First lighting kit ever...compatibility concerns?

[stefographer]

<p>Hello all...my first post in THIS forum....</p>

<p>wantig to get my first lighting kit- even tho i really have yet to learn how to use strobe or anything in any hands-on way...<br /> But i will be taking classes- and would like to have a simple, small beginners kit to have for myself... To use and practice whenever the oppourtunity comes up as i learn....</p>

<p>I am currently shooting with the Canon XSi - with the kit 18-55 (ugh) and the nifty fifty 50mm/f1.8 - hope to have the 100mm EF/f2.0 soon as well....<br /> In any case i vaguely understand that some bodys use TTL or something... but not all strobe wireless triggers can be used with all flash systems....</p>

<p>Here is one kit i am considering.... but is it's slave trigger/transmitter compatible with my XSi...?<br /> Can anyone tell for such... or am i mixing something else up for the kind of compatibility between cameras and lighting slave systems...?<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=429680&is=REG#features</p>

[bill_mussett1]

<p>Sean,</p>

<p>Two suggestions for you would be to first wait until you start the class and get an understanding of what you may need. Secondly, a call to B&H should answer your trigger/transmitter question.</p>

[chris_autio]

<p>Yes, it's all there except a flash meter. Monolights can't be read by TTL, only a small flash system like </p>

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<td valign="top">E-TTL II autoflash with EX Series Speedlites<br /></td>

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[model mayhem gallery]

<p>TTL / E-TTL is what your Canon 580 EX flash uses to talk to the camera. Real strobes don't communicate with the camera like manufacture (Canon and Nikon) flashes do they are 100% manual. You will have to use either a PC Sync cord and a PC Plug hot shoe adapter because the XSI doesn't have one built in. The kit you are looking at looks to be a pretty low end kit. It is 700 Watts total power which means to me when you are using all 3 lights you get 700Watts. I use and LOVE Alien Bees. I have about 4 AB800 and 2 White Lighting X1600 which are pretty cheap. For the price of that other kit, you could get 3 -Ab400 or I would recommend 2 AB800's and the Cyber sync wireless triggers. There are definetely much more expensive kits out there than Alien Bees but the warranty 3 years, upgrade policy can upgrade to more powerfull light for just the cost difference and shipping, and the community of Alien Bee friends you will have is hard to beat. All my photographer friends use Bees so if ever I break a flash tube or drop a trigger I can make a couple of calls and have one quick</p>