Flash help

[Jus7 A Phas3]

hello, i want this http://www.adraycamera.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3454 do i need something like a pocket wizerd to shoot with it and if so what are some other cheap alteratives that i can use? thanks

 

[scastro]

Hello, I have used this one a couple of times and it's very powerful and has a nice zoom, also you can get an off camera shoe cable to do lateral lighting.

But it does require a lot of manual calculation. Unless you need the high guide number, you may want to get something cheaper. Or invest in a dedicated flash that can save you a lot of headaches.

Cheers,

SC.

 

[JerryPH]

http://strobist.blogspot.com

That site has all the answers. I feel that anyone that has any kind of desire to shoot off camera flash really should take the time to read and learn from that site, its great.

 

[Patrice]

the Vivitar 283 and 285 were long the mainstay of many photographers. They are very versatile in a multi flash setups. I have a few of these and fire them with very inexpensive optical triggers. They are good for illuminating backgounds, use as hair lights, splashes of color when you put gels in front of them, etc.. Hunt in the pawn shops for them, they can be had very cheap. The 285 is a bit more versatile because you don't need any extra pieces to vary the power.

I would not recommend them as your one and only flash, the dedicated flashes are way too useful not to get one.

Pat

 

[Jus7 A Phas3]

thanks, I am going to use this off camrea for skateboard photography. I will point it at the ledge or rail to light it up. just to give your more information which in turn you can give me more help :]

 

[jamescell]

You could go the pocket wizard route, however they cost quite a bit. I have 3 285hv's and 1 283, I trigger them with 4 channel wireless flash triggers I bought off ebay. The trigger came with 2 recievers and cost about $30, it works perfectly! I love my 285's and would recommend them to anyone, I also own a 480ex and a 380ex, both of them are getting real dusty!

 

[Jus7 A Phas3]

thanks, im worried about my slave not being able to shoot at high enough shutter speeds. I saw on the PW they could only go up to 1/250 or so i might be reading it wrong but im not sure

 

[jamescell]

that mostly depends on you cameras maximum sync speed. I use a canon rebal xt and it syncs to 1/320 before part of the picture is black. You may be using a shutter speed of 1/250 but the flash duration is what will dictate the action stopping power of the shot. The 285hv has a flash duration of 1/1000 - 1/30,000, so I don't think you will have a problem there :thumbup: