cable and those recycle times can be cut in half.
But those numbers are not with a direct comparison. If the AD 360 was set to half power, hows the recycle then, and for how many shots would the batteries last?
What matters the most is, if I should get the 180 or 360 - my impression is, I should get the 360, if I went with any of these.
I've been hesitating about Witstro since I bought some Godox flashes, where the build quality is crap. I have to use tape to keep the batteries from falling out, and the click-locking mechanism used to lock the head in place when turned, is completely gone on one flash, after only few months.