flash lighting a light tent? Xtraflash?

OK, proposal.

2 Xtraflash slave flash (the little AA powered additional flash) GN10 these link.

These little Xtraflash one each side with say a small diffuser in front.

Over the top my ef500 with wireless trigger and a reflector to bounce the flash to the back. Set to 1/4 (GN12).

I ask as I haven't got the Xtraflash items and wondered if anyone has experience with them? Was thinking this would be a cheap way of doing this.

There will be no preflash as it will be wireless and manual.

AF200T's are about the best little flashgun you can buy. Variable manual output etc. Put it on a small slave flash cube on a really small tripod and you can use it anywhere. Keep an eye out on ebay for the AFT 1 telephoto attachment.... just put some diffusion material on it for a softer flash... clips on and off the flashgun.

Couldn't agree more, Algi, but they are getting harder to find and those advertised on ebay(UK) in recent months that I've followed have been mostly 'buy-it-now' and offer for ridiculous, IMHO, amounts. The solution I found was to broaden my search to include the USA and within a few days I had secured two for less than the price of any single AF200T I had followed on ebay UK. In both cases this takes into account the additional cost of shipping to the U.K! Both arrived within 10 days in full working order and one even arrived in the original packaging, with its protective case and a wide-angle diffuser panel; none of which had been mentioned in the original description.

Jon

I have mentioned on other posts on here that the power ratios on the AFT200T are spot on checked against a 1/3 stop Shepherd flash meter. Most flashguns aren't usually that accurate.

Thanks guys. Looks perfect, however.

What guide price for the AF200T??? dare I ask?

You see as the price goes up and I add in the cost of a slave trigger, the lure of the YN460 gets greater and greater. However YN460 is £36 or so. And I'd need 2!

I can score the Xtraflash for a £10 and postage and adjust the power of the main flash. False economy?

I found and read the thread £10-15

Thanks Jon, Algi

IMHO, the Xtraflash is a waste of money. It has little power, has only two modes, on & off, and you'll regret not buying a 'proper' flash in the first place. Remember, if you buy cheap, you buy twice.

Get a decent flash as advised elsewhere here.

Yes, getting to that point. A tenner wasted from a possible £36 flash is a significant part.

I might just get a couple of daylight bulbs!!!

Its never easy, is it.

Thanks.

Daylight bulbs aren't cheap in the UK. Some parts of the world actually use daylight bulbs in their homes, so they can buy them for normal prices. For photography you probably need at least 100W equivalent. Some of the cheaper ones don't cover the full spectrum. There also seems to be some confusion over colour temperature in the UK some are advertised at 6500K which doesn't sound right.

Androv daylight bulbs are supposed to be very accurate. 32 watt from Amazon £14 inc. delivery. link

Some info link

I used an Xtra flash for the front light on the stairs in this shot. The side lighting was an AF360 on about 1/4 or 1/2 power.

The Xtra flashes are not too bad, especially for £4. No power controls, even the 1 page manual has a funny sentence saying something like "to control the flash power adjust the distance between the flash and the object". Duh!

Edit: I see the Xtra flashes are now £5 at the PUF shop. They were on sale when I got my two.

Yeah its that word control.

And the daylight bulbs as you look into them the become more murky.

I have my eye on a fairly OK flash on ebay that goes for not very much and I hope to bag a couple. A bit more power than the AF200T. Once I bag a couple I'll post up the solution.

I think the key problem is "on a budget". If my pockets had not been cleaned out buying a certain 10-20mm then I might not be asking this question.