[StarDust]

These flashes are mainly for "studio" photography. I'm mostly going to hook them up to cactus triggers and shoot away.
Wouldn't mind tilt + swivel but TTL is definately not an issue.
I know you have the Sunpaks and the Vivitars, but I don't know much about them.
Cheap and strong is what I'm after.

[enoeske]

These flashes are mainly for "studio" photography. I'm mostly going to hook them up to cactus triggers and shoot away.
Wouldn't mind tilt + swivel but TTL is definately not an issue.
I know you have the Sunpaks and the Vivitars, but I don't know much about them.
Cheap and strong is what I'm after.

There is the Lumopro lp120 from mpex.com

[sterretje]

Define strong Old Metz 45 or 60?

[StarDust]

45 may be a bit on the weak side but still within an acceptable margain.

[er1kksen]

Studio strobes?

[Wheatfield]

If you have the money to spend, just get some studio strobes. You won't be sorry.

[SALUKIS97]

These flashes are mainly for "studio" photography. I'm mostly going to hook them up to cactus triggers and shoot away.
Wouldn't mind tilt + swivel but TTL is definately not an issue.
I know you have the Sunpaks and the Vivitars, but I don't know much about them.
Cheap and strong is what I'm after.

I second the lumopro 120 from mpex. It was designed specifically for what you have in mind.

There is also the vivitar 285HV which is super cheap. If you buy a used one, make sure it's not one of the old ones which have too much trigger voltage and can fry your hotshoe if you put it on your camera.

I've been able to snag a nikon SB28, and SB26 from craigslist for under $100. They are my personal favorites at the moment, but you can only find them used.

Good luck, and you wont be sorry no matter which direction you choose.

[Wheatfield]

I second the lumopro 120 from mpex. It was designed specifically for what you have in mind.

There is also the vivitar 285HV which is super cheap. If you buy a used one, make sure it's not one of the old ones which have too much trigger voltage and can fry your hotshoe if you put it on your camera.

I've been able to snag a nikon SB28, and SB26 from craigslist for under $100. They are my personal favorites at the moment, but you can only find them used.

Good luck, and you wont be sorry no matter which direction you choose.

Great sigfile. Apparently, it hasn't happened yet.
So it goes.

Anyway, to the OP, if you want shoe mount flash units, there are lots of options out there, but keep in mind while people push them at you for "studio" use, studio photographers overwhelmingly choose lights that are designed from the ground up to be used in a studio environment.
I suspect they are on to something, since a lot of them start out with shoe mount strobes cobbled onto stands of some sort and when they can, graduate to real studio lights.
The route I took was a couple of Vivitar 285s on Popsicle stick light stands, and from there I went to a Metz 60CT series flash with a Mecatwin, and finally, 25 years ago, I grew a brain and bought a set of real studio lights, which I still use.
I have no desire to go back to my roots in this instance. I like the versatility of studio lights, I like the power output and fast recycling times, I like the quality of light that they put out and I like that I don't have to tape a MagLite to my flash head to get some semblance of modeling light.

While you may not be sorry, no matter which direction you choose, if you can afford the minimal extra outlay, there is far less chance of you being sorry if you pick up a set of real studio lights.

But don't trust me or anyone else here, go and talk to a few studio photographers. Look at what they are using for lighting. I'm betting that you will see very few shoe mount flash units on Popsicle sticks with MagLites taped to them in any studio you might visit.

Lights like the Flashpoints from Adorama are not overly expensive and will do a far better job in a studio than a shoe mount flash.

[noahpurdy]

If you're just experimenting with off camera flash and not looking to spend a lot of money you can't go wrong with some good old Vivitar 285s.

THAT said, if studio photography is what you want to get into, don't waste your time and get yourself some Alien Bees or other quality studio strobes.

When portability isn't a factor I find myself using my Alien Bee more and more than my Vivitar.

[StarDust]

Yes, as mentioned it's mostly experimenting, I'm not looking to make money on my limited photography skills. But I would also miss the ability to shoot outside with flashes. When I realize my skills are advancing enough and my wallet allows it I will probably sell off the my flashes and invest in some better equipment but until then I'm looking for something mobile and cheap.
Right now I can fit most of my equipment onto a backpack and that includes a flash stand wit ha folded softbox. I want to have at least one more stand, perhaps two and a couple of umbrellas. That way I can set up my lighting where-ever I go on a bike.
Also, I've read alot of tips and tricks on strobist.com so I guess I'm kind of into that.

The 285's seem to be the way to go for me. I'm going to have to look into that a bit more.

[SALUKIS97]

.....THAT said, if studio photography is what you want to get into, don't waste your time and get yourself some Alien Bees or other quality studio strobes.....

While I hardly condiser off camera hotshoe flashes a "waste of time" in the studio, having one or two studio strobes like an AB400 to start out with would be great for you.

I have an AB400 and a Norman dp320 that I use a lot (everything I have is fairly small but portable), but I almost always have one or two hotshoe flashes thrown in there somewhere.

But like the OP alluded to: the cheaper the better at this point.

All options given thus far will have you headed in the right direction imo.

[SALUKIS97]

....Also, I've read alot of tips and tricks on strobist.com so I guess I'm kind of into that.

Since you read strobist.com, you already know what a good photographer can do with ANY lightsource.

Going with the status quo doesn't always make the most sense does it?

[Wheatfield]

Since you read strobist.com, you already know what a good photographer can do with ANY lightsource.

Going with the status quo doesn't always make the most sense does it?

It does when you grow up and get serious about what you are doing.
Think about how much better a good photographer can do with a better light source.

[StarDust]

Studio lights are probably so much greater than puny little flashes, I fully agree on that point. But since I'm not going to go pro for at least two years, if ever, I think flashes are the better alternative.

Is the Vivitar 285HV the version I want to buy in order not to fry electronics?
What about the Sunpak 383. No comments on that flash?

[Steinback]

Some pre-HV 285s are low voltage but I'm not aware of any way to tell them apart other than testing the sync voltage. My non HV 285 has a much better build quality than my current production (~4 year old) 285 HV.

In my experience the Sunpak 383 is much harder to find new or used.