Natural Lighting Help

JerryPH · Aug 24, 2009

nala said:
Since I'm just starting out, I was planning to go with the less expensive SB-600 flash, but now you all have me thinking about buying a used SB-800 instead. Is there anything I should be concerned with about buying a used flash? Are there any parts, like bulbs or capacitors maybe, that would wear out and make the flash useless? Or are these kinds of thing easily replaceable?

Flash tubes are easily replaceable, however if you have no experience with flashes DO NOT TOUCH. A capacitor can contain tens of THOUSANDS of volts even a month after having no batteries in it. If you do not know how to properly drain a cap, have it serviced professionally.

The cap in a SB-600, 800, 900 or a flash like a Vivitar 285HV has enough of a jolt to toss a man 6-7 feet across the room with ease.

I've seen in real life a guy playing with a disposible camera want to take out the flash, and that cap was strong enough that the jolt slammed his arm back and dislocated his shoulder on the spot. He cried like a baby from the pain.

Starting out with off camera flash photography, it is hard to beat the $90 Vivitar 285HV. It is just as strong as a SB-800 but it doesn't have it's range of adjustability nor any support for CLS (which doesn't matter, IMHO). It is my fav workhorse flash when budget is a consideration. I can get 5 Vivitars for the price of one SB-800 or SB-900.

musicaleCA · Aug 24, 2009

JerryPH said:
I've seen in real life a guy playing with a disposible camera want to take out the flash, and that cap was strong enough that the jolt slammed his arm back and dislocated his shoulder on the spot. He cried like a baby from the pain.

Someone should've been wearing rubber insulated gloves. *rolls eyes*

JerryPH · Aug 24, 2009

musicaleCA said:
JerryPH said:

I've seen in real life a guy playing with a disposible camera want to take out the flash, and that cap was strong enough that the jolt slammed his arm back and dislocated his shoulder on the spot. He cried like a baby from the pain.

Click to expand...

Someone should've been wearing rubber insulated gloves. *rolls eyes*

No kidding! :lol:

But truth to be told, insulated gloves are not going to help against destroying the tip of your soldering iron if you apply it against a wire that is holding that current. That "push" is also going to scare the living crap out of you, if you've never experienced it... lol

I wonder how many people know that it takes only 5 volts to stop a human heart?

The wise man will drain the cap before working on his flash.

musicaleCA · Aug 24, 2009

OH, he touched it with a soldering iron. I thought it was with his hands, or his arm was somehow in direct contact with it. Yeah. Electricity can be freaky stuff indeed. (I always thought it was cool to feel a stream of electrons on your hand though; literally feels like wind.)

JerryPH · Aug 24, 2009

musicaleCA said:
OH, he touched it with a soldering iron. I thought it was with his hands, or his arm was somehow in direct contact with it. Yeah. Electricity can be freaky stuff indeed. (I always thought it was cool to feel a stream of electrons on your hand though; literally feels like wind.)

Oh no, you had the image right... the guy touched the wire bare handed (yeah, he was a bit of a doltboy)... but wearing gloves still puts the soldering iron in a bad position... at least its not your bare hand, though! :lol:

When the electrician came to our house, he had a nice way of finding out what fuse controlled the wiring... he told me to switch on and off the various fuses and he held the positive in one hand and negative in the other... he always kinda yelped when I found the right fuse, but never got burned or hurt... lmao!