Where to find photography equipment for cheap?

Does anyone know a good place to buy photography equipment for cheap. I'm talking backdrops and lighting stands. i'm not a professional so i dont need top of the line but something of good quality.

i dont know anything about it so i'm hoping there are some good insights here.

Make your own.

Buy Muslin and dye it yourself. Should cost less than $20. As for backdrop stand, buy shower curtain rod hang the rod on the ceiling. Wooden dowel will also do.

As for light stands, it depends on the lights you have. But getting an adaptor like this (http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/sto...ortKey=default) will allow you to mount regular monolights on tripods. Any cheap tripods are good enough for lights.

My dad buys his gear here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

It's probably cheaper than Canada but sometimes you do get hit with taxes.

I bought mine from Amvona.com

Good quality stuff.

Asia if you have a chance to go there.

Thanks for the replies.

looking at those websites is there a particular brand or something to look for when choosing a muslin?

i'm thinking of just getting a basic white and perhaps a grey backdrop.


Also, with the lights, which would be a good basic set to invest in?

Originally Posted by The_Madz

Also, with the lights, which would be a good basic set to invest in?

If you do this casually, then external flashes from your camera manufacturer will do. Units such as Canon's 580EX puts out a surprising amount of light for its size. Plus, it runs on batteries so it's portable and you won't need to run cords. Alternatively, you can pick up used Metz CT60-1 for a really good price. These puts out even more light than the 580EX.

If you need more light (eg. over 400 Ws), try a used set of Normans. Vistek has lots of those for sale. You can get 1000Ws to 2000Ws models for a reasonable price.

Someone may recommend Alien Bees. These are good flashes for the price. But read the specs carefully. The AB400s put out as much light as the 580EX but it's a lot less portable. So, be sure to know what you're getting.

Originally Posted by The_Madz

Thanks for the replies.

looking at those websites is there a particular brand or something to look for when choosing a muslin?

i'm thinking of just getting a basic white and perhaps a grey backdrop.


Also, with the lights, which would be a good basic set to invest in?

If you shoot Nikon and you have a newer Nikon DSLR you should get some SB800 flashes! They work very well wireless and you can attach them to a tripod/light stand with a softbox/umbrella on it and it works really well!

I use Alienbees for my lights. They're quite good and don't need a power pack. Each light plugs directly into an outlet.

The lights come with a built in slave sensor. I also use a wireless remote with my setup.

Are there any good local stores around toronto that sells muslins and such for a good price or is the internet the only real way to go?

Any fabric store will do.

Alternatively, try art supply stores such as Currie's or Loomis. But these tend to cost more. Just lookup Arts & Craft Supplies in the yellow pages.

Also, it doesn't have to be Muslin. Other colored fabric store will do as long as it can be dyed.

Finally, while you're in the fabric store, pick up some rip-stop nylon to use as diffusers. You can use these to build a light tent or stretch it over a frame to make diffusion panels. You can also get foam boards from Home Depot/Rona to use as reflectors.

Check out this site for some neat ideas

http://www.diyphotography.net/