Flashes. Where to start?

midget patrol · Jun 11, 2006

OK, so it's come to my attention recently that I need some off-camera flashes: for the effect (seen here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/je10227/Johansengazebosickangle.jpg) and just for the extra light. My problem is that I have no idea where to start, what I need, etc.

JEazy mentioned that his setup was

JEazy said:
two cheap vivi's via sync cords and a sunpack on an optical slave.

Now...what does that mean? I understand he was using two inexpensive vivitar flashes and that's about it. :blushing: Help?

Basically, I'm trying to set up two flashes off-camera with the ability to expand to more, if needed, later. So i need the flahes themselves, a power supply for each (internal?), and a way to synchronize them with my D50. Help?

MichaelMigz · Jun 11, 2006

Im no pro with lots of off camera flashes. So correct me if im wrong. BUT. i believe he has two vivis connected to his camera via sync cord. THEN he has a slave flash. which i believe is a wireless flash where you attach a wireless thing to your hto show ad it sets of a wireless flash. Right guys????

midget patrol · Jun 11, 2006

OK, thanks for that. So to set up a wireless system which are inhernetly more expensive i imagine, I would need the transmitter, the slave flashes and recievers, yes?

Can anybody confirm?

crawdaddio · Jun 11, 2006

I don't really know, so the only advice I can offer is that google will always help.

KevinR · Jun 12, 2006

You can get optical slave units for flashes pretty cheap. They fire when your on camera flash fires. Or if your going new, you could get wireless transmitter like Pocket Wizard but we're talking $$. Some of the new flashes like the Nikon SB800 have the ability to shoot of camera wirelessly.

midget patrol · Jun 12, 2006

KevinR said:
You can get optical slave units for flashes pretty cheap. They fire when your on camera flash fires. Or if your going new, you could get wireless transmitter like Pocket Wizard but we're talking $$. Some of the new flashes like the Nikon SB800 have the ability to shoot of camera wirelessly.

To clarify, the SB800 is a shoe-mount flash that also has the ability to be mounted and fire remotely?

mysteryscribe · Jun 12, 2006

Actually it's a pretty simple lighting technique.... If you have a main strobe you can fire off camera then just get two more optical slaves.. They fire from the main light put arrange them anywhere you like.

When you fire your main strobe the opticals will fire. usually a small optical come with a place to insert aa batteries as a power source. Thats about it the strobe light itself acts as your shutter. It will fire anywhere from 1 /1000 to 1/10,ooo of a second. Set them up to fire at a spot then when your subject hits the spot trip them with your camera wha la instant light and dead action stop. Hope this helps.

midget patrol · Jun 12, 2006

Thanks mysterscribe, that really cleared stuff up.

Would an on-camera flash be powerful enough to set off optical slaves?

KevinR · Jun 12, 2006

To clarify, the SB800 is a shoe-mount flash that also has the ability to be mounted and fire remotely?

Yep, you got it.

mysteryscribe · Jun 12, 2006

depends on the light. The biggest problem is the distance between them and the power of the trigger. I could shoot mine in a room with no problem unless it was large and had black walls. The trigger light tends to get eaten up with some bouce to keep it alive.

They make a long pc chord for the old style camera and also a flash connector to allow the hard wiring of several flashes together for mulitple angle flash. Used to use it in large room funiture displays. That way the walls could be dead black and still light the funiture with multiple strobes.

Best you can do is experiment experiment experiment. After a while you will get a feel for it. With digital you have plenty of time to play with the lighting before you shoot the shot. Not so with film.

The closer to dead on the angle of the trigger the better the light strike on the sensor of course. However you can trigger light one and have it trigger light two. That is possible because they fire so darn fast. There is no lag time at all on them. Well hertz would disagree but the time is so small it isnt even a factor in the real world.

practice practice practice

kulakova · Jun 13, 2006

hey, excuse me I thought that its actually headlight on a car!
or something like that. (searchlight)
but very strong... I dont believe that its something that is connected with camera....