In studio flash + portable

[Dave Clee]

So I built this decent little studio (16X12) in the one of the rooms in our new house and now I am stuck trying to decide what the hell flash combo to go with.
I must of gone thru about 30 web pages today looking at different combos..
$$ arent unlimited and it would be nice to kill 2 birds with one stone and use the same setup for some portable work if needed. Obviously if paid work increased I could upgrade.

Current setup is a D3 with SB800. Could I get by with using the new SB900 as the main light in the studio with the SB800 ? Can the SB900 be used with a softbox or do I shoot thru an umbrella instead ?

It would be nice to get this setup working as I could then take it with me if needed.

As far as wireless triggers, would I need a pocket wizard to fire the SB900 as the D3 has no onboard flash ??

I would say that my budget is prob $2k.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

Dave

[ChatKat]

I have Profoto Monoblocks and the images and color are great with them. They come with a case and umbrellas. The two light kits are on special now and a good value. I have three lights and want a couple more.

The quality is excellent and the system will last you. Buy the best you can afford so you can just add to it as you grow. If you get cheap you will end up replacing things instead of adding to the system.

[Dave Clee]

Thanks for the reply, I was actually looking at these today. What size ones did you buy ?

I have Profoto Monoblocks and the images and color are great with them. They come with a case and umbrellas. The two light kits are on special now and a good value. I have three lights and want a couple more.

The quality is excellent and the system will last you. Buy the best you can afford so you can just add to it as you grow. If you get cheap you will end up replacing things instead of adding to the system.

[ChatKat]

Thanks for the reply, I was actually looking at these today. What size ones did you buy ?

I have two 600ws and one 300ws of the Compact R.

You would also need a pocket wizard transmittter. If you order them at B&"H I would call them and make sure that they get you the right parts live. I oigianlly bought a kit that included softboxes and speedrings and one cord was not inlcuded in the kit and itset me back a week.

[Dave Clee]

Update: I ended up buying 2 Elinchrom 600w strobes..I tried to get the Profoto ones here in Canada but everywhere I checked was like 2 - 3 weeks which was to long to wait as I have a couple of portrait sessions coming up. After a bit of research the Elinchroms seem to be well made and had good reviews. Cost was approx $949 each.

Now I am looking for a decent softbox and umbrella setup.

Cheers

Dave