Outdoor inverter-powered strobe vs. Nikon SB-800 flash

[gummyb]

I'm planing to do some late afternoon to dusk shots of people outdoors. I have a strobe, but don't know if I have to buy the strobe company's inverter or any inverter would work. I also don't know if it's worth the hassle or I can get the same effect using the SB-800 flash with a sync cord.

Anybody know?

[sfaust]

I routinely use a battery powered studio strobe system with a pure sine wave inverter and it works perfectly. Its far more powerful than an SB-800, or any compact flash. I've used it to overpower the sun, so it has plenty of power. In my opinion, its worth making up a battery pack/inverter setup if you don't mind the weight and need the power.

If you don't need the power, then the SB-800, or a couple of them, is probably a better way to go.

[gummyb]

I decided to buy the inverter/battery from the guys who supplied my strobe...alienbees. Figured it's safer and comes with a nice travel bag.