The Portable Studio Equipment List
By TroyB
1 ST-E2 Wireless Transmitter
2 Canon 580EX Flash Units
1 Canon 550EX Flash Unit
3 LightningPack 4000 Four cell AA rapid chargers (These are tiny & international compatible)
16 Energizer Ni-MH 2500 mAh rechargeable batteries (1 set for each flash + spare set)
2 Bogen 3097 Lightweight Light Stands
2 Bogen 2905 Umbrella / Light clamps
1 Bogen 2916 Bracket (allows two flash heads on one stand, useful for larger rooms)
2 Photek 33" Softlighter Umbrella / Softbox Light Modifiers
1 Tripod with head (this can double as a hair light stand or a back drop light stand, very useful!)
Assorted spring loaded grip clamps from the local hardware store
1 36” padded tripod bag to carry it all in
1 Pelican 1650 Flight Case (doubles as an indestructible suitcase too!)
1 Pocket 4 AA cell Flashlight (It might just save your life one day)
I chose the Bogen stands after various experiences and mis-adventures with some light weight store brand stands from a certain mail order camera store in NYC. The store brand stands have a tendency to crack, and self destruct, even when only used a couple times a month. The Bogen stands are a lot stronger and weigh less, so accept no substitute.
The same holds true for the umbrella / light clamps, which are used to attach your lights and umbrellas to the top of the stands. The Bogen ones lock smoothly with very little force, and have sufficient friction when adjusted properly such that you can swivel the flash head and umbrella without undoing the locking lever. In case you can't quite picture it, the Canon mini-stand that is included with the 550 / 580 flash units screws on to a lug on the top of the 2905 umbrella swivel clamp. This then allows the umbrella & flash to tilt, swivel & rotate in just about any direction.
I also always bring along my trusty tripod. Less weight is always better, so a carbon fiber 'pod might be advisable. In the context of the "Portable Studio", I use the tripod most often as a stand for the 550EX. Since the 550EX cycles slower than the 580EX, I usually use the 550EX as a hair light, or a backdrop light by screwing the mini-stand onto the camera mounting lug on the quick release plate of the ball head. The ball head then allows the flash to be positioned at just about any angle.
For light modification, I chose the Photek Softlighters for their versatility. They are a shoot through and bounce umbrella, depending on whether or not you remove the black cover, and in bounce mode can be used with an included translucent cover as a round softbox (now there is a contradiction of terms if I ever heard one!). They also ship with gold and silver discs that can be inserted in the roof of the umbrella when used in bounce or softbox mode to warm or cool the light a bit.
You can then put all the stands, clamps, and umbrellas in a 36” tripod bag, which in turn fits diagonally in the bottom of the Pelican case, still leaving lots of room for backdrops, camera equipment, or clothes, depending on your needs. After dealing with several Samsonite suitcases that exploded or otherwise self-destructed after just one or two trips, I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I am with the Pelican product. My 1650 case has been to many corners of the globe, and while it is deeply scarred thanks to those vicious baggage handlers, it is still as solid as a rock (are we still allowed to say that, or does GMC / Chevrolet now control the use of that phrase?). This is another case (pun intended) where you should accept no substitute!
Don’t forget how important batteries, and a battery charger are. If you take a lot of pictures, you quickly switch to rechargables, unless of course you are single handedly trying to float Duracel’s stock. Speaking of Duracel, they are NOT my current top pick in rechargeable Ni-MH for the Canon flash units. The latest offering from Energizer boasts a whopping 2500mAH, and they hold up for an impressive number of flashes in the Canon 580EXs. I've frequently been able to get from 500-800 flashes with flash output varying between 1/2 to 1/4 power, and still had power left over.
Way back at the beginning of this millennium, there wasn't a single decent fast charger that was international compatible, so I built my own by hacking a unit I bought at Radio Shack. But in late 2002, a mail order house called RipVan100 started carrying a product called the Lightning Pack 4000. This is a tiny little 4 cell charger that works on any voltage from 90-240, at 50Hz or 60Hz. If you travel a lot, you probably already know how important it is to get everything “international compatible”.
The Lightning Pack chargers also have a handy discharge / recharge feature that allows you to fully cycle batteries. Since the Canon flash units never fully drain the batteries, it is worth using this feature on the charger about once a month. So even though I no longer need the handy dandy 4 AA cell pocket flashlight to drain batteries, I still bring it with me on every trip. After all, you never know when you might need a flashlight… it has literally been a life saver on several occasions.
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