Flash for Nikon help

[Gougoodthing]

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/sb700.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


I don't have an external flash at all, so obviously struggle badly with indoor people shots


Can get the above for $340 new on eBay.

Will I be happy or disappointed with something like this?

Would ideally i have to spend a fortune more?


Help, advice and opinions please!

[Speed]

I don't know anything about Nikon flashes but I know some pretty experienced Canon shooters who swear by Yongnuo stuff & have sold all their Canon flashes.
They say that they get all the benefits at a fraction of the price.

Just at a quick glance I see that they do Nikon equivalents also.

[Gougoodthing]

Cheers

What am I looking for in a flash?

How are they measured If comparing one to another?

[Speed]

That is a good question.

I think the main things are power & TTL functionality.....also the ability to swivel the head fully & zoom, depending on what lens you are using it with.

There are definitely other things to consider if you are going to use it a lot & in conjunction with other flashes, like wireless triggering & trigger compatibility etc. but really like anything to do with photography, there has to be a starting point.
The subject of triggers is a whole other matter.
I've only heard of good things to do with Yongnuo & I would reckon you could find an SB900 equivalent without too much trouble.

[Speed]

Looks like the Yongnuos don't have much Nikon TTL compatibility.

Again at a quick glance the YN467 seems to have Nikon TTL but I'm not sure of how else it compares in other areas.
http://speedlights.net/compare-speedlig ... del2=YN467" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gougoodthing]

Cheers Speed, will look into it

[Shonky]

I got a Nissin di866 Mkii which works great, does TTL on Canon, I'm not sure of their Nikon compatibility but I'm pretty sure they do the same model for Nikon as well.

[Gougoodthing]

Bloody awesome help guys

As i only will use it a few times a year (famous last words...) 99% sure will go for this

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_trks ... &_from=R40" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

about $160

[Speed]

Good stuff. Looks like great value.

[J.D.]

Agreed. Definitely go the SB-700.

The Nikon flash system is superior to the Canon (a lot more consistent) one so comparisons don't hold a lot of water there.

Features don't matter that much. A lot of the time you will want to use it on manual anyway. The trick really is to know what you can expect from your flash and learn what it does before you try anything seriously.

This stuff is for Canon units but the principles are identical:

http://super.nova.org/DPR/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Take special notice of how to use diffusers. It's vital to making portraits look good. Sure, you'll want to try your new toy out when you first get it home but unless you know how to bounce it and use the low power and flash ratio settings, chances are you'll be a bit disappointed.

[DexterPunk]

Take special notice of how to use diffusers. It's vital to making portraits look good.

This!!! And it's vital to make almost anything look good. You need to make your light source LARGE! And you need to get your flash off the camera. Never have a key light (main light source) on axis.

Feel free to give me a yell if you need to know anything about flash lighting.


Sent from Han Solo using TK-421's phone.

[kwijibo]

Wow, those ebay flashes are pretty cheap - might have to get a second flash that I'll never use!

I've used bunnings worklights in the past, with a mass of tissue paper hanging in front of it. Very tightarsed style

[DexterPunk]

There's nothing wrong with using those, specially if you're diffusing it. The only real difference between those lights and some photographic hot lamps is the colour temp. That's not so much of an issue using digital cameras these days. So long as you get some decent distance between the lights and your diffuser (tissue paper/trace paper).


Sent from Han Solo using TK-421's phone.

[Gougoodthing]

Cheers guys, placed my order a week or so ago, thought they arrived the other day but that was something else

I.m happy to research and study and practice, watch this space

[Gougoodthing]

Dumb noob question


Using ttl mode (I didn't even know what that meant an hour ago) does the metering on the camera allow for the flash?

[Speed]

I don't know about Nikon but with my Canon, the flash ignores what type of metering I have set on the camera. It uses either Evaluative or Average which is set in the "Flash custom function" menus.

Personally, I generally use Evaluative metering mode & set my flash compensation to minus one & two thirds, just to add a nice amount of fill.....Edit: Whilst I am manually exposing for the ambient. TTL or ETTL-(Canon's version) is fantastic if you are shooting a function where you don't have the time to make adjustments on the fly & your subjects are varying distances from the camera.
If I have the time to set up a shoot & meter, I find it best to use manual mode.

[Gougoodthing]

Cheers Speed

It seems More complicated the my camera

[Gougoodthing]

About the first one i took


Baxter the Labrador by FlashGordon Photography, on Flickr

[Speed]

Good stuff. Have you tried bouncing the flash off the ceiling?

[Gougoodthing]

Good stuff. Have you tried bouncing the flash off the ceiling?

Yeah, but the dog got bored.

[DexterPunk]

Haha!

Yeah definitely could use a larger light source (wall/ceiling). You need to get your light source off camera for good results. Either by bouncing it, or with a sync cable.


Sent from Han Solo using TK-421's phone.

[Shonky]

Try taking shots around the house pointing the flash in different directions to get a feel for how the light bounces, you'll improve your flash photography indoors immensely just doing this without taking the flash off the camera.

If you want a cheap and useful way to get the flash off the camera, check out these. I have 3 and they work a treat.

I can control 1 or 2 flashes remotely, or have a remote flash and remote shutter if the need arises.

http://www.hkyongnuo.com/e-detail.php?ID=282" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gougoodthing]

Thanks again guys. The extension cord things only cost about $15 on eBay. I'll look into the remote thing further.

[J.D.]

Check out something like this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Photo-Studio ... 818wt_1397" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or this:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Lighting ... 780&_uhb=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The bigger, the better. The reason is that, the further away from the source the light is, the more diffuse it is when it hits the diffuser so you get a much better effect. The light also tends to "wrap" itself around the subject far better because that whole front screen becomes the light source.

[Gougoodthing]

Didn't realise those things are so reasonable. Cheers for the heads up. Will think this thru!