IT'S HERE! SWEET!

[inTempus]

I ordered a Speedlite for my camera from Amazon and went through a complete mess... first they had it in stock, then they didn't... then I found it through another vendor... then Amazon tried to charge me twice for the flash... but now it's here!

I have no idea how to work this thing properly yet, but here's my very first picture using my new Speedlite. I can't wait to figure this thing out.

I also ordered a Sto-Fen (got it) and a Gary Fong Lightshere (not here)

I'm already wanting to find a used 430EX as a remote... man, this is addicting.

That, and I discovered my local college is offering digital photography courses in the evenings! I'm all signed up.

Man, I wish I had done this years ago.

 

[Kegger]

Nice pick up.

I got another SB-600 for xmas, now I just need an SB-800 and I'm set...

Well... Kinda, lol. You can never have too many speedlights. Welcome to a worse addiction that macro.

 

[inTempus]

LOL... I'm already trying to figure out a way to sneak the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L series lens past the wife.

...not to mention all the lighting equipment I want for shooting stuff in a home studio. Just when I thought I was done with finding new expensive hobbies.

 

[stsinner]

That's great.. Funny thing is that I went through the same damned thing!! My SB-600 order went through fine.. I waited and waited and nothing.. I went online to check the status, and it was out of stock.. I went to Amazon and finally found it in stock..

I have the Lightsphere cloud and clear, and I think they're great.. I need to get the Omni-Bounce, though.

 

[inTempus]

That's screwed up.

When I originally ordered my flash it showed them as being in stock. 3 days later when I checked on my order, wondering why it hadn't shipped, it still showed as being in stock.

Then, out of the blue I get an email saying my expected delivery date was moved out to Jan 14th!

So I went back, canceled the order and found it for a slightly better price through another vendor and ordered it. Being pissed and impatient I paid $30 for shipping to get it here over night. I just wanted it!

Now I'm happy.

 

[stsinner]

Your baby looks a bit suspicious of it, however!

 

[CAG76]

Wow! You should like me, getting excited about a new hobby! When did you buy your Canon 40D? I have an XSi that I bought right after thanks giving. Right now I only have the kit lens and a 70-300mm IS lens. I never had a tripod so I bought one of those and a remote shutter switch so I could take night shots. OH yes this is how it keeps going on. I then looked up info on the battery grip and got one of those so vertical shots are easier to take. I already plan on getting a nice macro lens for the summer and now you are making me want to get a speed light. I never even thought of it. That picture just looks great that you took.

I would think that speed lights would cause a lot of glare or something at close range, but no this picture looks like it has just the right amount of soft light!

Awesome stuff, man!!

-Christopher

 

[bevin]

Ah, I love buying new stuff. I finally got enough money together to buy my 40D and the lens you're coveting (the 24-70mm). Rang the shop yesterday to put through the order, haggled them down to stupid cheap prices, got a Crumpler bag thrown in and then find out there are no 40D's in New Zealand and the next shipment is 3 weeks out! ARGH!!

*sob* So it's fun with the Powershot 800 P&S for another 3 weeks.....

 

[stsinner]

*sob* So it's fun with the Powershot 800 P&S for another 3 weeks.....

PowerShots rock.. You can pry my A620 from my cold, dead hands...

 

[inTempus]

Wow! You should like me, getting excited about a new hobby! When did you buy your Canon 40D? I have an XSi that I bought right after thanks giving. Right now I only have the kit lens and a 70-300mm IS lens. I never had a tripod so I bought one of those and a remote shutter switch so I could take night shots. OH yes this is how it keeps going on. I then looked up info on the battery grip and got one of those so vertical shots are easier to take. I already plan on getting a nice macro lens for the summer and now you are making me want to get a speed light. I never even thought of it. That picture just looks great that you took.

I would think that speed lights would cause a lot of glare or something at close range, but no this picture looks like it has just the right amount of soft light!

Awesome stuff, man!!

-Christopher

I've had my camera about 2 weeks now.

The Speedlite lets you angle the head so you can bounce the light off the walls/ceiling and not use a direct flash. Doing this completely gets rid of shadows (note the lack of a shadow anywhere around the two people). The room I took that quick-pic in was really dark and usually causes me to have really under exposed pics, blurry pics due to a slow shutter speed or noisy pics because I had to use such a high ISO. Now they look darn near perfect. I was about 3 feet from them when I took that pic too.

Also, if you notice there is a light behind them and my lens is pointing straight at it. Without a flash the image would be completely screwed up because of the bright light source in a dark room right behind the subjects. With a flash it looks great.

It's amazing.

You can also use a flash in daylight to help give proper color to things including peoples faces. Flashes are indespensible really... I couldn't wait to get this thing. It really makes my camera twice as useful.

 

[Samanax]

I ordered a Speedlite for my camera from Amazon and went through a complete mess... first they had it in stock, then they didn't... then I found it through another vendor... then Amazon tried to charge me twice for the flash... but now it's here!

Congrats! Which Speedlite did you get?

I have no idea how to work this thing properly yet, but here's my very first picture using my new Speedlite. I can't wait to figure this thing out.

Reading the manual helps, but it goes so much quicker if you can get someone who already has the same flash to point things out to you.

I also ordered a Sto-Fen (got it) and a Gary Fong Lightshere (not here)

Instead of buying one of the commercial light diffusers, I made a bunch of DIY light diffusers. The one I use the most is a alcohol bottle diffuser that works pretty good. A simple bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol that was just the right shape to fit right on the head of my 580EX II. Looks weird but it works. I also made by own ABBCs (A Better Bounce Card) and a bunch of small lightboxes. Made a bunch of snoots and snoot/grids too.

I'm already wanting to find a used 480 as a remote... man, this is addicting.

480?

That, and I discovered my local college is offering digital photography courses in the evenings! I'm all signed up.

Cool. You'll really enjoy the classes and learn a lot...as long as the instructor isn't a jerk.

 

[Prophet]

That's great.. Funny thing is that I went through the same damned thing!! My SB-600 order went through fine.. I waited and waited and nothing.. I went online to check the status, and it was out of stock.. I went to Amazon and finally found it in stock..

I have the Lightsphere cloud and clear, and I think they're great.. I need to get the Omni-Bounce, though.

OMG! That is just helarious. I snuck a used 430 EX Mark I and a 70-200mm F4 L. I feel awful for it, but I know in the end, I'm going to produce some amazing stuff... enventually.

-JD-

 

[inTempus]

Congrats! Which Speedlite did you get?

The 580EXII.

480?

My bad, 430EX.

 

[Samanax]

My bad, 430EX.

Ahhh...a lot of my friends use 430EXs as part of their strobist gear. A lot also use Nikon SB24s and SB26s too. They use either Pocket Wizards or CyberSyncs radio triggers to fire the strobes.

 

[elemental]

Congrats!

After I finish switching systems, some half-decent strobes are next on my list. The tawdry assortment of Vivitars and Quantarays I've come into (primarily by accident0 are not especially effective.