I would like to know which one would be a good handheld flash to take small group portraits. I am not looking for anything fancy. I am just looking for something that will allow me to take photographs with my 8x10 camera when I go to birthday parties or weddings.
Small, battery powered, and powerful enough to give you a usable aperture with 8x10" for that situation--second-hand Norman 200 kits are fairly plentiful and cheap, but if you get an older one, you might want to upgrade the battery to the current Delta V battery, which will also require a new charger. The 400B will give you double the power, and the 200C pack is more compact than a 200B. You can get heads for these with modeling lights.
Lumedyne and Quantum are also excellent, but you probably don't really need the automatic features, if you are shooting 8x10".
Another option would be to combine a pair of shoe-mount flashes like Vivitar 283s, but I like the versatility of the barebulb systems like the Norman, Lumedyne, and Quantum (easy to mount on a lightstand, interchangeable reflectors/diffusers).
I know you said handheld, but if you are looking for a very compact portable stand, I recommend the Bogen 3373 stands.
i use a lumedyne 244 flash. you can usually pick up a pair of flash heads, and a super battery for it for not too much $$. i've had and used mine since 1989, and it still runs without any problems.
I second the Norman recomendation. I use a 400B with two heads on stands or one handheld. Not the lightest or most compact outfit, but neither is an 8x10 camera, and you'll need the power.
The metz series 45 and 60 will do the job for a small group shot. I recommend a 240 or 300 lense and two 45 metz one on sync and the other slaved. I use this with straight on flash and full power to get abut what a norman 200 output is , If I used the metz 60 that has the same power as the norman 200 I would still use two for the extra stop of light. Using non bounce flash from the flash direct with 8x10 yeilds wonderful detail in the subjects. I set the flashes about 6' apart and am about 8' to 12' from the group. If you are careful in composition you can sometimes get the flash closer than the camera for more light.
Cool, I appreciate your answers. There is plenty of this stuff on ebay. I will checke them out.
for a more expandable option while still being inexpensive look at white lightnings used with their vagabond power pack. You can get a surprising amount of pops out of one pack. Also, you have the option of more fine tuning your light via numerous modifiers. If you want an even better system that is actually more compact (as far as the heads go), go for some dynalites. They work with the same battery pack and are what I use. Love 'em.
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