After some review comparison, and especially after reading John Fisher's review here at GG, I've decided to go with the AB800:
http://www.alienbees.com/b800.html
Other than the lighting unit itself, what other components are
A: absolutely necessary?
B: recommended?
Under A would be...
a stand to put it on? (intend to place softbox high above subjects head)
a softbox? (sizes?)
cords of some sort? or is that all with it?
Under B would be... what?
a remote unit?
light meter?
beauty dish?
etc...
And what the heck is a "speedring" anyway?
This is for use with a D70, studio only for right now, (cash for a portable power supply, later) for portraits, fashion, and beauty shots.
Bear in mind (and some of you are really really NOT good at this!) that I've never even seen a dang strobe used in real life, and have no clue what the various doodads that have to be a part of the system even are... assume you're giving a lecture to an intensely attentive but ignorant high school class...
I WILL be taking this to do (indoor AC accessible) location shooting away from home, and possibly dragging it all onto planes, so portability, compactness, and light weight are all very important for now.
Minimal system (but capable of pro results) to get started???????
Thanks in advance!