Need to clear something up with flashes..!

[Rogan]

Right ive been reading strobist and flash threads around the forum but am very confused by some thigns

I am looking to buy one of the old nikon units (sb-24/25/26/27/28/80)

i also plan on buying wireless ebay triggers (gadget infinity)

i understand all that. But can i use this flash ON camera as well when im going out?

will if it with both/either/none of canon or nikons dSLR's
ive heard about it working in 'A' mode (?) for nikons, but does this also work on canon's?

Would love to get this cleared up!

Thanks

Rogan

 

[JimmyO]

None of them will be able to use TTL, or "talk" with your camera. A mode basicly you punch in ISO, aperture, and focal length and the sensor on the flash will try and figure it out, i wouldn't bother with this. The only flashes that will be able to talk with all the new Nikon cameras are the sb-400/600/800, and none of these will be able to work with canon with TTL.
So basicly you could use thoose older flashes on camera but it would be a pain in the @$$ becauase you would have to use it on manual and keep changing everything every few seconds. Your better off with your cameras built in flash.

However, you will be perfectly fine with using these off camera. I suggest the sb-28's if you want alot of power, and the 26's if you dont need as much. Another great choice is the vivitar 285, and the sunpak 383

Also, if you plan on going with "poverty wizzards" make sure to get them from the actual gadget infinity site. Ive found these 100 times more reliable then ebay ones. As a matter of fact ive never had a misfire with mine and even when using three strobes and shooting from a good 150' away ive had no problems. Now my friend tryed to save a few bucks and got them from some other rip-off company and he can barely get his to work half the time.


So lemme know if you got anymore questions, i love talking about this :mrgreen:

 

[JimmyO]

Geez
After thinking about it im not sure but there might be some compatibility between older flashes and new cameras, idk

Not that it matters to you, but i just didnt want anyone calling me out on that

 

[Rogan]

thanks alot JimmyO

that answered my question perfectly!

problem is i cant afford an sb-600, and ive used the 400 and i cudnt get the angles i wanted!

so are the sigma units my best bet? for something i can use on and off camera

 

[Alpha]

Do you have a compelling need for TTL?

 

[Rogan]

Do you have a compelling need for TTL?

i dno really what TTL does

it'll be useed mainly for club and music concert shots so i just need something bright that goes relatively far

 

[JimmyO]

Did i mention sigma?

 

[JimmyO]

i dno really what TTL does

it'll be useed mainly for club and music concert shots so i just need something bright that goes relatively far

TTL makes your external flash into basically a big version of your cameras built in one. You don't have to adjust it at all. Just turn it on and you get nicely lit shots

This isnt important when using flash off-camera.

 

[Rogan]

Did i mention sigma?

i did

 

[JimmyO]

Honestly, I have never used any sigma units. From what i read you get complete ttl, so thats good. If you can get one for a good price it sounds like a good alternative to a sb-600 (which is what you should probably get if u have the funds). Some more Speedlight info can be found here http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/flash.htm

 

[Alpha]

TTL makes your external flash into basically a big version of your cameras built in one. You don't have to adjust it at all. Just turn it on and you get nicely lit shots

This isnt important when using flash off-camera.

I wouldn't say its not important. But it is less important in some cases. With off-camera TTL you can work more quickly because you're not always having to walk over to the flash and change its settings. On the other hand, if you have an off-camera flash with a sensor built into it, then provided you don't change your aperture you can just set the flash on auto and it'll do its own thing provided your subject doesn't move drastically closer to or further away from the flash.

 

[Village Idiot]

thanks alot JimmyO

that answered my question perfectly!

problem is i cant afford an sb-600, and ive used the 400 and i cudnt get the angles i wanted!

so are the sigma units my best bet? for something i can use on and off camera

You wouldn't want a new SB anyways, it would be pointless unless you owned a Nikon camera. Even buying to older Nikon speed lights is some what impractical now. When David wrote lighting 101 over a year ago, you could get those old Nikon speed lights for under $50, now most are around $100. If you want a manual flash that's good for the off camera stuff, look at a Sunpak 383. They're $80 new and even cheaper used. You can use them on your camera.

Also, if you're bouncing the flash, it's not difficult to use on camera. I've played around with using one of my vivitars on my 30d. Once you have it set for the ceiling height you're shooting at, you don't have to keep changing the power on them for the most part, so there's no tweaking "every 5 seconds"

 

[JerryPH]

TTL stands for Through The Lens... it means that the camera can meter light from a pre-flash that the camera triggers and then sets the exposure settings based on the results.

In other words, it auto sets the flash strength to the proper levels to get a good exposure.

TTL is nice in situations that are fast moving (weddings?), but in most cases when you are not rushed, one could get by without it quite easily by using knowledge, experience and a good external light meter.

TTL is not the cure-all for all lighting situations and I've often had better results with manual modes over TTL during those times that I pushed it.

If you are using off camera flash adn do not care about TTL, use any flash combination you want. If not, be 100% sure that its either a brand specific to your camera or a brand that is 100% guaranteed to work with your camera. Don't experiment... you could fry the electronics on your camera quite easily.

 

[Alfred D.]

i just need something bright that goes relatively far

How about a third party flash gun with a BetterBeamer?