Hacking away at my Fisher-Price Studio

[cenelson]

Strange times loom ahead.

Having survived the bleak no-man's-land of inter-semester poverty, I'm now slightly flush with cash after financial aid came in and having received my first tax refund in 6 or 7 years. All old judgments paid, moving forward, clean slate.

I knocked off four CCs in full, got a brake job on the Honda, paid off the insurance for 6 months (Why does Geico do that? Only 6 months terms? Is this SOP now?), paid down some other balances, and left myself some play money, though not much. Enough, however.

That said, my pie-in-the-sky ideas of laying down $1000 or so for full lighting kit was put to rest. Why in the hell do I need pro-lighting kit for what I want to do? Instead, I picked up another SB26, this one from Henry Ambrose, and it should be en route.

I gave long thought to the idea of back-tracking a bit, taking what I learned over break by tinkering with the D70s and DIY lighting and applying it to B&W film, putting that C330S to good use.

Still hungry for 67, I bought an RB Pro-S with a 90-C, two finders, and a single insert from Sheldon Hambrick - $250 wasn't bad, I think. I'll probably need to buy some sort of Pocket Wizard set-up for both cameras as I can't think of a way to fire the Nikons without triggers on these old cameras. Has to be a way though. Ideas?

And film. I stocked up. Ordered 20 rolls of TX and 20 of Acros, 120 rollfilm all of it. In order to more easily push when needed, I grabbed a new gallon Diafine kit, couple of containers to store it. Picked up a big bottle of Rodinal as well. This was my first order from Freestyle - hope it goes well.

This morning I grabbed two 2-pc backlight stands, a used 45" umbrella, & 4 SP-Systems swivel brackets with umbrella jacks and hotshoes from B&H.

What's left... need to work out backgrounds. Considering a new scanner to handle 4x5 also. Forgot about the 4x5. I can find a way to trigger flashes with that rig too, I hope.

Nervous... have never been good about working through from concept to execution. Anybody else ever taken the plunge into self-employment type stuff? Very unsettling to me. I'm sure the kinks will get worked out in time...

Ok, morning ramble concluded.

I would have posted this in the Way Out There forum, but some peckerwood deleted it. If I ever find that guy....  :tickedoff:

C.

[josphy]

Hot shot flashes popped into umbrellas work fine, Craig.  I am not really familiar with Nikon's flashes, but as long as they have some degree of manual control so you can dial them down 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and so forth, you should be good to go.  The main difference will of course be power and recycle time.

If those flashes don't have PC sockets, I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen a pc-hot shoe adapter.  I know they exist the other way around, that is, to add a pc socket to a camera that doesn't have one, but surely they exist to add a pc socket to a flash.

If not, does the SB26 have a built in optical slave?  As long as you had one flash w/ a pc socket in that case, it would fire the others.

Re: the pocket wizards, one the flash-side of things, don't they need a pc socket to plug into?  In which case, you're right back in the same boat if your flashes lack pc sockets.  In any case, I know I've seen several members with various generic versions of the pocket wizards, so maybe they can chime in an help w/ that.

[cenelson]

Well, looking at my SB26, there are two plugs on the body. One is for the proprietary synch connection; the other looks like a PC connection.

I'll post on the Strobist for more info. Those guys would know for sure, but if any has answers here, I would be glad to read them.

With the addition of the background stands, my count is four stands total. That umbrella will make a total of two: a 32" Photogenic, and the 45" on the way, both B/W convertibles. I'll buy a few more sheets of 4x8 'core and cut them down for bounces/fill. I think a lot of what I want to will involve bounce-fill or high-contrast/minimal lighting. I really like the latter method, ala the C330s images of my kid in window light. Dark, moody, classic stuff. The smaller umbrella will work as a beauty-dish light if I can rig a backing for it, enclosing the flash, make it a brolly. Might just buy one of Buff's brollies instead - they're cheap enough. I'll have enough to work with for product photography, and that might be a decent source of income to pursue, providing a meager living while cutting my teeth and saving for the real kit to come down the road a piece.

C.

[cenelson]

And yeh, the SB units will dial down to 1/64th in 1/2-steps. I can also dial in exposure comp +/- so I may be able to get them down to 1/128th even.

[Andrew Alexander]

Craig,

Have you run across this book before?...really good info on the kind of direction you are heading...I think The Stobist as you are pointing out is also a great resource.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0817458239/ref=sib_dp_pt/105-0458995-5309210#reader-link

[r-brian]

The SB-26's have built in slaves.  And they are very responsive.  You can mount a small flash on the camera, either hot shoe or PC, point it to the ceiling or for that matter behind you (except then it's in your eye) and the SB-26's will pick up the flach and fire.  The on-camera flash should not have any affect on your set-up.  Just remember the Sb-26 has 2 slave positions, real time and delay.  I've used the SB-26 behind the subject on delay to provide rim light and I had no direct line of sight with the 2 flashes.  Use the SB-25 on manual, turn it down as much as possible but still to where the SB-26's read the flash.

[cenelson]

Thanks!

[jtzordon]

They also have pc-syncs on them.  

You can get those cheap radio slaves on the 'bay.  I think it'll run like $30 shipping included to get a transmitter and receiver.  I haven't tried them, but they were the rage a few months back on Strobist.  You should only need one since you got the SB26's.

[sandeha]

You got most of your questions answered, I think.  There are lots of hotshoe adaptors on the market, the most relevant in your case probably the ones that have PC cable on one side, and a tripod screw thread on the base.  The center pin of the flash shoe gives you manual control - the other pins don't matter.

The K10D gives me wireless flash up to 1/4000, but it's of the flash signal variety ... only up to four meters distance, can possibly be confused by strong ambient light, cuts off the anti-shake, and only works with "A" lenses.  So not all bases covered in one.  

To handle the rest I just got a MiniMagic radio transmitter and receiver - synch up to 1/250, up to 20 meters distance, goes through walls, use any old lens or any old camera whether hotshoe or PC socket, etc, etc.  I got one receiver only, as that can be used to trigger optical slaves as necessary.  Better than the common systems on eBay (apparently) but around a quarter of the price of PW (in the UK).  Heck I can use it with my old Bessa!

The MiniMagic system is quite simple.  The transmitter connection is established either through the camera hotshoe or via a cable from the transmitter to the PC socket on the camera body/lens.  The receiver connection is via jack plug for big lights, or PC socket for flashguns - with the flash mounted on the adapter I mentioned above.

Anyway, I'm doing some more product shots over the coming week and some hairdressing shots in a few weeks time.  Just went to the market for more backdrops and picked up some two meter lengths of crushed velvet at a nice price ...

I'll be sticking with flashes for a good while, I think, as they are so manouverable.  If you need to dial down your flash even further, just stick a piece of white silk over it.

[Kin Lau]

The SB26's have PC sync sockets, and you can hook multiple SB26's up together.

From the Strobists library, check out the following:

Adding and Synching a second strobe

For a few dollars more, Nikon SB26

[Kin Lau]

I have the 4 channel Ebay triggers by Gadget Infinity also. Works well enough for the price.

[Don Day]

On your question about self-employment, I have not had to make that decision myself. But there is a ton of information offered for small businesses.  Your outcome will not be so much about whether there is advice out there, as whether you are up to the discipline of it all--writing business plans, managing investment funding, making and keeping contacts, keeping tax records, getting set up with suppliers and service providers, and all that.  They tell me (and I dream about it all the time) that being your own boss has its advantages.  But in my case, I'm more likely to be driven by desperation than rationality in the self-employment direction. If you feel you are cut out for the challenge, it looks to me like you are in a good place in your life to take it on.

This song from Rush paints, I think, the big picture--all things are possible to you, if you can see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.

There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance

A planet of play things
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
'The stars aren't aligned
Or the gods are malign...'
Blame is better to give than receive

[Chorus:]
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill

There are those who think
That they were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them
They weren't born in Lotusland

All preordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face
You can't pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate

Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet

--Rush, "Freewill"

[Glenn Thoreson]

The easiest way I've found to fire multiple flashes is the little slaves that fit onto the flash foot. Someone on ebay always seems to have them for 6 bucks or so. That way, all you need is one flash that will fire from the camera. The others will see the flash and trigger. No delay. I like that because any old flash that fits onto a hot shoe will fire without cords and junk all over the place. A great use for all those stray brand X flashes running around out there.

Edito - Self employment: The one thing folks often don't understand. The thinking goes - I'd sure like to be my own boss. Well, wrong. When you're in business for yourself, everyone is your boss. Been there, done that, and many a time I wished I was working for someone else. However, if you can stand up to the pressure and maintain your integrity, it can be extremely satisfying.
Maybe even lucrative.

[cenelson]

Lots of great replies here; thank you all. I'm home briefly, about to run out again, then back to crap out a term paper before deadline. Forgive my short response here.

Kin, once that other 26 gets here, I'll have 3 SBs - two 26 units, one 25. I figure to run the 25 off-camera via the synch chord; the other two will fire remotely. This will be a no-brainer if I'm shooting with the F4 or the D70s. I'll need to find a good PC cord to go from the Mamiyas or the Calumet to the 25, the 26s will fire off the 25 then, too. Shouldn't be too difficult, especially with tips found herein.

More later on the self-employment end.

Thanks!
C.

[ImageMaker]

If those flashes don't have PC sockets, I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen a pc-hot shoe adapter.  I know they exist the other way around, that is, to add a pc socket to a camera that doesn't have one, but surely they exist to add a pc socket to a flash.

Yep, they do; I've got one.  Sits on an accessory shoe (which can, in turn, be the sort with a tripod socket underneath, clamp onto a stand, etc.), has about a six-inch PC cord and presents a hot shoe on top.  Cost about $15, IIRC, but might be less if you can find one on eBay.  Folks usually think of them as adding a hot shoe to a shoeless camera rather than adding PC to a flash, but it's the same thing...