External flash???

Hi folks! I have been a photographer for about 4 years and I'm just about to be 17 years old. I've heard from numerous people that an external flash is a great investment, but I never saved up any money to get one. What I'm wondering is....
What does an external flash do for you?
How do I even begin to shop to buy one?
I was shopping on Amazon and some say 430EX and others say 580EX and some, 270EX. What does that mean?
I would GREATLY appreciate any feedback on how to start looking toward purchasing one of these.
Thank you all and happy shooting!
-Madison
MY GEAR:
Canon Rebel XTi
Canon Standard Lens 18-55mm
Promaster Zoom Lens 18-200mm

[Cola]

**Edited to appease the masses**

First and foremost, you should direct yourself to the king of off camera flash, Dave Hobby and his blog famous among photographers called Strobist If you dig through the site, you can pretty much find everything you could possibly want to know on there. Dave Hobby has taught many photographers how to light off camera for free through his blog and I think you will find it beneficial as well.

An external flash adds more dimension to your photo and allows you to control your lighting much more and get creative with the look of your photos. On camera flash has a way of making photos all look like snapshots or very flat. The benefits of shooting with flash off camera is you can mount them on a light stand with an umbrella mount and use light modifiers such as umbrellas, softboxes, octobanks, etc.

The different numbers and letters are model numbers for the different flashes.

To get your flash off camera a wireless transmitter is one option. Many are expensive but for beginners I would recommend cheaper alternative such as the Cactus V4 triggers or the iShoot triggers. They may not be as reliable but they will get you on your way until you feel it time (or are financially able) to upgrade.

Craigslist is a great way to find used gear around your area you can see in person. Ebay is also another option. You can always buy new from a reputable online dealer such as amazon, b&h, adorama or KEH.

If you have any other questions I will do my best to help.

** I left out a few details as pointed out by inkista below but I typed out my post quick and ran through some of the things that got me started to give you at least a starting place and some stuff to look into. Didn't really need to be called out on things i left out such as model numbers since obviously different models will have different features. Off camera lighting can be very fun and exciting. Once you get into it I am sure you will be hooked. Clearly others have more to offer you on this subject so good luck to you. Take care. **

Thank you for the help!! I'll definitely check that website out. I would love to have an external flash so that I can be more creative with my portrait photography! Wow, I thought you could just buy an external flash, attach it to your camera, and start shooting. Didn't know about the wireless transmitters. This is something I will definitely have to SAVE up for though.
Thanks again!

[inkista]

Originally Posted by madisonlaird

What does an external flash do for you?

It gives you more light to work with, and control over that light. Like having a camera body that does better high iso noise control, or a lens with a larger max. aperture, having more light to work with can extend your photography capabilities.

How do I even begin to shop to buy one?

Work out what your budget is, and how you want to work with the flash. Your needs can vary drastically depending on whether you want to work with the flash on-camera, or off-camera, and what triggering system you're going to use when going off-camera.

I was shopping on Amazon and some say 430EX and others say 580EX and some, 270EX. What does that mean?

On the Canon side of the fence with the EX models, the larger the number, the bigger and more powerful (and more feature laden) the flash is.

The 270EX ($130 on Amazon) is basically a small step up from the pop-up flash that's built into your camera with a limited tilt capability. It's useless for Strobist work if you plan to use cheap radio triggers, however, since it has no Manual mode, where you can directly control the power output.

The 430EX II is a mid-level flash (about $257 on Amazon). It has tilt and swivel capability, and a decent amount of power. It can be used as a slave with Canon's wireless system (different from radio more on this a little later). But it lacks some of the bells and whistles of the 580EX. The model it replaced was the 430EX.

The 580EX II ($420) is the top of the speedlight from Canon. It has the most power, full 360° swivel (the 430 only goes 90° to the right), Canon wireless master capability, PC sync port, and a thyristor mode. The model it replaced was the 580EX, which in turn replaced the 550EX.

All of the models I've mentioned do what's called eTTL II. This is a system that Canon digital cameras and speedlights use to talk to each other to do a number of different tasks. The most important being the ability to automatically set the power level of the flash based upon metering. The camera fires a "preflash" of a known brightness, meters it, and then, based upon the exposure settings you've set, adjusts the power of the flash to match that known brightness level. It's kind of like having automatic exposure modes on your camera, vs. full Manual mode. It can be inconsistent and not exactly right, but it'll be close enough for jazz.

And this is great for bouncing the flash. Bouncing is where you tilt/swivel the flash to aim it at a reflective surface, like a ceiling or wall, and "bounce" the light off of it. This diffuses the light and makes it softer, so you don't get that glaring too-white flash "look" you typically see from pop-up flashes that can't tilt or swivel.

The second function eTTL II gets you is what's called "high-speed sync". This is where you can use a shutter speed faster than your max. sync speed (typically 1/200s or 1/250s--it depends on your camera body), and still have the whole frame illuminated by the flash.

The third function is the Canon proprietary master/slave signalling, where the flash can be operated remotely. With your XTi, you'd need a 580EX II, 580EX, 550EX, or ST-E2 on the hotshoe to use this. So, it can get pretty expensive, as you'd need two speedlights to remotely pop a light. But you can remotely dial in power levels without having to walk up to a flash to mess with it, and you have all the eTTL features. But as I said, expensive.

Which is why folks often go Strobist with cheap radio triggers instead.

These cheap radio triggers (about $40 per Rx/Tx set) only command the flash to fire. So you don't have any of the eTTL capabilities, and you have to set the power manually on your flash. But, you don't need expensive Canon EX speedlights to do this. You could go with much cheaper all-manual flahses, such as the Yongnuo YN-460 (which is about $60 on eBay and of ... er.. variable build quality), or the Lumopro LP160 (which is $160).

Originally Posted by Cola

...The different numbers and letters are just the model numbers and don't really mean anything in photography terms other than just giving it a unique name for reference sake....

Errr, no. They are different models with different feature sets, and those features can make a huge amount of difference in usability and suitability for Strobist work or on-camera work. You need to know what they mean. Not to mention that with the Canon EXs, the model number is the guide number/reach of the flash with a zero appended (at iso 100, zoomed to the narrowest/longest setting). The 270EX's gn is 27m (zoomed to 50mm), the 430EX's is 43m, and the 580EX's is 58m (zoomed to 105mm).

The numbers most definitely "mean something in photography terms."

...To get your flash off camera you need a wireless transmitter....

This is also incorrect. You can use a wireless transmitter if you want to, but you can also use a cable. Sync cables are actually the best backup system you can have when your wireless transmitters bite the big one, either from dead batteries, radio interference, or (if you're using the proprietary light-based systems), you have no line of sight or are out of range.

In addition, there are also "dumb" optical slaves, which, when they sense a flash burst, send the signal to fire.

Wireless transmitters (of which there are again, a ton of varieties) are only some of the ways you can remotely pop a flash.

There are basically three schools of wireless transmitters:

Proprietary light-based systems that do TTL. These are typically built into brand-name flashes and cameras. Some of the higher-end bodies will have the master capability built into the camera's pop-up flash (for Canon, the 1D Mark IV, 7D, and 60D do this). You retain full TTL capability and usually high-speed sync and remote commanding. But because the system is light-signal based at near-infrared frequencies, it's most useful indoors. Outside, the system can suffer from line-of-sight (the sensor has to be able to "see" the transmitter--you can't tuck one behind a door) and range issues.

"Dumb" radio triggers. These are the cheapest and simplest method most favored by Strobists (mostly for the cost). The radio signal simply transfers the sync signal and tells the flash to fire. No TTL, no high-speed sync, and no remote power setting. If you put a light up over the basketball net, you're going to have to climb up there to adjust the power level. But, range is radio signal range, and there are no line-of-sight issues. Cheap to expensive. Basically the more you pay, the more reliable and better built the trigger is.

