Hankwt Loc: kingsville ontario

Happy New years All !!
Im Just an amateur that loves this hobby - never made a cent or plan on it !!! My interests a far and wide - landscape , sports, macro ,family - nuts & bolts kind of shooter !!

Im venturing further into my use of speedlights - Nikon D800e and D7000
with SB700 and an SB910 ( various lenses which you can see in my profile ) Id like to set up a smallish type of for lack of better words " Studio" in my basement- someday pics of family , maybe grandkids when they come, but for now mostly static objects as I learn . My questions are concerning equipment - would you recommend umbrellas or soft boxes on stands - umbrellas in my mind (shoot thru /reflective combo seem to be the way to go. 1 or 2 sets with a reflector as well ?? so many choices out there !!!

Secondly is the use of radio triggers - I am pretty certain i want to go the way of Pocket Wizards as they seem to be the " Standard" I prefer quality every time over price. My confusion with the wizards comes down to which ones- I was looking at the Plus X version but i believe they require a corded link to the flashes which the SB 700 does not have a port - is there a work around ?? recomendations ?? am I perhaps going the wrong route with the Plus X version ?
PS I do shoot in raw , PP with LR5 , and currently learning PSE11 as well as the Medium Wacom pro tablet......... I have alot on my plate !!! I have plenty of time to learn - retired , with upcoming bilateral knee replacement so during recovery I won’t get bored !!
If you need more info from me please ask away !!!! as I said I really value your opinions here on UHH.

Photog8 Loc: Morriston, FL

I always preferred softboxes but both give great results. (Here is a very unscientific comparison I did a while back, for what it's worth). The larger the better for 3/4 and full length or group shots. There are a lot of "working" pros here that can offer much more advice. Good luck and Happy New Year. ;-)

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-138436-1.html

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

I have umbrellas now (they were cheap to start with), but am thinking about adding soft boxes.

amehta Loc: Boston

If you're thinking of shoot-through umbrellas, you might as well get softboxes. They're simpler, you aim and shoot.

With all the equipment you've invested in, just use the pop-up flash as a commander for the flashes. In the controlled setting, line-of-sight isn't a problem. And the TTL works spectacularly, even with multiple flashes at different power levels.

I would suggest "stay-charged" rechargeable AAs. They won't be dead in a week like normal NiMH rechargeables, and they recycle the flash very quickly, faster than alkalines.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Not heard of "Stay-Charged" AA's here in UK. Are they the same as 'Eneloop' made by Sanyo. ??

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

Yes Hank your cameras both have commander mode. Have a look at Nikon CLS Creative Lighting System....also u-tube has some video tutorials on setting up commander mode.

amehta Loc: Boston

Yes, the "stay charged" is how Duracell, and I think Energizer, market it. They use the same approach which the Eneloop pioneered.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Thanks for that info'. I bought the eneloop batteries, as a review stated that they held their charge longer, when part used, and standing idle. The normal nmh tend to self discharge slowly.

Glider Loc: Austin

If you are going Pocket Wizard and you want to use your speedlights, get the TT5s and a TT1 with an AC3 on top of the TT1. They will work on anything, including your speedlights and they will allow you to trigger speedlights in bright sun or around corners where CLS often fails. I use 8 Nikon SB800's with PW's for location shoots and they always work. For your studio, go with softboxes.

strikerazde Loc: Phoenix, AZ

I shoot the same equipment as you, D800, and D7000 as a backup. Pocket Wizards are the standard for Nikon. If you have SB910 you can use a sync cord to the Plus X, I use the Flex 5's as you don't need a Sync Cord and they do TTL and HSS. More $$, but less cables to keep track of. Plus you have to tie your PLus X to the light stands in case you need to move the stands they begin banging around if you don't.

I long for the day when I lived in CO, and basements are standard. No basements in AZ. As far as umbrellas go, it depends on what you are shooting. If groups, you need a few shoot thru umbrellas as they spread the light out. Portraits generally require softboxes, and I have 7 foot parabolic umbrellas and a few others. A Reflector is a MUST. Hopefuly your basement is walk out or faces East, or West and plenty of light coming in. If so a reflector will help bounce light around.

Good luck, let me know if you have further questions.

strikerazde Loc: Phoenix, AZ

I probably did not make it clear enough about Pocket Wizards. The Flex's are the only ones that can do TTL. TTL is the auto setting for flash. If you are not comfortable setting flash manually, you need triggers that do TTL.

Also Flex's can go above your camera sync speed, which other models can't. Not generally a issue in studio however.

If you go with Flex, use the AC3 zone controller, as you can set the power of each off camera flash right on your camera. You never have to walk over to your actual flash.

My setup, I have 6 speedlights, 2 SB910's 3 SB700's and 1 Younuro. 6 Flex 5's, 1 Flex Mini, and 1 AC3 Zone controller.

amehta Loc: Boston

Using Pocket Wizards is great, and you can work up to that. For now, get 2 light stands and softboxes, and you're ready to go for $100-200.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

The Sanyo Eneloop are a great brand, and hold their charge, unused, for up to a year.
I'd try the Nikon Commander wireless system with a couple of soft boxes. Use white foam core as reflector panels ( can also be covered with "crinkled metallic foil" to give more specular highlights). Also, you can use black panels to subtract light. I'd suggest a search for any material written or DVD by Dean Collins- he was a master of lighting until his untimely death from Pancreatic Cancer. He published under "Finelight publications" in the U.S. I did an earlier post about a free download of his PDF of Tinkertube lighting modifiers. It should be on this site.

Hankwt Loc: kingsville ontario

Could you please explain why soft boxes are better than umbrellas ?? thats what has me in a conundrum !!

amehta Loc: Boston

A softbox directs light toward the subject, like with a reflective dish, and then diffuses it a little on the way out. The umbrella just lights up a piece of cloth and hopes some light gets to the subject. Therefore, the softbox is more efficient, so you need less flash output for each shot, and your recycling time is shorter.

Conveniently, I don't need to go find a picture of a softbox to show what I mean by a reflector, strikerazde has one as his avatar. :-)