lets talk flash!

edgedemon

edgedemon

edgedemon

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As Im getting really confused over what I need..

First of all, if I buy an external flash, it sits on the hotshoe on the camera - can it also work if not sitting on the camera hotshoe or do I need to buy a different type of unit?

For flash that works without sitting on the hotshoe, is it a cable that connects it to the camera?

Can it be remote controlled?

Can all units work as either master or slave?

Do they have to be all from the same manufacturer to work together?

Im trying to spec a cheapish flash for my K20D and Pentax-M 100mm f4 Macro Lens that I have just bought. Specifically for trying the waterdrop shots, and all the images I have seen for this use an external flash unit.

I have also seen some hints where if using manual lenses like I have, the flash system needed is completely different, and then I started getting really confused. The more I read the more confused Im getting..

I know the Pentax flash units are out of my price league, so will be looking at a third party model...
 
edgedemon said:
First of all, if I buy an external flash, it sits on the hotshoe on the camera - can it also work if not sitting on the camera hotshoe or do I need to buy a different type of unit?
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Pretty much any flash can be made to work 'remotely' without having to rely on direct attachment to the camera. Most will have some sort of PC-sync socket or other cable connection which allows remote triggering of some sort and those that don't can have a little gadget attached to the hotshoe that does.

edgedemon said:
For flash that works without sitting on the hotshoe, is it a cable that connects it to the camera?
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Either a cable or some sort of wireless (radio or IR) triggering system.

edgedemon said:
Can it be remote controlled?
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If you mean remotely triggered, yes. If you mean remotely adjusted, only with certain flash units and certain cameras/triggering systems. Don't worry too much about remote adjustment though.

edgedemon said:
Can all units work as either master or slave?
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Assuming they have a slave cell, yes. But I think I'm correct in saying that only compatible units (i.e. a pair of Canon Speedlites) can act as master and slave. Someone who know what they are talking about will put me right on that one.

edgedemon said:
Do they have to be all from the same manufacturer to work together?
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Not at all. But you'd be advised to go for units that have full manual control and are roughly the same power as each other, although the latter is less important than the former.
 
Thanks for that glitch - your answers are appreciated..

I have been looking at the Vivitar 285HV as my first flash, seems to get a good write up on the strobist until they were bought out..

Or maybe the LumoPro 120/AF-1 48 Metz..
 
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Still trying to choose

Do I get a YN-560 - gets good reviews?

or a metz 36, ttl and p-ttl compatable?

Which would be best as a first flash for a K20D
 
I'm probably not the right person to answer this, so take this 'advice' with a pinch of salt.

Personally I'd go for something with TTL metering as I'm a complete wimp and I'd like to have that as a backup for when the fully-manual approach isn't working.

But the YN-560 does get some excellent reviews and is highly regarded and supported on Strobist, so if you're the type of chap who likes to live dangerously - go for that and a set of the RF-602 triggers for some off-camera fun.
 
Again, I'm not a big user of flash so take it with a pinch of salt but I would want at least one TTL flash I could use on camera when required, as your first/only flash buying a unit which is only useful for manual and off camera work is pretty silly in my view.
 
As we're talking flash, can anyone answer a question that's been bugging me?

What colour temperature does an unbounced flash output at? Somewhere in the 5000-6000°K range?
 
Yeah, Im sort of tempted by the YN560, as the reviews were good. Im not saying that I won't use the flash, but Im anticipating most of the use for the flash to be off camera - can I still use ttl then, if so, I will probably go for the metz?
Who thought flash could be such a minefield, in some ways the strobist site makes it worse, too many options to consider..
 
glitch said:
As we're talking flash, can anyone answer a question that's been bugging me?

What colour temperature does an unbounced flash output at? Somewhere in the 5000-6000°K range?
Click to expand...

I checked a while back - I believe the SB900 (the units I use) are around 5600k at full power from memory. Speedlight colour temp tends to vary a little with power output though, though that's pretty much true of all but the most expensive lights of any kind...

Basically shoot in raw, assume ~5600k and tweak from there as needs be...
 
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