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Gear

Do you ever stay up at night wondering what type of gear is used at Studio 3E or what we would recommend? Yeah, we don’t either. All that aside we do get lots of questions on recommendations for gear. For the purposes of this we are going to stay far away from the Canon vs. Nikon vs. ??? debate. If there is a product that you would like to personally recommend, shoot us a line and let us know all about it.

Stands

Light Stand

Pros:

Inexpensive
Sturdy
Metal Levers
Sping Loaded
Come with a carrying bag
It’s a set of 2, what’s not to like?

Cons:

So far, none.

Portable Light
Stand

Pros:

Lightweight
Good build quality
It’s Manfrotto…

Cons:

Price

Note: These stands have a nice sturdy feel to them which is important when you are placing an expensive strope on the top of it. I despise stands which have a lot of play in them once extended.

Bags

Lowepro SlingShot 202 AW

Pros:

Quality build
Lightweight

Cons:

Clip on the left side gets in the way when closing the main compartment

Note: I also have the larger 302, but fully loaded it is too heavy as a sling. For a larger backpack style bag I recommend a Kata.

Equipment Bag

Pros:

Lightweight
Good build quality
Strong zipper pulls
It’s Manfrotto…

Cons:

Price

Note: I keep 2 Manfrotto 1052BAC Compact Stands, 2 Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite Umbrella Adapters, a Westcott Apollo softbox and miscelleneous other accessories in this nice padded bag.

Soft Boxes

Westcott 28" Apollo Flash Kit

Pros:

Lightweight
Great portability
Easy setup

Cons:

Cheap Stand
Hot shoe clamp is not especially good
Softbox is easy to bend/break

Westcott 28″ Apollo Softbox

Pros:

Lightweight
Great portability
Easy setup

Cons:

Softbox is easy to bend/break

Note: This softbox is the same as the kit without any of the extras. I recommend the Manfrotto 1052BAC Compact Stands in conjunction with the Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite Umbrella Adapter and Stroboframe Bracket Shoe Mount.

Accessories

Stroboframe Bracket Shoe Mount		Pros: It does what it is supposed to. Cons: None, let us know if you find one.
AA / AAA Battery Case with Charge Reminder Markings (5 Pack)		Pros: Inexpensive Comes in a 5 pack Well labeled Orange color stands out when looking through a camera bag Cons: Only comes in one color, so I hope that you like orange.
Coco Ring Flash Adapter (for Canon 580EX II Flash with Canon EOS 5D MARK II, 7D, 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D & 60D Digital SLR Cameras		Pros: Inexpensive Decent build quality Lightweight Cons: Hard to fit in a camera bag due to it’s size. Note: You have to match your camera body & hotshoe flash when choosing the correct Coco Ring Flash to purchase.
Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black)		Pros: Very effective at blowing dust and particles off of a lens or other equipment Cons: A bit big
LensPEN Lens Cleaning System		Pros: Very compact Great for smudges or artifacts Cons: None Note: I keep one of these in each of my camera bags.

Lights

Alien Bee B800

Pros:

Best bank for buck
Consistent performance
Can take a beating
Company provides excellent service

Cons:

A used B800 on ebay runs almost the same price or more as a new one.

Westcott SpiderLite TD5

Pros:

Very low heat produced for constant lights
Modularly able to switch from CFL, Halogen & Strobes

Cons:

A bit pricy

Note: 5 bulbs, Nice cool temperature colored light.

Westcott SpiderLite TD3

Pros:

Very low heat produced for constant lights
Modularly able to switch from CFL, Halogen & Strobes

Cons:

A bit pricy

Note: 3 bulbs, Nice cool temperature colored light.