Reddit reviews Neewer Universal E-Type Camera Flash Speedlite Mount Light Stand Bracket Umbrella Shoe Holder Compatible with Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus and other Flashes with Standard Shoe Mount

• Gaffers tape
  
  
• Shoot-Thru Umbrella + Holder
  
  
• Phone-to-tripod mount
  
  
• Rocketblower / lenspen / micro fiber cloths

I'm very happy with my Godox gear so far. I also considered Yongnuo, but I like Godox' wireless system is a lot better. In fact, I think right now they have one of the best wireless systems on the market.

Basic setup:

A hot-shoe TTL flash is a great place to start. I'd suggest the TT350N for that; it's small and convenient to carry. It's strong enough to light up a dark room, and to overpower ambient lights. If you use it as a bounce flash, you don't really need any other accessories.

I use the TT350 for all the bounce photography. Bounce is very simple and convenient. Its small size is very handy here, because it doesn't throw off the camera balance or really get in the way.

I personally bought the V860II-N as my first speedlight. I realized it was a beast when it arrived; way more flash than I needed on my hot-shoe. Here's a size comparison: http://imgur.com/a/jFpvM

I'm glad I have it though; it's great in multi-point lighting and it's nice to have a more powerful option should I need it.

Off-camera setup:

The next step up from there is to move the flash off-camera. For that, you'll need a stand, a head, and a light modifier.

You can use a tripod, but a light stand is a lot simpler to setup and break-down. To mount a light to the stand, you'll need and either a hot-shoe adapter or the flash foot. The simplest and cheapest modifier is a photography umbrella. You'll need a mount to attach an umbrella to the stand, though most hot-shoe adapters will also hold the umbrella.

I use the Godox S mount adapter and a soft-box. The benefit of the adapter is that it can use other Bowens mount light modifiers if I want to try them in the future. It also holds an umbrella.

You'll also need a way to trigger the flash. You can use your on-board flash for this, but I went with the Godox X1 trigger. This is a radio trigger, and does TTL. It cost $40. A very nice thing about the X1 trigger is that it can control the speedlights remotely; I can change power and other settings from my camera, which cuts down a lot of back-and-forth. It's also a lot more reliable and convenient than using an optical trigger.

Multi-point setup:

The next step after that is multi-point lighting. If you already have a speedlight, radio trigger, etc. All you really need are more flash heads. The nice thing about multi-point lighting is that they don't all need to be the same speedlight. Usually, you use different power levels and modifiers anyway. In my case, I have a big powerful speedlight, and a small portable speedlight. When I'm out and about, I can grab whichever is best for the job.

You can use manual (non-TTL) flashes for multi-point lighting. This is best if you don't intend to use ambient as a light source or don't mind fiddling to balance ambient with the flash. A lot of Godox's manual flashes still have built in wireless support, which makes them a good inexpensive solution.

The sky is the limit:

From there, there's a whole world of lighting. Strobes powerful enough to make the sun look dim, lighting modifiers, etc.

Quick edit: A number of companies resell Godox' products. Flashpoint is the most prolific, but there's also Bolt, Neewer, and a couple others.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I09WHLW x 2 - Speedlights - $56

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U - Wireless Trigger - $19

https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4 - Light Stands - $29

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY - x2 - Cold Shoe - $22

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0132I34K4 - Octobox - $23

https://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Premium-Shoot-Through-Translucent-Umbrella/dp/B005ODKMOC - Shoot though umbrella - $14

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW - 5 in 1 reflector - $20

That brings you for a full starting light setup that can be used for headshots and starting boudoir for $183. And you even have flexablity in there to use a 1 light setup with reflector or use 2 lights. You would want a few sandbags to keep the gear stable, but I am not including those in the price.

Now for a background setup

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=psdc_3444601_t1_B00MTF6ZVC

Is a good basic stand but hard to fit under your budget with the above lighting gear.

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Studio-Collapsible-Backdrop-1-8x2-8m/dp/B00UWL02PU is also an okay starting backdrop, Grey can be turned into white or black. I will warn you that you will need a fabric steamer to get the lines out, but that is pretty much the same however you go with cloth. Another more expensive choice is to go with seamless paper, I love working with paper, but it is an ongoing expense to use it.

Now if you are going to make this her studio all the time, they make http://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32-sq-ft-96-in-x-48-in-Hardboard-Thrifty-White-Tile-Board-HDDPTW48/205995949 that you can use to make a great background. Or to me the better option if you are going to use a room as a full time studio, paint the walls, put down hardwood or laminate, and you have a great studio setup.

Sorry, lightstand, bracket, umbrella - bracket is for putting speedlites and umbrellas on stands, rather than monolights or flash heads that go straight on a stand, and have their own holes for umbrellas.

A simple pic stand and flash bracket with a reversible umbrella and a YN660 transmitter would be the best way to get off camera versatile flash for cheap.

In the future, every Monday, Weds, and Friday we have an official questions thread reserved for these types of questions.

>flash: try a godox tt685 ($110)

On a $200 total budget, I'd actually say a $65 TT600 is a better option, which will let you get a decent air-cushioned lightstand, or two flashes for the price of the TT685. :)

I would highly recommend the TT685 over the TT600, though, if you think you want to use the flash for both on and off-camera flash, since TTL is very useful for event run'n'gun.

>trigger... x1t ($45)

But $60 X2T or $70 XPro would be much much nicer. Again, another reason the TT600 might not be a bad place to start.

>lightstand: just get some cheap amazon one ($15)

No, I'd say look for a $40 cheap one that's air-cushioned. Slammed lights down on my fingers too many times with the super-cheapies. :)

>try try an umbrella soft box thing ($26)

Those slit-through the bottom octas don't tilt much at all. You want one that attaches to a speedring. It'll be more expensive ($45). So, actually, starting with a convertible umbrella ($20-25) might be a better first choice.

>speedlight holder thing that holds an umbrella]

Or, instead of an umbrella swivel, get an S-type bracket ($20) which can be used to hold the speedlight closer to the center of an umbrella, as well as attach Bowen S speedringed modifiers bayonet to the face of it.

A compact umbrella swivel, though can be a lot smaller in your lighting bag. The issue is whether the modifier you want to use works with one. The S-Bracket is more general purpose that way.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Octagonal-Speedlight-Photography/dp/B00PIM3I6I

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https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY

https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Portrait-Product-Photography/dp/B00L4YR0BS

https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Electronic-Flash-DSLR-Cameras/dp/B01I09WHLW

https://smile.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U/

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