TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

That’s exactly what I was going to suggest. Novatrons have been around a long time, are rock solid, and a 3 light setup is a great basic system, plus it has the umbrellas, snoot, modeling lights and stands - all you need is a remote trigger. I have this exact setup, and it’s a great setup for the $.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I just ordered a pair of 60 watt soft white led bulbs (500 watt equivalent each) for $60 on Amazon and a pair of PVC clamp lamps for $35 at Home Depot.

I plan to point them to the white ceiling to provide an extra thousand watts of shadowless light in the room for my amateur music videos.

I previously bought three soft white 22 watt (150 watt equivalent) led bulbs, to use in desk lamps but 450 watts pointed at the walls and ceiling wasn't bright enough. None of the small lighting kits would provide even a small fraction of the light these bulbs would.

My goal is to get something equivalent to daylight indoors without shadows and without having to look at bright lights.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078VZRVBX/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-75-Watt-PVC-Clamp-Light-1102/205504032?cm_mmc=hd_email-_-Confirmation_STH_BOSS-_-20181207_PP_ET_Merch_Confirmation_STH_BOSS_3245647-_-product_desc__WD47414800

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

I have used Paul C Buff Alien Bees for over 10 years with only one failure and the Customer service was awesome, for a small area I suggest the B400 heads. While not as cheap as the "low priced" kits you will only have to buy one set, and they will do the job.PCB has three lines and I have used a couple of the older White Lightening heads when renting studio space they worked very well but were way out of my price range at the time. I went the route of cheaper and it ended up costing me more in long run.
The A/B out put is controlled using a variable slider and there are all kinds of accs. available.
www.paulcbuff.com.
You may see images taken with these lights and modifiers all studio images were lit using the A/Bs
At www.pbase.com/manglesphoto

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

I also have old Novatrons. But they are also heavy if you are taking them to a shoot, and you definitely need a light meter. But they are very dependable and known as workhorses. I replace the umbrellas with black covered Wescott umbrellas . Not as much light leakage. I wasn't using them to shoot through.

BetterPHpro Loc: NC

I have a Speedotron Brown Line System. 2) 800D Power Supplies, 4) Strobe lights: main, fill, hair light(with barn doors), and back light. All cords.
I'm retired and no longer have a need for them. PM me if interested.

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

I recently purchased two softboxes, stands, flashes and flash mounts, and a backdrop system that includes white, black and green.

I considered continuous lighting, but was concerned about enough light and the color of the light considering I was probably going to try using my Canon flash (430EX II) as an additional light. I saw all the strobes out these too and many of those were very expensive. I talked to a friend who is a professional and he suggested purchasing mountable flash units like my Canon flash except he recommended a Godox brand. He said that they are reliable, and relatively cheap. He also said that if you use continuous lights, they must be high wattage or it won't be enough light. The model he recommended was the Godox VING V860IIC TTL Li-Ion Flash Kit for Canon Cameras (they have them for many models). Right now, they are $179 each. I looked into their other models and the TT685 was about the same except it uses 4 AAs instead of a rechargeable battery pack and the flash recycle time wasn't as fast as the 860, but fast enough for me. The cost right now from B&H for the TT685 is $110. I purchased 2 for $89 each (Black Friday sales).

I bought the rest from Newegg and ended up with 2 Neewer 36" umbrellas with the white cover that makes them softboxes. I bought 2 stainless steel stands (Neewer also) and the S-type mounts to attach the flash units to the softboxes. The backdrop came with the 3 backdrop colors, the stands and cross bar and some cheap clamps. It is about 8 feet tall and 10 wide. Here is the breakdown of costs:


9SIA94K6E80877 Neewer 32 inches/80 centimeters Octagonal Softbox with Blue Edges,
S-Type Bracket Holder (with Bowens Mount) and Carrying Bag for Speedlite Studio Flash Monolight,
Portrait and Product Photography
$36.99

9SIA94K6E80881 Neewer 32 inches/80 centimeters Octagonal Softbox with Red Edges,
S-Type Bracket Holder (with Bowens Mount) and Carrying Bag for Speedlite Studio Flash Monolight,
Portrait and Product Photography
$36.99