TTL-capable radio triggers, which melds the best of both systems. The proprietary TTL signals are transferred over radio. There are only two brands at this point: RadioPopper PXs, and the TTL PocketWizards. The Radiopoppers are cool: they translate the light signals to radio signals and then back again to light signals, so all TTL function is identical to the proprietary system. But you need both Canon master and slave units. The PocketWizard TTL triggers don't require a master unit, but you need Canon slave units, and since they've reverse-engineered the TTL signals, not all things function exactly as with the Canon system, but they've also worked in some additional functions. This, of course, is the most expensive way to go. Maybe $500-$600 to get a single light off-camera.

... and then there's the choice of speedlights vs. monolights.... [If you're thinking of doing serious studio work, your money might be better spent on a monolight than a speedlight. A monolight is a power-pack and head in a single unit (hence the name). It's a much bigger and more powerful flash than a speedlight, and it plugs into a wall outlet. It's not as convenient as a speedlight and it can't be used on the hotshoe, but remember that thing about more light? A monolight gives you MORE light. Lighting large groups of people or larger spaces becomes possible. Speedlights are tiny and AA-powered. You hit their limits pretty fast. Go google AlienBees if you're interested in making a home studio setup.]

You ask about flashes around here, we can deluge you. The Strobist guys on Flickr can flood you. Flash is a big big subject.

My advice?

Do two things before you even pick up a flash: 1) Figure out your budget. 2) Make sure you're absolutely comfortable shooting in full Manual mode and swapping stops among iso, aperture, and shutter speed. Master ambient light shooting first. This is going to be your basis for flash shooting. If you don't have it, flash is just going to confuse the hell out of you.

See if you can get a 430EX, 430EX II, 550EX, 580EX, or 580EX II (new or used). Even if you go Strobist later, it's always good to have at least one eTTL II capable flash for on-camera work and bouncing. While Strobist setups are great for posed shots where you have the time to setup the umbrellas and lights and shoot, check, adjust, and retake, if you plan on doing any event shooting where you have to run'n'gun and you've only got one shot at stuff, then having an automatic power-adjustment system can get you a shot you wouldn't have gotten doing the all-manual low-budget Strobist thing.

Then, put the light on-camera, and read neilvn.com's Tangents website and particulary the "flash photography techniques" section, and learn to use a single speedlight on camera first. Get the basics under your belt. This is the blue pill.

After that, then you can swallow the red pill and go Strobist and hit Lighting 101.

[DivotMaker]

inkista,
once again, I bow.

I was just starting to dive into external lighting....and you have answered so many questions, and even spurred a few.

Thanks, for taking the time..to be so thorough..

[inkista]

De nada. I type 100 wpm, and I write the way other people breathe. This was being lazy, actually. Usually, I work a little harder to make 'em shorter.

[OsmosisStudios]

Inkista, I do have a question for you.

When people give you a high-five, do they stop, stare off into the middle distance, mouth agape and just say "It's full of... STARS"?

Curious, is all.

[inkista]

No, no, they're too busy hunting up a crown for me, as god-empress of the universe.

[zona5101]

Cola - you shouldn't get bent if Inkista corrects your post. Think of it like Michael Jordan helping you with your jumpshot....

[Cola]

Originally Posted by zona5101

Cola - you shouldn't get bent if Inkista corrects your post. Think of it like Michael Jordan helping you with your jumpshot....

It wasn't things I didn't know it was things i failed to mention or didn't word to his liking. Not getting bent, just not a fan of his "here's why he's wrong and I'm right" approach. The point of a forum is to get input from multiple sources to better learn, not to have a competition for who goes most in depth while making it a point to show why their answer should be superior.

Also, in this sense I don't need help with my "jump shot" I simply offered information of things i did to get started or things other photographers I know personally did to get started. This doesn't mean I'm not aware of other options or that I don't have knowledge that exceeds what I quickly typed in this post. I figured others would post whatever I didn't and collectively "madisononlaird" would get his/her answer. This wasn't supposed to be a competition for information, but some people feel they have to appear superior to others. Whatever helps them sleep at night..