Using a 580ex and 3 x 420ex as studio lights

[anesh]

Portrait: main, fill, hair & background light

 

Is it possible to use 4 EX flashes and get as good results as studio lights.

 

 

I would also need to use these flashes for full-length shots. How do I set up

my units for this?

[jonny_mac]

Check out Chuck Gardner's EOS flash tutorial.

[robin_sibson1]

You probably know that you won't be able to control all those flashes separately. The master 580EX will be in Group A, and you can put more flashes in that Group; then you can put as many flashes as you want in Group B, with overall ratio control against Group A, and finally you can put as many flashes as you want in Group C for lighting the background rather than the main subject, and you can, in effect, balance that against the A+B combination.You should still be able to do the job fine, but it may involve a bit more juggling with flash positions. Generally speaking, you will want to make a lot of use of diffused flash - flash brollies, reflector screens, ceiling bounce if you have a white ceiling, and so on. You probably won't want the master actually firing at the subject from on-camera. In a studio situation, there is almost always enough light bouncing around that you don't need to worry about having the sensors on the slaves actually looking at the flash tube of the master.

[jason_hall4]

It can be done. You would take the master (580EX) and set it to manual and the power level. Then set up the ratios for each group (A,B,C). Each of the other flashes would have to set as slave and assigned to a group. You then can fire the master with a wireless rig or a PC cable from the camera to a PC to Hotshoe adaptor on the flash. That way the master would not have to be on the camera.

 

Jason

[steve_crist]

Yes. I use 2 580's and a 430 with a 5D. Typically in a main (A), fill (B), background © light set-up using full E-TTL mode. I typically use a 1:3 or 1:4 lighting ratio (adjusted on the rear of master flash). Note - Canon has their flash ratios reversed from all the world, so if you're setting up 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, etc. and aren't seeing any change do the above ratio and you will be fine. Works great. The only thing that needs your attention is the background/hair light since I believe group C can be impacted by the A/B lights. I just shoot with group C dialed down 2 stops aimed at the background. In your 4 light setup you would have the background and hair light as group C. You should make sure group C is not aimed towards the camera as this will impact the flash metering.

[jason_hall4]

For ETTL set the 580EX on the camera and set as master. Go into it's custom functions to keep it from fireing. It will still control the other flashes. Set up the groups and ratios, set each slave to a certain group and place them into line of site for the IR signal(you need line of site no matter what, however indoors you can at times get by with out it.

 

Jason

[jason_hall4]

I would really look into doing this manually unless you already have the flashes. You could do better for less with four Vivitar 285HV($89 each) units with three optical trigers($30+/- each) and a single wireless rig($200.00). All would be a little over $600.00 and that is with a nice wireless rig. You can trim off $170.00 if you get an "Ebay" Trigger or use a cable. But I would certainly go for the wirless.

 

BTW the Canon flash set up you have above cost over a thousand dollars.

 

The Vivitar units are nice as they have a knob on the front to change the output stepless, so no menus and small buttons to screw with for ratios. They also have a zoom head to help control the light spread. The sync voltage is under 6volts and the auto flash works pretty well if you learn to use it on camera. Also with the optical slaves they work with ANY flash in manual mode, even the 580EX.

 

Jason

[mark u]

http://www.eosdoc.com/manuals/?q=ETTLRx

[jim_larson1]

For Hair and Background lights, EX flashes in ETTL mode are chaos. ETTL will try to adjust the units to properly expose based upon the ratios being set. That simply doesn't work intuitively for Hair (aka keylight) and background lights. Best off to set power manually; but alas this is not an option for 420EX units.

[andrew robertson]

I use 2 580's and 1 430 for my studio scenes. I would not trade them for $10000 AND a

full set of grandpa's studio lights.

 

The only thing studio lights have going on wireless electronic flash is power, and you can

always add more 580s or 430s for not too much more than a replacement bulb!

[jason_hall4]

Darn, Just remembered (thanks to jim) the 420EX does not have manual mode.That sucks. I had the 430EX stuck on the brain.

 

>>>"and you can always add more 580s or 430s for not too much more than a replacement bulb!"<<<

 

Maybe for some, Paul C Buff sells his for $35.00 for even his 800Watt second unit.

The Vivitars I mentioned are not studio stobes, they are on camera stobes just like the canon units. They are old school technology, tried and true.

 

Jason

[anesh]

I just remembered that I have a 550ex too. So my flashes consist of a 580ex, a 550ex and 3 x 420ex + an OCSC. I assume the 550ex will be the bg or hair light. If the 580ex is placed on OCSC will it lose it's wireless master functionality?

[andrew robertson]

I agree that sometimes big light setups have their place, but for simple portraits it doesn't

seem necessary.

 

I have run into very few situations where I feel undergunned with my current setup.

Another side bonus is the ratio control and ttl operation.