Flash

[StreetShark]

Is a mounted flash worth buying? I usualy shoot landscapes and macro. I can think of a few times I might need it but they are a little expensive. Is there any cheaper alternitives to the canon flashes? I have a Rebel K2 on the way and I'm getting a XTi. Do they both have the same flash mount?

 

[Sw1tchFX]

same flash mount.

 

[panocho]

landscapes and macro...?:scratch:

i can't think on many landscape situations in which you could benefit from a flash. flashguns have a limited range, and no matter how strong they are they'll never reach what at least I understand by "landscape"

as for macro photography, you wouldn't benefit much from a flash either -from a standard flash, of course. You'd have to go for a specific macro ring flash. These are more expensive and rather limited to other situations (not necessarily, though).

Well, all this thinking that you'll shoot with the flash mounted on-camera, which of course you can avoid. In such case, you could arrange any flash to work fine in macro situations -not with landscapes, I'm afraid

 

[Garbz]

That's not entirely true. There have been several times where I have reached for my SB-800 in no fancy way (just mounted on the camera with a diffuser) to gain the ability to shoot something macro at f16.

Even though a macro flash is better it's specific and kills the lighting on the subject. You may find many more creative benefits to buying a hotshoe flash and an extention cable to use the flash out of the hotshoe.

 

[Dylan]

You can achieve some nice macro shots with a regular flash. In creative mode (aperture priority, manual etc) the camera tells the flash to act like a fill instead of lighting the whole scene (f/11 @125 or so). It takes some practice to get the metering right but once you have it you can create some nice shots. You might be able to get the same effect with your onboard flash as well.