Gig Photography

RyanLilly · May 5, 2008

The EZ series of Canon flashes, does not eTTL on Digital SLRS It will still work but It is a full manual flash.(it uses A-TTL
for film cameras)
The EX series is designed for eTTL with digital cameras.

Rogan · May 5, 2008

oh thats not good! cant be doing with manual!

are theere any powerful flashes that i can use that arent as expensive as the 430EX?

RubyMagic · May 6, 2008

Rogan said:
thanks asfix and ruby,

ruby what flashes you use, equioment etc? any other advice would be lovely!

also, what would be the best lens in all ur opinions, to leave on alllt he time during a gig, say if i had to go in the crowd for one and cudnt switch,

one that cud get a little bit of zoom in, nothing massive,

just need the best general lens i can get

I use a NIkon D40 (mainly because of the 1/500 flash sync speed (faster than Nikons D3)), a SB-800 flash on camera, and a SB-600 flash used off camera. Right now, all I have is the kit lens. It works fine, but I need something a little better. I'm looking into the Tokina 16-50 f/2.8 currently.

Its supposedly an amazing lens for the money. That range is excellent for concerts because you can go pretty wide angle at 16mm, and you get pretty medium telephoto shots at 50mm.

Also, a little advice on the canon: Just because you have an old film lens, doesnt mean you need to get a canon. More than likely it is lacking in optical quality. I personally suggest going with Nikon and their D40. It's cheap, has one of the fastest flash sync speeds of any SLR, and their flashes are cheaper than canons. The Nikon is better in low light, because of the smaller MP count (Not in noise value but in overall brightness). There's a lot of reasons I went with the Nikon instead, so I just wanted to make sure you consider all of your options.

Hell, you might want to check out the Pentax K100D too.

Rogan · May 6, 2008

thanks for your advice ruby

seem to be able to gt the D40 bodies dirt cheap for around £160 which wud leave me loads of money for a lens and flash!

RyanLilly · May 6, 2008

There are third party TTL flashes available from Bower and Vivitar for around $70, If you search "canon TTL" or "Nikon TTL" on B&H, you should come up with them. I have never used them or heard anything about them, I just know that they exist. I don't think that there are even any reviews on B&H. But they are a cheaper option.

Rogan · May 6, 2008

yeah i was just looking at them

i dont really know the numbers on flashes so no idea whats good!

Rogan · May 9, 2008

well ive spent the last few days heavily researching cameras

and i think ive been swayed into getting a D40, but i have no idea what lens to buy with it!
dont really want to spend more than £100, or will the kit lens be enough?

Bruno · May 9, 2008

If you're going to be using a flash, make sure you point it up so it's not all harsh light on your subjects.

andrew99 · May 9, 2008

The D40 is a great little camera, although it is not compatible with all lenses. You need a Nikon lens with AF-S in the name, or a Sigma with HSM, or else the autofocus will not work with the D40. I have a D40 and there are lots of great lenses to choose from, so I don't worry about that.

For low light, you will want a lens with a large aperture as possible (lowest f number .. f2.8 or lower will be good). This will allow you to have faster shutter speeds and avoid making blurry photos.

I also have Nikon's SB600 flash, which is excellent, so plan for one of those in the near future!

Rogan · May 9, 2008

yeah i know ill need the flash ,
the body i can get for £180,
and flash for £100, which leaves me £100 for a lens suibtable for low light conditions

i know stuff about canon fit but i have no idea for nikon! is there a lens similar to the kit lens but with a lower f number?

RubyMagic · May 10, 2008

100 Euro is about 155 US dollars.

Thats really not quite enough, man.

I suggest just using your kit lens until you save enough for either the Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 or the Sigma 30mm 1.4 (depending on whether you want the ability to zoom or not).

They run about 275-300 Euro.

Rogan · May 10, 2008

its $200 USD, im talking GBP

i dnt really want to spend any more money on lenses in the foreseeable future, i want 1 or 2 lenses that will do.

remember these photos dont have to be perfect, pro quality so...

can be either foir canon or nikon, not decided between d40 and 350d

M1M · May 10, 2008

I have the D40 and love the hell out of it. :heart:

RubyMagic · May 10, 2008

If you go with the 350D, I believe you'll regret it, Rogan.

The D40 is the better camera if you have narrowed it down between those two, and that will be the general opinion of people on this forum. Nikon is on the rise, and according to MANY people, has surpassed Canon. Nikon is even making better glass now with the addition of their new G-Series lenses.

To me, the 350D feels like a cheap kids Gyro toy. It does take phenomenal pictures but its a bummer to use and the glass isnt quite as good as Nikon's.

Good luck, and make sure to keep us updated on your final decision.

Rogan · May 11, 2008

my other option wud be a used 10D this camera looks nice although it has a very small screen.

but yeah the D40 seems to be everyones opinion, my only worry is the glass as the fast nikon lenses seem to be expensive especially since the D40 doesnt autofocus