
The SSO-CLK (for lack of a more poetic term) is designed to give you the most bang for your buck - with a nod toward extreme portability. It will work well with any camera that can be controlled manually and has a PC synch jack. Most SLR's, digital or film, fit this bill. The flash is a vintage Nikon model, but it will work off-camera with anything that has a PC jack.
If you have been reading through the Lighting 101 course, you know the gear already. But I wanted the info all together in one place now for linking convenience and for the newer readers.
The total damage comes in at about $180, which is a little more than half the (street) cost of a Nikon SB-800.

For maximum portability, you'll want to drill and strap it. Details for how to do this are on the same link as the stand. Cost: About $57.


This umbrella is a wonderful bargain when it comes to making your little strobe act like a much more expensive light. I wish you could get this kind of result for $20 more often in this field.
UPDATE: Since this article was originally written, I have come to find that I use the "shoot through" umbrellas far more than the reflective ones. More info here.

And if you are going for your second light, make it an SB-26 for the built-in slave as seen in the link.

You slide the folded-up umbrella into the snoot tube for neat and easy transport. You never know when that little tube is going to come in handy - I use it more than I use an umbrella by far - so always have it with you.


With this spartan outfit, you could do most of the photos that you have seen on Strobist. Heck, with the exception of Pocket Wizards, that's pretty much what I did them with.
Adding a second (or third) light vastly expands your possibilities, as does the wireless trigger. But this kit - and the brains to use it - will allow you to do some amazing stuff on a very tight budget. Learn to use it well and you'll quickly start knocking down the assignments that will fund the other light sources. (It's a ready-made headshot setup, where there's always money to be made.)
Moving on to other gear, I have had many, many "what kind of camera/lenses/etc should I buy" e-mails. And I am working on some sample starter camera outfits that give you a similar bang-for-buck ratio. It hinges on what photo career path you expect to take, and just how much you have to spend when starting out.
But the SSO-CLK is the cornerstone for making a big leap in picture quality for a small price, so we are starting with light.
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