External flash advice

[WalkingWithStrangers]

I have a Nikon d7000 and I am interested in buying a flash for my camera. I'm mainly interested in using it for photographing people; I'm experimenting with nighttime portraits. I know nearly nothing about flashes because I don't use mine, I use studio lights. Any help/advice/experience with flashes would really help since I don't even know where to start! I am looking for one that is fairly inexpensive (so no $600 flashes) but still decent in quality. Thank you in advance!

 

[Cfitz]

Any of the Nikon speedlights will do, bar the SB400. The SB900 is the best and but it's only just under $600. I'd say the SB700 would be the best for your budget.

 

[tirediron]

The SB600 is also a good choice and somewhat cheaper.

 

[KmH]

A flash, is a flash, is a flash, be it a studio strobe or a hot shoe speedlight.

Of course you may be using continuous studio lights.

Here's the deal. It is easier to learn to use strobed light with the camera and the light in manual modes. You can also produce more consistant results that way, and the best way to light people for portraiture is with the light off of the camera (OCF, off camera flash),

In that case you don't need a camera makers hot shoe flash, you just need a hot shoe flash you cab set the power on manually, and a way to trigger it OCF. Of course for quality portraiture you will need several lights

For nighttime portraiture you still need to modify the light (much larger apparent light source) so you have nice soft light, and soft edged shadows, so again you need to OCF. Unless you're going for that hard, harsh, just one light on the camera hot shoe, amateurish look.

We are good for saving you some $$$'s, because the non-TTL 3rd party hot shoe strobes are not as expensive. So here are some you could consider that have good power ratings (GN number):

This flash has some automatic functions because of the thyristor it uses. I have 6 of these: Vivitar 285HV Auto Professional Flash

in case you need TTL - Vivitar DF383 Digital TTL Shoe Mount Power Zoom /Swivel /Bounce Auto-Focus Flash for Nikon TTL, Guide Number 45m (147')

Yongnuo Flash Speedlite Yn-460ii for Nikon Canon Pentax

Speedlite YN560 Flash for Canon, Nikon, Sony Cameras

 

[sbakewell0508]

I have the nikon sb600 with my nikon d90... nikon has the CLS.. which means you can trigger your flash wirelessly (or use radio trigger).. also when triggering nikon flashes with cls if you adjust a camera setting , the flash knows it and adjusts the power needed to get a good exposure (this can be seen here: ) he only uses flashes for his lights.

 

[RaNdZ]

I have the nikon sb600 with my nikon d90... nikon has the CLS.. which means you can trigger your flash wirelessly (or use radio trigger).. also when triggering nikon flashes with cls if you adjust a camera setting , the flash knows it and adjusts the power needed to get a good exposure (this can be seen here: YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VwgPBJR9-0) he only uses flashes for his lights.

What do you mean by radio trigger? Can you use a pocketwizard transciever (no reciever) with an sb600?

 

[KmH]

The triggering signal is a radio, not an optical light frequency. Yes Pocket Wizard makes devices that willl work with the SB-600. Pocket Wizards use radio frequencies.

Nikon's CLS uses Infrared light (IR). IR is limited to line-of-sight, thouhg sometimes you can get a liitle reflection off of surfaces to tigger a light that is out of sight.

But IR's range is limited. Nikon's CLS is only good for about 30 feet. In direct sunlight it's worse because the sunlight has a lot of IR in it that overpowers the CLS IR signal.

Triggers that use radio frequencies are not limited to line-of-sight, and are not effected by direct sunlight.

Transceiver means a single unit can be both a transmitter and a receiver.