9SIA94K6NY0450 Neewer 2-pack Stainless Steel Light Stand 37-79 inches/95-200 centimeters Foldable Heavy Duty Support Stand for Studio Softbox,
Umbrella,Strobe Light,Reflector and Other Photographic Equipment (Silver)
$37.99

9SIA94K7YC0338 Neewer Photo Studio 8.5 X 10 feet/2.6 X 3 meters Backdrop Stand Background Support System
with 6 X 9 feet/1.8 X 2.8 meters Fabric Backdrop (White, Black, Green) for Portrait Product Video Shooting
$64.99

Total $177 plus the 2 Godox flashes = $355

No, I haven't used it all yet, but look forward to using it over the holidays.
Also, I didn't purchase the Godox wireless trigger from Godox. I already have a cheap trigger system from Cowboy Studio which works well.

lovelylyn Loc: Fort Wayne, IN

I purchased a set of barely used flash point 1500 mono lights with 2stands and 2 reflective umbrellas along with a few extras over 5 years ago. They work great as slaves also. The only reason I’m in the market for new ones is the weight. I need a more portable kit. Not sure what’s comparable so on to research. I’ll continue to use them at home. Good luck in your journey.

peterwbarber

If it is for in-home and you want to save money - https://www.cowboystudio.com/

dugeeeeeee

My wife got possibly the best bargain ever on studio lighting for me. I have the Elinchrom D-Lite RX 4, 4 Softbox To Go Kit. She sent me a text asking if this was something I could use for $60.

I know.

Best wife ever!

The list on the set was around $950 at the time. I’ve used them to shoot my kids senior pictures and a few other projects but I really haven’t spent the time to learn them as well as I could. I will say we cruise a lot and this is the brand they use for portraits on the ship, so I imagine they are quite durable.

GLKTN Loc: TN

Royce you will get lots of good advice here. I bought used Paul C Buff White lightning, obsolete, kit from a fellow local camera club member at a good price. You might check there. My problem is, I don't know how to get experience without willing subjects. I have watched all the youtube videos and also the strobist website. Also a paid for series. I have been practicing on myself trying out the 5 different lighting setup for portraits but there has to be a better way. I put a mannequin head on my Christmas list and have gotten lots of jokes at my expense. Any advice about how to practice to get experience would be nice without being the brunt of endless jokes.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

My best friend showed endless patience in posing so that I could try different lighting setups. If you want to practice on yourself, you should tether your camera to a computer and use a remote camera control app. The picture on the screen will show you where the light is falling, assuming that your strobes have powerful modeling lights. You can also hire models relatively cheaply from Model Mayhem. Sometimes they'll work for free in exchange for your photos. If you belong to any social groups you can offer your fellow members free headshots for their Facebook pages or for them to send them to their family.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

Are the different locations you'd like to move your lights to supplied with electric outlets or will you need battery operated lights? Will you need modeling lights or are you willing to proceed by trial and error? Some softboxes are easy to assemble and take down. These have an umbrella-like design. Others without the umbrella design are a pain to assemble. There are lots of inexpensive, cheesy softboxes for sale which are not durable. The durable and easy to assemble softboxes I have come from strobepro. My studio lights are Honey Badger strobes. They have powerful LED modeling lights, are inexpensive, and can be remotely controlled. Get the strongest and heaviest light stands you can afford in order to safely support the strobes and softboxes.

Jimcamera Loc: Michigan

Amazon has some very low cost units (Limo Studios and Julius studios). Just search photographic lighting. May be a reasonable way to see if this meets your needs without breaking the bank. Purchased some and am very happy with them in my armature studio.

Charlie C Loc: North Liberty, IA

Go to Craigs list and look at post #6767806575.

dandev Loc: Enumclaw, WA

I highly recommend looking at Paul C Buff. I have 3 Einstein's and a number of their umbrellas and soft boxes. Their triggers are good, and I can't think of the last time I had a misfire with my Canon 5D3. I have a few of their battery packs/inverters if I choose to shoot "off grid." Color is good/consistent and you can dial them down to 5 WS. They have a real service department and answer the phone with my dumb questions.
I've seen these sell used for almost the same price as new. The Einsteins are about $500 each, then you need to add triggers. You order direct from Paul C Buff.