Flash

[metoo]

What is the cheapest flash you would recommend for the cannon xs? I'm an amateur with a small budget. Oh and I think I want a bounce flash....I actually know nothing about flashes, but I'm assuming the bounce allows more light with out getting that washed out look?

[digirebelva]

Take a look at the Canon Speedlite 420ex, its older, but will do bounce flash and can be used as a slave flash as well..price is usually around $150 or less..enough of a flash to get you started at least

[inkista]

No. DO NOT go for the 420EX--it has no manual control and is e-TTL only. This is like buying a camera that has no manual mode. Don't do it. It's semi-useless for off-camera Strobist work. If you're going to pay $150 for something, you should at least get full-manual and off-camera capability out of the deal.

If you're going for a used Canon speedlight, at least go for a 430EX or 550EX.

I'd actually say that if you're willing to go to eBay and take the risk of having to return bad copies to Hong Kong, go for a Yong-Nuo YN-468 (~$100). If you didn't need eTTL and planned to go off-camera, YN-560 (~$85) or go to the mpex website and get a LumoPro LP160 (~$160). Both of those have dumb optical triggers that can supposedly be used with the on-camera pop-up.

[metoo]

I think I might need a good article about DSLR flash photography before i buy anything. You all are speaking gibirish to me. I watched a you tube video about the canon 430ex and it looks perfect for my needs but I was hoping there would be a cheaper off brand equivalent.

[taschrief]

The 550EX is a more powerful flash than the 430II EX. It is also more versatile, MUCH SO! Since you are new to flash photography, I won't bore you with details. I do own 2 550EX's and a 430ex II. I rarely use the 430II. It has been relegated lighting backgrounds in multi-flash setups. You can get a good 550EX on e-bay for about the price of a new 430EX II, and you get a LOT more flash. The only downside is that it is a lot bigger than the 430EX ii.

Good luck. Flash photography is a whole new world.
Tom Schriefer

[inkista]

Originally Posted by metoo

I think I might need a good article about DSLR flash photography before i buy anything.

Yup. You probably need to read a bit more before making a purchasing decision.

You all are speaking gibirish to me.

Well, ask us to explain, and we will.

I watched a you tube video about the canon 430ex and it looks perfect for my needs but I was hoping there would be a cheaper off brand equivalent.

There is a lot of cheaper off-brand equipment, but they won't do a lot of things that the 430EX does. So, what was it that the 430EX did that you like, specifically?

The main decision you want to make is whether you want this flash for on-camera work or off-camera work. Because that can make a huge difference in what features you want the flash to have.

On-camera work means that the flash is attached to the hotshoe of the camera, and that the light will originate from the camera direction. You can change and diffuse the light by a technique known as bouncing (i.e., aiming the light at a reflective surface like a ceiling or wall, and using the reflective surface as your main light source), but this also throws away a lot of your light and isn't particularly efficient. It is, however, very easy to use and very portable. It's the technique most photographers who do event shooting of some kind use.

Off-camera work means that the flash is not connected to the hotshoe of the camera, but triggered remotely, either through a cable, with a light-based signal, or a radio signal. The light can come from any direction, and you have far more efficiency, since the light doesn't have to travel twice as long with a reflection, but you probably have to set up the lights on a stand or other holding apparatus, and you can't move about much. This is more for studio-type lighting set-ups. And depending on the triggering system you choose, you may only have access to limited flash functions. If you are going to use cheap radio triggers or a sync cable, chances are good you don't need a full-featured flash, like the 430EX, but could get by with a very low-cost manual-only flash instead.

For information on using on-camera flash, I recommend Neil van Niekerk's website. For information off-camera flash, I recommend the Strobist.

Getting a Canon EX Speedlight will give you the best future compatibility, build consistency/quality, and the most features within the Canon flash system. But it's also the most expensive way to go, and if you do end up doing off-camera with cheap radio triggers, you may be paying for a lot of features you never get to use. If you're going to go on-camera, though, or both on- AND off- camera, then an EX speedlight is probably worth it.

Canon makes two models of speedlight: the 400-series, and the 500-series. In terms of the ones you can use with digital SLRs for both on- and off-camera work, the mid/lower end models are the 430EX and the 430EX II, and the high end models are the 550EX, 580EX, and 580EX II.

The Mark II models are the current and newest, so they're the most expensive. All the other models you'll have to find used. The Mark IIs also have the most functionality, and are controllable through the camera menu. If you get non-Mark II models, all flash settings have to be done on the flash back, and you're going to want to carry a cheat sheet of all the custom functions around with you.

[alanlopez]

Flash photography has been a very difficult technology to master in any camera system. It is easy to take a snapshot of the hotel and your friends get terrible blows from the rabbit in headlight look built-in auto flash. However, the use of electronic flash and for natural images is very difficult.